InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Adi (Odi) Et Amo ❯ Chapter Three: The Stench of Revenge... ( Chapter 3 )

Adi Et Amo

By: Wildfire Sky

Hello there, children!! It's high time that I update this fic and tell you what happens to Akumu and his pack...so, without further needless ado, the continuation of Adi Et Amo!!

Adi Et Amo

Chapter Three: The Stench of Revenge...

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Akumu lay on his back, cradling his broken and bloody arm to his chest as he stared up at the fading night sky.

Deadly, dangerous thoughts filtered through his mind at the thought of his humiliating defeat of him and his proud pack. Never, in the history of his tribe, had a hanyou single handedly succeeded in nearly wiping out his wolves. No youkai had ever come close in fact.

And now here he was, broken both physically and mentally, berating himself for a fight that had gone horribly wrong from the beginning. He should have been more cautious...he should have attacked the hanyou first and not the girl...

It was too late now, though, to do anything. The massive ten foot tall wolf-youkai lifted his head slightly, glancing around at the crumpled mounds of flesh and bones that had once been the bodies of his wolves.

Discarded at the bottom of this fucking cliff like trash.

How dare that bastard hanyou treat them like this? Did he at least have the decency to properly cover the bodies to protect them from scavengers? Was it so hard to at least blast them into oblivion with his damn sword?

Akumu grunted as a wave of pain passed over his body. Damn hanyou...couldn't he finish off his enemies properly? Not leave them to the mercy of the wild?

A grin slowly crossed the wolf's face. He at least sent the hanyou to his death with a well delivered farewell present. The poison from his claws and fangs should have completely liquefied his innards by now, leaving him as nothing more than a loose pile of skin

The pain hit him again, and Akumu rolled over, careful to keep from jarring his arm too much. The blood seeping from his throat was beginning to be too much.

Souls...I must feast on souls...

His entire being depended on the souls of humans and animals alike. Whether they were dead or alive didn't matter to him. All he needed was for their spirits to become one with his body, making him stronger, faster, and more dangerous than before.

He escaped from the clutches of Hell, dammit!! Broke down the very gates keeping him in and escaped to the surface world, out of reach of the demons' grasping fingers. It was a mark of pride. How many youkai were able to actually escape from Hell? None that he'd heard of yet.

Akumu sat up, cradling his arm to his chest as he took a shaky step forward, hovering over to body of one of his wolves. He slowly knelt down next to it, sniffing the corpse cautiously.

Excellent...his soul has yet to descend to Hell.

He reached out, pulling at the neck until it was fully exposed to his hungry eyes.

I must eat these souls quickly if I am to survive...they will heal me and make me stronger.

Akumu's muzzle nudged at the neck before he opened his mouth, driving his fangs deep into the stiff skin of the wolf. The body jerked slightly as its soul was extracted, seeping into Akumu's mouth like river water.

Akumu's body felt like it had been dosed with ice cold water and left out to dry in the snowy cold of winter before it shifted to a new, fiery sensation. Collecting souls had always been a treat. He could feel, and taste, the purity of a being just by the sensations of the soul. Usually, a pure soul was sweet tasting and cool, where as a tainted, evil soul was bitter and almost burned the inside of his body.

Despite the slight discomfort he might encounter, soul eating was his favorite past time and he often had his wolves attack a village just so he could taste the peasants souls. He'd even gone so far as to demand that one woman be sacrificed and if he approved of her soul, he'd spare the village from attack. Unusually he kept good on his promises...

But he had escaped from Hell...

Running a tongue over the punctures, Akumu could feel the bones in his arms mending themselves together again, replacing the torn tissue with new fresh ones taken from the soul. He growled softly as the arm snapped back into place with a sickening crunch.

Flexing the newly repaired limb, he sniffed the air, searching out his next soul.

A strange scent wafted down from above, catching the giant wolf's attention. He turned his large head upwards, inhaling deeply. He knew this scent...

It smelled like flowers...flowers and something else. Something he couldn't quite place.

