InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Angel ❯ Heartache ( Chapter 71 )

Chapter Seventy-One:

Heartache

 

A flash of light engulfed the large black dog, contracting, growing smaller before dimming and finally diminishing all together, leaving in place a beautiful young demoness, burdened under the heavy weight of grief. Through hazy red eyes, Kagome stared down at Kagura's mangled body, the rage still pounding through her veins, her misery nearly driving her to her knees.

So much hate, so much blinding fury, so much pain, she'd never felt the likes of it before.

It was choking, crippling, intense beyond comparison, tearing her apart over and over again. Every in drawn breath hurt, every second she lived, made her want to take a blade to her wrist and end the agonizing pain.

Tears blurred her vision as her knees trembled.

Weakened, sick at heart, she collapsed in the dark pool of blood Kagura's body seeped and sobbed. Her body quaking, lungs burning, Kagome drew the bubbles of energy closer to her. Hands trembling, she removed her three precious baby's, collapsing over their frail bodies as she cried out her misery.

Beside her, Rikimaru hovered in his own ball, the energy encasing him radiating a steady flow of healing power as he slept.

God help her, how was she to continue on?

Kagome trembled, body tightening against the gripping pain, the overwhelming agony threatening to tear her apart.

Her babies, her precious children, murdered, their lives snuffed out before they had even lived. Never given the chance to enjoy the vast wonders of the world, the beauty it held at times. It was inconceivable that she'd never see her babies grow up, find their mates or have pups of their own.

She couldn't breathe, couldn't think.

All she could do was lay there and cry.

Lying on the ground, Kagome wept into the cold hard ground, her deceased pups curled into her stomach, Rikimaru hovering before her tear stained face.

Why couldn't she have died in their place?

Why had the Gods let this happen to innocent children?

Why had they taken them from her so very soon?

She didn't even have the choice to follow her babies, not with Rikimaru still alive, not when he still needed her on this cruel earth.

Her swollen eyes took in her only surviving pup.

The sight of him, bruised and bloodied, barely clinging to life sent her into another bout of weeping. Drowning in her own pain and misery, she did not notice the movement behind her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He'd grossly miscalculated the situation.

Clinching his teeth, Vishious ducked, barely avoiding the vicious swipe of deadly claws. The vegetation behind him withered and died, the burning black acid pouring from Sesshomaru's talons dissolving the once leafy green trees and bushes in seconds.

The smell was horrendous, burning his nose and making his eyes water.

That poison, he'd never seen anything like it. The potency of it was amazing, the danger it presented to him all too real. One touch, one drop would burn away skin and bone.

He'd definitely underestimated the mutt.

The rage pouring from the large dog sizzled in the air, turning his energy into unstable swirls of harsh lashes against Vishious' skin. But what overshadowed that fury was the crippling grief that emitted from his body. It crashed over Vishious in great waves, fueling his amusement and satisfaction that he had landed such an emotional blow to the once mighty demon lord.

Sesshomaru knew some of his children had perished, it was written in all over his savage face, shinning through those blazing red eyes.

Vishious bet he didn't even have to tell him how many had been murdered.

In his useless heart, he would know.

Vishious chuckled at that. Never would he have suspected that Lord Ice had such a thing, let alone any feelings. Yet here he was, gunning for Vishious' neck in a state of uncontrollable grief.

It was laughable, really.

His amusement faded abruptly as Sesshomaru roared loudly, shaking the ground beneath Vishious' feet.

Gripping a nearby tree, he fought to remain upright, growling in irritation.

Sesshomaru snarled as he raised one large paw and struck the earth. The ground gave way, forming a large crater. Vishious narrowed his eyes suspiciously as Sesshomaru repeated the action over and over, expanding that hole, shaking the surrounding forest with forceful shock waves.

`What the hell is he doing?' Vishious wondered.

A scent drifted past his nose.

Vishious gagged before hastily covering his nose and mouth.

"What the fuck is that smell?!"

He'd never smelled anything so grotesque, so gut wrenchingly horrible in his entire life! It was worse than death, worse than death warmed over six times! It smelled like a combination of every disgusting smell one could ever imagine amplified to the extreme.

He had to clench his teeth to hold on to the food in his belly.

Barely able to breathe, Vishious nearly missed the blackening of the ground beneath his feet.

Leaping upward to the safety of a tree branch, he watched as the forest floor grew dark, the black substance bleeding into the dirt and spreading rapidly.

Vishious howled in pain as the tree he stood on blackened, burning his skin, instantly sending burning blisters scattering against his flesh. Two things occurred to him in that instant. One, he now knew what Sesshomaru had been doing. The bastard had driven his clawed paw deep into the earth in order infect the entire forest with an even deadlier poison than the previous one. And two, if he stayed on the tree limb any longer he was going to pass out from the agonizing pain.

He'd never been in such pain before. It shot through his entire body, spreading out through each and every nerve ending, resembling the feeling of being stabbed repeatedly with a red hot blade, stitched up and stabbed again.

His head swam, nausea rose and sweat poured down his back.

He couldn't stay in the forest, he'd die.

Fighting back the tortuous pain, he leapt upward, releasing his energy as he shot up. Transforming in mid air, Vishious flapped his wings furiously, clenching his teeth at the pain the motion caused him.

