InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Killer In Hindsight ❯ Battles Won And Lost ( Chapter 17 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

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“Bring it on.” Inuyasha smirked, his fangs peeking out over his bottom lip. He grabbed a dagger from one of the soldiers surrounding him and charged the creature. It snapped large, blunt, yellow teeth and saliva drooled over its jowls.

Inuyasha slipped in between the trees, his speed his only advantage as he approached. The creature’s little eyes followed as he flashed through the foliage and suddenly a high pitched wine escaped from its vocal cords. A flash of light followed and the beast opened his massive maw to release a putrid purple gas.

The large group spread amongst the trees, watching in morbid fascination as the gas surrounded the half-demon, causing him to waver on his feet, the smell overcoming his senses. It was dense, moist, and enclosed him in a most uncomfortable, foul smelling cocoon.

Inuyasha moved forward, struggling through the thick mist. A collective sigh of relief was released from the group left behind as he broke through the hazy prison and it dissipated behind him. Shaking off the dizzy fog the mist had left him in, he continued his charge toward the giant creature.

One of its large arms moved lethargically through the air to swipe at him. Using his size to his advantage, Inuyasha slipped past the beasts’ grubby fingers. Pulling his arm back, he brought the dagger across the lower half of the creature’s stomach. It screeched in fury as a green slime oozed from the wound.

Inuyasha leapt into the air, the creature’s bulk slowing it down, and he slipped easily through the creature’s grasping fingers again. Coming down, he brought the dagger out in front of him to catch on the skin of the beasts’ stomach and he used his weight to drag it down until he reached the ground again. Bounding backwards, Inuyasha wiped the green sludge from his face with a forearm.

Kagome watched in horrid fascination as Inuyasha continued to wipe the slime from his face, oblivious as a large hand scooped him up easily. A morbid giggle escaped the creatures’ mouth. Kagome turned to Sato, fear in her eyes. “Why aren’t you helping him?” she asked, frantically.


“He was handling it fine a second ago. I’d like to my men to be as little involved as possible.”


“He’s a civilian, you’re military. It’s your duty to protect him.” Sato sighed and, without glancing at the desperate girl, he ordered his men to fire at will. The sharp blasts from their guns startled the creature and in its shock, it dropped the half-demon.


Crashing through the trees Inuyasha landed with a hard thud on the ground. Groaning, he raised himself on all fours. Through his bangs he watched the soldier’s fire. The beast seemed confused as it watched the little bullets of the guns as they were consumed by its body. Beady red eyes focused on the group of soldiers and cocked its head to the side. It approached slowly, cautiously, and as it neared the soldiers retreated.

“Feh, cowards.” Inuyasha snorted before rising. The creature had its back to him now as it closed in on the terrified soldiers. Looking up to the sky, the half-demon’s eyes caught those of Kagura, staring him down. His brow furrowed in confusion, ‘Why isn’t she attacking?’ as he was distracted with the wind demoness, he did not notice the large serpent that approached his crewmates.

Kagome stood the farthest away, pushed back by her friends in an attempt to keep her safe. So preoccupied was she with her worry for Inuyasha that she didn’t notice the breaking of twigs and leaves or the hiss the snake demon released as it approached its prey.

Only did she become aware of it when it coiled itself around her torso and squeezed, cutting off any attempts at alerting the others. No one noticed the frightened eyes of their friend as she disappeared into the foliage.

Shaking himself from the entrancing gaze of Kagura, Inuyasha picked himself up from the ground and charged the monster yet again. Leaping at the creature’s neck he brought the dagger down to tear through the soft flesh of the base of the beasts’ skull.

It gave a loud groan before crashing to its knees. The soldiers scrambled to escape as the creature collided with the ground. It gave a high pitched whine before going silent. The soldiers approached it cautiously, some poking it with their guns. A sudden puff of purple gas escaped its mouth, the foul smell enveloped them, and everyone coughed and gagged trying to escape the awful scent.

Inuyasha approached the beast and walked the length of it and as he looked to the sky he noticed Kagura was gone, and he growled in frustration. He looked back towards where his crew had assembled around the head and immediately noticed something was wrong.

“Where’s Kagome?” He asked as he came towards them. Everyone looked around for the missing girl. A panic suddenly gathered in the pits of their stomachs, the realization that she was gone overwhelmed them and Ayumi cried out in distress. Their friend had been taken and not one of them had noticed.

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Kagome released an ‘oomph’ when the serpent roughly dropped her to the ground. She watched it slither off back in the direction they came from. A malicious laugh from the depths of the cave caused her to freeze and slowly turn to face the ominous entity.