Akumu flinched as the scent finally hit him full blast. The scent was that of a miko...that damn girl was around here somewhere, no doubt looking for her precious hanyou.

He stormed over to another wolf corpse, lifting the body until the neck was level with his mouth. The cut in his throat was bad...he'd need souls; a lot of souls in order to mend it and return to full strength. If he was going to kill the miko woman, he would need all of the energy his large body could muster.

Drawing the soul from this wolf left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Tainted.

It always drove him insane whenever he'd stumbled upon a tainted wolf soul. Wolves were supposed to have a neutral taste to them, unless they were hanyou, never so bitter and hot. This wolf had done something that by even the standards of the gods was below the wolf tribe name.

Akumu flung the body away from him in disgust, walking over to the river bank to wash the taste from his mouth. Planting his hands on the ground and bending over, Akumu lowered his muzzle to lap up some of the cold, sweet river water.

Suddenly, his nostrils were filled with the scent of a fresh human soul. Not the miko's, no...this one was an ordinary human...a woman not more than twenty.

He lifted his head and inhaled, sniffing rapidly, trying to find her location in the thick woods. She was close...very close...

A dangerous grin spread across Akumu's face, his lips pulling back to reveal his overly long canines, the fangs slipping over his bottom lip.

The woman had an infant.

These were a treat. Too young to be tainted, newborns were the sweetest tasting creatures in the mortal world. Especially human infants. This child...it will be a welcome treat to his sore body, especially after such a hard battle.

The smell of the humans was slowly getting closer to the river and his position. For now, he'd hide in the shadows; allow his night black fur to blend in with the remaining darkness. Then, once the moment was right, he'd strike and take their souls as his.

He quickly crawled back into the dark shadows hanging over the cliffs, his red eyes glinting in eager anticipation as the woman and her child came into view and paused by the river bed...

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Akumu ripped another long piece of flesh from the woman's lifeless body, grunting in suppressed joy at the taste of fresh meat between his jaws. The baby beneath his foot had long since silenced his cries under the pressure of the wolf's feet, but Akumu was indifferent.

Once he had devoured the woman's body, he'd suck the life from the baby and eat its flesh too before it became cold and stiff.

Grasping the woman's body in one hand, he brought her head to his mouth, clamping his strong jaws around it and ripping the protrusion from her bloody form.

It wouldn't have been a problem just to devour the girl outright, but he wanted to savor this one, get familiar with her flesh and scent. Once he finished with the fucking miko, he'd hunt down the villagers and eat all of them as well, just to warn off any reproaches against his killing of the girl and child.

Crushing the rest of the corpse between his jaws, Akumu wiped away the blood dripping from his muzzle as he reached down and pulled the baby from under him. The infant made a small, gurgling noise, startling the giant youkai. So the child was still alive...how interesting. Most would have been dead by now or at least unconscious.

Shrugging carelessly, Akumu took the baby's head in his hand and with a flick of his wrist, effectively severed the head from the rest of the body, tossing it into the river. His tongue lolled out, running over his fingers to catch the blood seeping over them.

He couldn't let any blood go to waste. That was where the infant's soul was.

At birth, a child's soul is too big to be contained in one area, which was usually near the main artery in the neck, so the entire body was used to house the spirit, the soul churning around through the blood stream, energizing and helping the infant to grow.

It wasn't very often, but on occasion, a child's body will not be able to totally contain the soul, and that was where mutation came in. Extra limps...inflamed foreheads, slowness, abnormal bumps and mounds...these were all symptoms of a child with a soul to big to be contained and the body was simply trying to make more room for it.

Akumu particularly liked those babies. Their human parents either killed them or tossed them in the river, and the wolf-youkai would send out his pack to retrieve the body. Despite the horrid appearance on the outside, a mutated body meant extra blood which meant, to him at least, a bigger, purer soul for the taking.

As he lapped at the baby's flesh, pouring the blood directly into his mouth, Akumu made another cautious sniff around for the miko woman. Her scent...it wasn't as close now, but something had changed about it.

