InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Absolution ❯ Master ( Chapter 8 )

Emily: Hello again! I wanted to give this to all my readers. ::Throws GIGANTIC cookie to each person:: I'll have you know those took me hours to bake… I hope none of you are allergic to chocolate chips!

Inuyasha: ::pouts:: I'm not allergic to chocolate, but you never asked me if I wanted a cookie…

Emily: That's because I already gave you your chocolate for today!

Inuyasha: Yeah, about that… is there something I should know about this stuff, 'cuz everything's-

Emily: What?! Who said I gave you mushroom chocolates? ::Guilty look:: Ok… I gave you a little bit… how ya feelin'?

Inuyasha: Like a pretty, pretty princess! You want me to brain your hair?

Emily: Uh… sure… just watch those claws, buddy.

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(…Kagome…)

(Kaaagome…)

"Kagome!"

The miko in question bolted upright at the sound of her name being called quite loudly in her ear. She sighed and stretched lazily, disappointment evident in her frowning face. She had been having such a nice dream. She and Sesshoumaru had been… well, making out under the full moon. Why was it she had to be shaken from every pleasant-

"Eep!" she cried as her 'bedding' moved beneath her. Whipping her head to the right resulted in an extreme close-up with Sesshoumaru's white-clad chest. And it was all coming back to her now.

It hadn't been a dream! It was real, and she was currently snuggled up to the demon lord with whom she had been so… intimate last night.

Cheeks tinged a pink brighter than the now-rising sun, Kagome lifted timid eyes to the inuyoukai's face. He was looking down his nose at her…again. She mentally slapped herself. What, did you think one glorified slobberfest in the dirt was gonna make him roll over and beg? Please. Although…begging would be nice… Kagome only blushed farther at these thoughts, but she gave the demon lord her best impression of an innocent smile.

"Good morning!"

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Sesshoumaru, however, was having none of her deceivingly cheerful 'good morning' nonsense.

He had been fine, pleased even, with the situation at hand until he had risen that morning to find the miko in his lap. He remembered willingly drawing her with him up into the branches of the odd tree after they had… caroused beneath the moon. The moment she'd wrapped them in his father's pelt he had fallen into a peaceful slumber. A sleep that, for the first time in several months, did not include any nightmares. He had awakened to find the girl still in his embrace, and suddenly everything seemed a bit too… familiar. He felt far too much like his father, dallying with a human female, and all of his doubts and inhibitions came flying back with a vengeance. He could feel his face slipping back into its usually stony countenance, and guilt flashed briefly through his mind before he could stop it. Somewhere deep within the recesses of his brain he knew he was about to do a cowardly thing, but at the moment he wasn't quite sure that he could deal with the consequences of bravery.

So, gathering his wounded, arrogant pride, Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and called her name.

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When he hadn't said anything in response to her greeting, Kagome looked away from his piercing stare and slid onto the ground below them. She would have been upset that he was regarding her with such aloofness, but she wasn't an idiot. She smiled, careful not to direct it at him. He was scared. Sesshoumaru is scared. Will wonders never cease? She thought idly. A part of her knew that he was sliding back into his usual icy demeanor because he was most likely a bit overwhelmed… hell, she was even overwhelmed… but that part of her was sad nonetheless.

Shaking her sadness away with a full-body stretch, Kagome turned around to face the demon in the tree. "Well, we should be getting back to camp. Everyone's probably wondering where we are."

Sesshoumaru said nothing, only nodded and nimbly leapt down to the ground beside her. He gave her a last, lingering gaze, and turned away. Kagome sighed once more, then grabbed her previously discarded shoes and followed the great white youkai.

oooooooo

Something was not right. Sesshoumaru could feel it even before his nose detected the faint scent of blood on the morning breeze. His brother's blood. Kagura's blood. The taijiya as well. No, something was not right here, and he told the miko as much.

"How far is it back to camp?" she asked, worry tingeing her voice.

"Too far for you to reach it quickly," he said, speaking in grave tones.

Kagome shuddered involuntarily. She had this funny feeling in the pit of her stomach…

"Jewel shard!" she exclaimed. "Inuyasha and the others must have run into a demon with one. It's pretty far away, though, we'll have to- hey!"

The girl squealed as Sesshoumaru dragged her up against his side. He ignored her cries of protest, and gave her a look that shut her up quite effectively. "We will have to travel faster." That being said, he gripped her even tighter and sped off in the direction from which he had smelled the blood of his new traveling companions.

It did not take them as long to reach the rest of the Inu-tachi as Kagome had thought it would. Two minutes of near-blinding speed had put her mind akimbo, and she stumbled onto the grass before a strong hand brought her upright once again.

The sight that met her eyes was not a pleasant one. Campsite, dawn, two people already down. The enormous lizard youkai had been doing a number on her friends… not to mention the saimyoushou that were hovering around the foul thing. Like evil little note-takers, Kagome thought with disdain. They had obviously been Miroku's early downfall, and it looked as though Kagura had gotten a literal eye-full of the youkai's poison saliva.