“Who’s there?” She asked even though she had a feeling she already knew who it was.

“Oh, how disappointing,” he added sadly, “I thought you were smarter than that.”

“Naraku,” she hissed.

“In the flesh,” he chuckled

“What do you want from me?”

“My dear, I want everything.” The malevolent grin that split his face scared Kagome more than anything ever had before.

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“We have to get her back.” Sango said, speaking directly to Inuyasha.

“You think I don’t know that?” He growled, frustrated. Miroku rested a hand on Sango’s shoulder as she started to advance on the irate captain, stopping her progress. She turned to glare at him, eyes closed; he merely shook his head in response. She relaxed under the pressure of his hand.

“We all want to get Kagome back and fighting isn’t going to bring her back any faster.” Miroku’s voice was calm and clear. The sudden clamor of the soldiers moving into formation startled the smaller group.

“Where are you going?” Inuyasha asked Sato.

“North, where Naraku is. We still have a mission and we don’t have time to look for your friend.” His voice was cold and strict, leaving nothing to argument.

“We’re going with you.” Inuyasha said suddenly. Surprised glances were cast between crewmembers.

“Why?” Sato asked.

“Wherever Naraku is, is where we’ll find Kagome.” The determination in the half-demon’s voice startled the other man.

“Fine, we’re heading to the other side of the island.” Sato surprised himself at his own words but it was too late to take it back, the look on Inuyasha’s face said it all. They were going whether he said so or not.

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“What was that about?” Bankotsu exploded at his very naked counterpart.

“What are you talking about?” Kagura spoke calmly as she climbed into the pile of furs.

“Don’t play dumb with me,” he said as he pulled his shirt over his head.

“I’m not, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She beckoned him with a finger and he easily slid his pants over his hips. He sighed and climbed into the pile next to her.

“I wish you wouldn’t leave me in the dark about these things.” Kagura pouted at his words and slid a milky white hand over his well-defined torso.

“Next time I’ll make sure to fill you in. Now, are you going to kiss me or not?” Without anymore thought, he sealed their lips.

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They had been traveling north for some time, the tension between the two groups was palpable. Inuyasha continued to glare heatedly at the back of Sato’s head. The amiable chatter between the soldiers ahead of him grated on his nerves. He released a clearly frustrated sigh, a few of the soldiers ahead of him turned to cast weary looks upon him.

Directing his gaze to his surroundings just as they broke through a clearing he was the first to see the giant cliff face that was dotted with caves, looming before them. The others around him stopped and craned their necks upward to glance at the sheer size of it.

“Let’s keep moving.” Inuyasha heard Sato shout from ahead of him. He freed a low growl before continuing on.

They finally reached the edge of the cliffs at dusk.

“How are we supposed to get up there?” One of the men in front of him asked of a comrade. The other man shrugged and turned his attention to Sato who paced restlessly in front of them.

A slight rustle of leaves to his left drew Inuyasha’s attention away from the men in front of him. A fluffy white ear twitched at the noise and swiveled in its direction, Inuyasha’s head soon following in the same path. A delicate shimmer of green amongst the foliage caught his awareness. It was different than the leaves around it for it gleamed like the scales of a snake.

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Darkness encroached on all edges of the caves’ yawning mouth. Kagome’s desperation grew as stars poked through the haziness of dusk. Tears welled in her eyes, the fear of never seeing her family or friends again becoming real with every passing minute.

“Now, now,” Naraku tsked, “What’s with the tears my dear?”

“Be quiet you bastard,” she hissed.

“A lady should never use such language.” He grinned mirthlessly.

“They’ve arrived master.” A quiet voice spoke from the shadows. Kagome whipped around at the sound of the familiar voice. The small girl appeared stark against the gloomy backdrop of the cave. Her white hair and skin glowed eerily within the depths of the cave.

“Thank you Kanna, fetch your sister and you may join them.” Naraku’s slick oily voice slithered across Kagome’s skin and she shuddered.

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Inuyasha’s eyes never left the gleam of the scales amidst the foliage, not even as he scented Kagura and Bankotsu on the wind. For he felt that what was hiding in the woods was a much greater danger than what was floating in the air.

He stepped carefully to the edge of the group, no one noticing his steady pace towards the thick cropping of trees. He nudged Koga in the ribs, his outcry silenced when Inuyasha clapped a hand over his mouth, making a shushing sound at him but never taking his eyes off of his prey.

“What is it?” Koga hissed when Inuyasha removed his hand.

“Look, do you see it?”

“See what?” the wolf demon groused.

“There’s a snake demon among those trees.” Kouga’s eyes widened and he honed his senses in on the foliage, just barely catching the glint of scales as the snake shifted again.