His red eyes widening in shock, Akumu quickly stuffed the body into his mouth, whirling around to face the top of the cliff.

Impossible...

With the slash in his throat now fully healed, Akumu bunched his legs up underneath him, and with a mighty heave, leapt to the top of the cliff, his hand already searching out the discarded halberd that he'd lost in the fight.

Finding the black staff of his weapon, Akumu's eyes ran over the wicked looking blade, caressing the tri blade with an emotion some humans might call love, but what he called appreciation. This blade had given him so many souls and meat to feed his pack...he could help but 'love' it.

This halberd had been forged long ago by the demon Kaijinbou at his request. Using the souls of countless tainted demons and human samurai, as well as some of Akumu's own blood, Kaijinbou had forged for him Kakiken, the Fire-Blade, a weapon that rivaled even the mighty Tessaiga.

Both the blade and the staff were a pitch black so Akumu could dissolve into the shadows if need be. The only thing that might give away his position was the glowing jaki that radiated from his blade. But, if a being was close enough to sense the jaki, then chances were that creature wouldn't live to tell about it.

Akumu crouched down, pressing his nose to the ground. Hum...the dog-hanyou had crawled away into the forest, no doubt following after the girl and his wolves.

But...the wolves were dead by now. The power that radiated from the miko should have killed them instantly the moment they were out of range of his own protective youki.

The wolf-youkai strapped the halberd to his back, crawling along the ground as he sniffed, following the scented path into the woods.

The smell of the miko was getting stronger and stronger with each step, but now something else had joined it...

Akumu paused in shock, his pointed ears twitching. No...there was no way in Hell...

Jumping to his feet, Akumu rushed forward, drawing Kakiken as he ran. There absolutely no way that fucking hanyou survived his poisons. No creature on earth could survive even just a droplet of it, and he'd pumped nearly all of his venom into the hanyou.

Akumu shuddered suddenly. Could that miko have done it? That wench that he'd sent off to be killed? He began to froth at the mouth, cold fury washing over his body. If such a thing were true, then that bitch would die by his hands...as well as the hanyou.

This wasn't good, if a miko could cure a half-breed so easily, and want to cure him, then this child was a formidable foe indeed. His black pupils shifted against the red background of his eyes.

He would find her, this night, and finish what his wolves could not. Even if the hanyou was revived, there was no possible way he'd have the same amount of energy. Besides, the boy had won by a fluke...it wouldn't be so this time around. This time, he'd kill the hanyou first and then go for the girl...

"Where do you think you're going?"

Akumu froze instantly. Kuso...how could he have missed the scent of inu-youkai? His senses must not be fully restored yet.

The wolf turned towards his foe, feet akimbo in a fighting stance. He grasped Kakiken tightly, holding it out to ward off any frontal attack. His eyes roamed over the youkai before him, a snarl slowly crossing over his lips.

"Ah...you must be the older brother to the hanyou, Sesshomaru," he growled, sniffing loudly, "I can smell the stink of his scent on you. Tell me, are you hanyou like him? Certainly look like one."

Sesshomaru's face barely twitched at the measured barb, "I am not a filthy hanyou, Akumu, and do not forget that."

Akumu told a step back, his eyes narrowing cautiously, "Huh...so you know who I am, youkai? If so, it would be smart of you to stay out of my way. It's your brother I'm going to kill, not you."

Akumu barely had time to react before Sesshomaru flashed before him, too close for to use Kakiken. The wolf snarled in surprise, taking a rapid hop back.

"Quick little bastard, aren't you?" he growled savagely, "How many times must I tell you? Don't pick a fight with me, because it is only your brother's head I seek!"

"Inuyasha is not to be touched."

Akumu faltered for a moment, "What? Ah, I see...so you've come here to protect him, have you? Disgusting...he is hanyou and you are youkai. It's your duty to rip out his throat and leave him for the crows. Listen, Sesshomaru, stay back and let me kill him off for you. If you don't want your brother's blood on your hands, I'll do it for you and you can have whatever bounty you can find."