Said saliva was being thrown around with reckless abandon, and a stray drop hit Kagome on her right arm. And it burned. She wiped at it with her skirt, and the burning subsided a bit. This was going to be so much fun…

Noticing her bow and quiver lying haphazardly on the ground, Kagome ran to retrieve them. She could see the two shards in the beast's tail and right arm. This was her area, this is what she knew… now she just had to get them out of the demon.

"Inuyasha! Two shards! One's in his right arm, one's in his tail! And make it snappy, this poison's burning me to bits!" she yelled in the hanyou's direction as she nocked an arrow. Inuyasha slashed the lizard twice before turning toward her.

"And where were you and my no-good brother this morning, huh?" he spit, amber eyes flashing.

If she had even wanted to debate this with him now, she wouldn't have for fear of her friends' eminent death by slobber.

"Does that even matter right now? Kill this thing, and then we'll talk!" she shouted over the youkai's threats to all their lives, their children's lives, their blah blah blah… Kagome briefly wondered if Naraku handed all of his minions a script before they went off to battle her and her shard-hunting pals.

Amusing thoughts of Naraku in a director's chair were thrown aside as a particularly gooey blob of poison flew toward her. She knew, as she stood there holding her arrow at the ready, that she couldn't dodge the saliva. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and prayed for a miracle.

A miracle she promptly received as Sesshoumaru grabbed her arm, jerking her a safe distance away from the snot rocket.

Cold, pale eyes met her own dazed ones, and she flashed the demon lord a thankful smile. He only quirked an eyebrow.

After Kagome had regained her feet, the inuyoukai whirled to face the lizard, his brother, and the taijiya. The two remaining fighters were giving it their all, and seemed to be wining… that is until Inuyasha was pierced through the middle by a very sharp, very long claw. Sesshoumaru smirked as his brother fell. Not to mock his sibling's pain, but to note the lizard demon's very near death. No one fought against his allies and lived.

Sesshoumaru strode calmly over to the front of the youkai, noting the taijiya's weary expression. She was almost run-out. She had done enough, however, and Sesshoumaru called out to the lizard.

"Demon! You work for Naraku. He gave you the shards housed inside your body." The taiyoukai's words reverberated across the clearing, and the ugly beast lowered its green head to stare at him.

"What of it, pessst? Do you not think I will do away with you like your friendsss here?" It hissed, spittle flecking from its scaly lips.

"Hmm. You underestimate this Sesshoumaru, demon. And these are not my friends." Having chatted enough with his prey, Sesshoumaru sprang into action. His hand grasped Tetsusaiga's hilt…

…And its barrier immediately repelled him.

"Keh. You can't use my sword, Sesshoumaru. There isn't a human in the world you would care about enough to want to protect."

The demon lord growled menacingly… at his brother, and the lizard who was currently heading in Kagome's direction.

Kagome!

"Hey ugly! Yeah, you!" she yelled, bow and arrow in hand, just waiting to be propelled into the youkai's heart. When the demon faced her, however, her courage faltered momentarily… and that was when the huge thing attacked.

Its tail came spinning around like a bullwhip. She could hear the rush of air as it came racing toward her. Before she could chicken out, Kagome released her arrow, a bright pink light shimmering from all sides of the shaft. And still the tail came faster…

But it never struck her… at least, she never felt it strike her. When she opened eyes she hadn't known had been shut, the demon lay in two pieces, green ooze spilling from its body. Her gaze traveled to the shards the lay in the muck, and in the midst of the slime stood Sesshoumaru… the transformed Tetsusaiga in his hand.

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He didn't know exactly how it had happened, but his father's fang had suddenly sprung to life. He watched as the demon's tail began its arc toward the miko… and his heart had frozen. He was about to lose her as surely as he had lost Rin. She would die, and this time it would be his fault. He would not be fouled twice by Naraku, and he would not lose… he would not… her.

His mind howled, inner demon begging, for release, but he pushed it down as Tetsusaiga pulsed at his hip. He didn't even think as he reached down a second time for the blade. It came from its sheath smoothly, barrier disregarded, and he lashed out blindly, madly. He would not lose anyone else he cared for to Naraku!

His world flashed red, and the next thing he knew the lizard was gone, and he was covered in acrid green gunk that the miko was hurriedly purifying. So she can claim the shards, only for the shards… not for me, he thought darkly. He decided to ignore the fact that she was lightly touching the green mess on his arm, and not the lizard youkai.

He turned his attention to Tetsusaiga, still transformed into its fang-like state. All his amazement at such a feat was cleverly hidden behind his bored expression as he then looked to his brother, being helped from the ground by the houshi.

He flicked his wrist, and the sword reverted back to its rusty, used appearance. It was carefully placed back at his hip, and he smirked in satisfaction at his younger sibling's bewildered look.

"So, Inuyasha… who does Tetsusaiga call 'master' now?"

No one could meet the demon lord's eyes at that moment, and none wanted to see the proud glimmer contained within.

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Emily: Well, that about does it for chapter 8. You kids come back tomorrow, and I should have another one up and ready! And while I write, I'll be entertaining myself with an Inuyasha who thinks he's a real dog.

Inuyasha: Bark! ::Wags butt, as he has no tail::

Emily: Oh, if only he'd stay so pleasant all the time…