“I see it,” he whispered.

“Gather the others, we’re going to catch us a snake.”

“Why? What’s so important about that snake demon anyway?”

“I’m positive he has something to do with Kagome’s disappearance.”

“What about Kagura?”

“We’ll deal with her later.” Inuyasha grinned malevolently. Kouga slinked away from him to collect the others.

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Kagura noticed immediately that Inuyasha’s attention was not on her but on the trees to her right. The soldiers had yet to look up and become aware of her presence.

‘Do what you need to do Inuyasha. We’ll have time for us later.’ She grinned as the first soldier gave a cry of surprise and alerted Sato to her presence.

“Ready to have some fun?” Kagura asked of her companion. Bankotsu rolled his eyes in response.

“Go easy on them please.” And with that she whipped out her fan.

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It was easy enough to get the others to follow him. The hard part was keeping track of the demon slithering above their heads. The snake demon finally stopped and its large head dropped from the trees to stare at Inuyasha directly, its eyes glowing a sickly yellow in the waning light.

It hissed with glee, its black tongue gliding through razor sharp teeth to poke at the air. Inuyasha let loose a low growl. Ayumi ‘eeped’ from somewhere behind him. A spray of blood erupted into the air as the half-demon and the snake clashed.

A loud snarl ripped from Inuyasha’s throat as the snake demon’s fangs sunk into the flesh of his thigh. He slashed the skin of the demon’s neck. A garbled screech of fury escaped the demon before he struck again, biting at Inuyasha’s arms as they came up in a defensive position.

Inuyasha gave a great yank and the rest of the snake demon plunged from above. Its coils landing on the ground with an immense thud that shook the trees around them.

“Where is she?” Inuyasha growled from behind clenched teeth. His claws sunk deep into the sides of the snake demon’s neck.

“I will never tell.” It hissed back, flicking its black tongue. Inuyasha squeezed harder at the snake demon’s neck until it was gasping for air. “I’ll…never…tell.” It wheezed again. The half-demon squeezed until he heard the satisfying crack of the snake’s neck.

“Nice going half-breed now how are we going to find Kagome?” Koga slapped Inuyasha across the back of his head.

“Look over there.” Inuyasha, wiping his hands on his shorts, nodded his head to his right where the cliff face opened to a large cave in the dim light. The ones with demon blood could just make out a set of stairs leading upwards.

“Oh,” Koga replied, scratching the back of his head and shuffling his feet in the dirt in embarrassment.

They entered the cave and started to ascend the spiral staircase carved into the rocky surface. Inuyasha in the front, the humans in the middle and Koga bringing up the rear they reached the top of the stairs with few problems.

It was even darker at the top of the stairs. No light leaked in from the outside. A sudden shiver rocked Sango’s body at the chill that entered the air. She noticed several others around her shiver as well. She wasn’t the only one that sensed the potential danger here.

They crept silently through the cave until they heard voices to which they stopped and listened.

“You’re not going to get away with this Naraku. The military is here and I know Inuyasha won’t leave me.” Kagome glared at her captor with fierce intensity.

“Oh I know all about the military, useless lot they are.” He threw his head back and laughed. “As for your friends don’t think I won’t make quick work of them if they do come. For all you know you’re as good as dead.”

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Inuyasha restrained himself from charging in there and ripping Naraku to pieces for putting such doubt in Kagome’s mind. When the two had gone silent and he was sure he wasn’t going to burst through the doorway unprepared, Inuyasha dared to poke his head around the corner.

Naraku had his back to him but he could see Kagome clearly. Her knees were scraped and she was bound with her hands behind her back. On her knees she looked so vulnerable but she glared defiantly at the monster in front of her. Inuyasha smirked at her bravery in the face of the being who could very well be her death.

Kagome’s eyes scanned the wall ahead of her; she immediately caught sight of the half-demon’s head visible around the side of the rock wall. He put a finger to his lips and winked at her before popping back around behind the wall.

Her face briefly showed her shock before she schooled her features. Glancing at Naraku from beneath her lashes she saw that he either had yet to notice her visible shock and her friends’ appearance or he chose to ignore it.

Naraku turned back to Kagome a knowing smirk on his face. Kagome had no time to warn Inuyasha as the half-demon charged the other man, claws extended. A tentacle burst forth from beneath his robes and speared the captain through the shoulder.

Inuyasha gave a grunt of pain, his ears flattening to his head at Kagome’s scream. He sliced the appendage ripped what was rest of it from his shoulder, the wound bleeding profusely. Kouga and Miroku rushed from around the wall to join the fight.