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed, "I said he will not be touched. I am the only one who can kill him. As his brother, it is my right."

Akumu never saw his hand lash out, but the pain across his arm was immense. He looked down at the glowing youki whip wrapped around his arm, slowly dissolving the flesh. He growled at Sesshomaru, his red eyes glinting fiercely.

"You fucking bastard...don't you know who I am??"

With a simple flex of his arm, the whip snapped to pieces, falling to the ground next to him. Sesshomaru glanced at the discarded whip and back to Akumu's grinning face.

"I am the master of the woods, Sesshomaru...I've laid claim to it and all of its inhabitants. I am the one who broke down the Gates of Hell and fought my way back to the surface world...I can wipe out my enemies with one swing of this Kakiken, a blade stronger than that of Toukijin! I feel no fear of you or your disgusting half-breed brother...it is you who should fear me!"

Sesshomaru calmly side stepped a jab from Akumu's Kakiken, a frown slowly crossing his face at the immense jaki radiating from it. He drew Toukijin, blocking another strike from Akumu. The wolf-youkai pressed forward, slashing at Sesshomaru, his fangs dripping with anticipation of sinking his teeth into the inu-youkai's shoulder.

"Damn it, Sesshomaru, get out of the way!" he snarled, swiping at the inu-youkai with his long claws, "Your bastard hanyou brother murdered my entire tribe! I have a right to seek revenge..."

Akumu paused, sniffing the air, "This smell..." he turned hateful eyes on Sesshomaru, "You let that filthy shit take a mate? What the hell are you?"

Akumu stood to his full height, towering over Sesshomaru, "Oh I get it...so you came here to keep me from attacking the hanyou while he was rutting with his bitch, eh? Fool...I will not allow another disgusting hanyou to pollute my territories!!"

The wolf youkai looked over Sesshomaru's shoulder, his mouth tightening in anticipation. He would kill Inuyasha here and now, whether he was mating or not. The insult the hanyou brought down upon his tribe was unforgivable and couldn't go unpunished. He would feel the same pain Akumu felt when he realized his entire wolf tribe was laid to ruins at the bottom of a cliff.

Taking a step forward, Akumu failed to see Sesshomaru move closer, wielding his youki whip again. The glowing whip slashed across Akumu's cheek, blood gushing out from the deep wound. The giant youkai stepped back in shock, raising his weapon to ward off any other attacks from the inu.

Sesshomaru stared at the wolf with cold, dead eyes, waiting for the beast to recover and make his move, but, surprisingly, the wolf-youkai backed down, his tail swishing across the tall grass as he considered Sesshomaru for a moment.

"I can see that you won't allow my passage," Akumu growled, retreating into the forest, "It's fine by me...this will only give me time to gather more souls and make me more powerful." He turned, casting Sesshomaru and unreadable look, "You tell that hanyou bastard, his time is coming...and soon. Both he and his bitch will be dead and I'll be feasting on their flesh!"

He gave Sesshomaru a small snort before turning on his heel and marching off into the dense woods, the ground shaking with each step he made.

The inu-youkai stared after Akumu's retreating form, allowing the first hint of emotion to cross his face. This Akumu, whether or not he wanted to admit it, was a very dangerous youkai, a creature that could possibly rival Naraku himself...

Sesshomaru allowed a low growl to well up from inside his chest. As much as he didn't want to, it was his brotherly duty to alert Inuyasha to this new threat.

Glancing up at the night sky, he turned and walked towards the smell of mates and his brother.

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Akumu sniffed loudly.

He needed to find another pack, and quickly. Of course he was a strong demon, by far; however, he was nothing if he didn't have a pack to lead to victory. He couldn't become a great legend among both youkai and humans if he didn't have an army of killers ready at his will to fight and die for him.

Even that Sesshomaru bastard was more well known...the only reason begin that he lugged around his human bitch and had that stupid toad following him every where. That and the fact that he was the son of an inu-lord.