Koga jumping and slashing with his claws as more and more tentacles burst from beneath Naraku’s robes. The stench of decay filled the air the three had to stop to cover their noses. Naraku cackled and inhaled deeply.

“Such wonderful scent decaying flesh has, don’t you think?” The knowing glint in his eyes gave him away and Inuyasha growled. Breathing through his mouth, he charged again.

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“We can’t just stand here.” Ayame said, exasperated.

“Well what are we supposed to do? Inuyasha told us to stay here.” Jakotsu’s forehead was creased with worry lines.

“We can go get Kagome out of that mess before she gets hurt.” Ayame suggested, her eyes fierce and daring anyone to defy her. “Besides Inuyasha’s not the boss of me.” She smirked before turning and heading out into the fray.

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Her face turned away from the fight, Kagome chanced a glance up and saw Ayame rushing toward her.

“Are you okay?” She asked as she reached her.

Kagome vigorously nodded her head yes as the wolf demoness cut the rope from her wrists and ankles. She stood quickly, shaking out her numb limbs.

Inuyasha, distracted with defending himself, missed the sly expression on Naraku’s face as he turned to flash Kagome a menacing look. Catching Naraku, Inuyasha reacted quickly.

“Kagome!” He yelled, catching her attention, she turned to him. He grabbed the dagger from the band of his pants and threw it to her. Before she could catch it a large tentacle knocked her to the ground and her head crashed against the rocks. The dagger slid to a stop beside her.

The battle raged on despite the loss of Kagome. Inuyasha continued to cast worried glances in her direction, though he could no longer see her. Naraku had grown in such great size and the mass of tentacles he had produced blocked her from his view.

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Jakotsu paced behind the wall of rock, out of sight of the battle. Running his hands over his tangled braid, he stopped and turned to face the others who were watching him.

“Would you stop that?” Ayumi asked, frustrated, as she ran her fingers through her tattered locks.

“We should go out there.” Jakotsu said in response.

“Are you crazy? And get ourselves killed? We’ll do more harm than good.” Eri responded incredulously.

“So what do we do?” the effeminate man threw his hands up in exasperation.

“You’ll stay here,” came a strangely familiar voice from the darkness. Ayumi and Eri’s eyes widened in surprise as recognition washed over their faces. They watched in awe as the two figures passed by them.

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Inuyasha took no notice of the figures that entered the room, he was too busy slowly wading through the sea of tentacles to Naraku. Kouga, however, noticed them immediately. Growling, he turned to face them.

“Kagura, Bankotsu.” He nodded at each one, respectively before flexing his claws at them.

“Relax wolf, we’re not here for you. We’re here for Naraku.” Kagura’s voice was simple, as if she was talking to a child.

Kouga snorted at them, “I’m not surprised,” he said, “But don’t expect me to trust you with my back.” All three turned quickly when a sudden shout of pain pierced the tense around surrounding them.

The sight that greeted them caused them to cringe. Inuyasha dangled in the air, a tentacle thrust through his stomach. Kagura leapt into action, quickly releasing her fan from her obi, with a flick of her wrist tornadoes appeared, twirling and dancing and heading straight for Inuyasha and Naraku.

“What are you doing?” Kouga yelled at her over the noise of her sister wind.

“Saving your captain, what do you think I’m doing?” She replied arrogantly.

The winds sliced through the tentacles like they weren’t even there. The twisted and turned in a rhythmic dance, swirling around Inuyasha and his captor.

“Kagura!” Naraku’s furious voice bounced off the ceiling of the cavern and echoed in the wind demoness’ ears.

Without responding and with another wave of her arm Kagura sliced the tentacles holding Inuyasha aloft. Naraku’s enraged bellow made her smirk in pure satisfaction.

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Ayame watched it all in fascination. Her previous fussing over the unconscious Kagome forgotten. She never noticed as Kagome suddenly rose from behind, the dagger in hand; she snuck through the slack tentacles and she drove the dagger through the base of Naraku’s skull. He sputtered some, eyes wide in shock, before his last breath escaped him and his lifeless body slumped to the ground. A sudden realization rang throughout those that remained alive, Naraku was dead.

Inuyasha suddenly found himself wrapped tightly in a hug; he looked where Kagome had appeared in front of him.

“Careful, woman,” he reprimanded. She fussed over his shoulder and stomach for several moments before she caught sight of his face. He grinned devilishly at her, an eyebrow cocked in suggestion. She slapped him lightly on the chest, the grin never leaving her face.

“Let’s go home,” she said, her eyes glittering with joy. He continued to smile up at her, they were finally going home.

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