But him?

He was nothing more than a mere wolf...an underling socially compared to royalty. He was the type of youkai who should be licking Sesshomaru's feet, not trying to fight him...but despite that fact, he was stronger than both of them. He trained himself from when he was just a pup to seek his revenge on the inu clans...those dog bastards who drove his kind from the mountains, claiming them as their own.

In the past, the wolves had fought along side the neko-youkai during the first war with the dogs...a war that the great inu-youkai, the father of Inuyasha, had fought in, scattering both the cats and the wolves into the winds.

His father had managed to bring together the wandering bands of dispelled wolves, creating a tribe stronger than any tribe ever seen in Japan.

He had prepared them, trained each pup from birth...trained them into fierce killers filled with blood-lust against the inu-youkai's.

If a wolf so much as caught a whiff on a dog, it was his duty to pursue the beast and kill him. Take revenge for what the inu-youkai had done.

Akumu gripped ­Kakiken tightly, his teeth grinding against each other.

His father...his father had lost all hope for vengeance when the great inu-youkai was killed. He lived out the rest of his life depressed...beaten...robbed of the one thing that had kept him going.

Fucking dogs!!

Now that he was the soul survivor of the original tribe of wolves, it was his duty to finish what his father started. Kill off Inuyasha and Sesshomaru and stop the royal bloodline before it even had a chance to start.

The stench of the mating hanyou filled the air, slowly fading as he moved further away.

If it was one thing his father had taught him, it was respect.

It amazed even him that he had the audacity to think of pursuing the hanyou while he was mating. Such a sacred act between couples should be respected by all and left to its course.

In the back of his mind, he was glad that Sesshomaru had shown up when he did. Only Kami-sama knew what he might have done.

Akumu's body froze, his pointed ears perking up, his nostrils flaring.

This smell...could it be...?

Instantly Akumu broke out into a run, leaping over the shrubbery and landing lightly on his feet. In one fluid motion, he shoved his halberd into the sheath across his back, freeing his clawed hands to push aside the leaves and branches blocking his way.

The smell was stronger now...and it was moving. Akumu slid to a halt, ground foliage fluttering through the air, carried by the momentum of his feet. He took another quick sniff before turning sharply to his left and running through the thick woods.

Damn this fucker is fast!!

Now he had the scent...it drove him to a new limit of hope. Was it really a wolf he smelled? A true wolf-youkai that was still living and breathing amongst mortals?

He turned again as the smell changed directions.

It was heading towards the mating hanyou...but also towards him. He froze, legs akimbo and waiting for the wolf. He wanted to meet this survivor face to face. This beast who would help him continue the honor of his tribe. Perhaps it was a female? Then he would mate with her and continue his father's untainted bloodline.

The wolf approached at a neck-breaking speed, the cloud of dust easily identifiable as it billowed up over the dense foliage. A whirlwind spun towards him before it stopped suddenly, revealing the ragged looking youkai who stared at Akumu cautiously.

"Now just who the hell are you??"

Akumu smirked, spreading his arms in welcome, a dangerous smile crossing his face, "I, wolf, am your new leader."

Kouga regarded Akumu for a moment before a daredevil smile graced his young features, "You wouldn't be here to stop me from getting to my woman, would you?"

"Of course not," Akumu said smoothly, guessing that he was talking about the miko. How disgusting...

"In fact, if you help me...not only will you get your woman, but you'll also get rid of the competition."
"I will, huh?" Kouga said. He quietly regarded the large, black wolf before him. Just who the hell is this guy? He's huge!! And the jaki coming from his sword...For now I'll listen to him. Better to stay on his good side before things get out of hand.

Kouga stepped forward, nodding at Akumu, "You've got three seconds..."

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Hurrah!! The continuation to Adi Et Amo has been started (but not finished)!! I really hope you liked it, so far!! It's no where near completion. But you guys are killing me with these reviews!! Give me a break, eh?? Please R&R so I know what the flyin' fuck I'm doing!!