Below, Sesshomaru roared at him, a blatant challenge to fight him.

Vishious narrowed his eyes. If it was a fight he wanted, it was a fight he'd get. The last time they had battled, the demon lord had come out victorious. Vishious was still fuming over that fact, the pain and suffering he'd endure at the claws of that beast was still fresh in his mind.

He'd be damned if he came out on the losing end this time.

Swooping down, Vishious opened his mouth wide, blowing out a blazing stream of fire, aiming for the silver dog glaring back at him.

Sesshomaru dodged the fire, zigzagging through the forest.

Cutting off the fire, Vishious flapped his wings hard, sending sharp, choppy gusts of wind to the earth. It sliced through trees and bushes, tearing apart the area Sesshomaru had been just seconds ago. Dust clouded his vision; Vishious narrowed his eyes, trying to make out the mutt's form in the thick dirt cloud.

He knew that wouldn't be enough to finish him off, but he'd hoped at least one of the attacks made contact.

Abruptly, the dust parted, and a silver blur charged towards him, leaping up into the sky, claws and fangs gleaming, red, blood shot eyes wide with hatred. Vishious braced himself as Sesshomaru crashed into him, fangs sinking deep.

Vishious roared with pain, short clawed hands grasping the thick dog's neck.

With a burst of energy, Vishious pulled hard on the beast, spinning around on his hind legs. He spun twice before releasing his grip, watching in grim satisfaction as the silver ball of fur went flying a great distance away, crashing hard into a large cluster of trees. Not about to give Sesshomaru a chance to recuperate, Vishious drew forth energy, forcing it up from his chest and through his mouth.

Shooting forward, the energy thundered towards the downed Inu, exploding loudly upon impact.

Vishious didn't wait around to see what effect the attack had. Turning away from the bright purple light blazing from the explosion, he took to the sky once more, flying quickly away from the scene.

He had things to do. There wasn't time to fool around with an emotionally unstable mutt.

Vishious flapped his wings rapidly and furiously, and when he felt he had put sufficient enough distance between him and Sesshomaru, he slowed his pace, gliding easily across the air. Releasing a breath he had not known he was holding, Vishious relaxed momentarily only to grimace at the pain shooting through his body.

Fucking dog and his damn poison.

It burned like acid, coursing through his veins, sending vibrating waves of pain through every limb, every organ, all the way down to his very bones.

Vishious grinned through the agony.

It mattered naught; he had visited his father before initiating this little attack, though it had galled to have to ask the male for anything. He would feel the pain of the poison, but it would not be like last time, where he had lain abed for weeks on end while his body fought to remove the toxins from his blood stream. Sesshomaru would have to do more than inject him with viscous poison to take him out this time around.

It took him a half hour to find a suitable place to land, and as soon as his feet touched the ground, he erected a barrier. Sinking down on his haunches, he relaxed his muscles, no longer fighting the pain; instead, he allowed it crash over him in blistering waves.

Fighting would do nothing more than exhaust him, stripping him of what energy he had left. Reaching out with his mind, he contacted Tourcher, commanding the henchman to bring the wolf General.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pain radiated through her body, blood filled her mouth and throat, making it so hard to breathe. Her eyes, both nearly swollen shut, searched the forest desperately. Stumbling, Kagura gasped painfully for breath, falling heavily against a solid tree, clawed hands clenching, scraping the bark from the trunk. Her wounds, normally mortal for even a youkai, were healing slowly.

Why she had not died was a mystery to her, she would have welcomed it in lieu of the pain clenching her heart and soul at the moment. It was wearing off, the numbness that had given her the courage to commit the heinous act minutes before without batting an eye.

In place of the numbness came the awareness of what she had done, and from that stemmed guilt, self hatred, disgust and everything in between.

But what burned through her the most, what battered her very soul to its core was the fact that she had actually succeeded in killing Kagome's pups. Not all of them, a fact that did little to ease her heart crushing guilt, but three precious pups. Three little bundles of joy she herself had held, cradled, fed and spoiled for a time.

The horror of it, the overwhelming agony that ripped through her nearly drove her to her knees.

If not for the blood clogging her lungs, she would have screamed. If not for the desperate need to reach her mate, she would have dropped to her knees and tore her hair from her head.

Her mind was teetering, an inch away from shattering into a million pieces, she could feel it.

It was frightening, this feeling of helplessness. Her thoughts were sporadic, bombarding her ruthlessly, bringing with them intense thunderbolts of emotions. She was drowning, feelings weaving together in a flood of pain, hatred and desperation.

Blood filled her throat again, bubbling up from her lungs. Kagura clenched the tree as harsh coughs racked her body. The pain was horrendous.

It felt as though she were coughing up her very lungs.

The scent of blood filled her head as she hacked up gush after gush of crimson liquid. When she finished, her body wavered, threatening to collapse. Clenching bloody teeth, Kagura steeled herself, pushing away from the tree and continuing on.

She was close.

The pull between mates was drawing her closer and closer to Ensei, a feeling that brought a sliver of joy to her soul.

It meant her was still here, alive. That Vishious would keep his word to her, that she would have a chance to live long and happy with her mate even after this was all over. She hadn't killed all the pups, but surely, surely Vishious would reward her for what she had accomplished.

Bile rose, threatening to spill from her lips.

Good Gods what was she thinking?!

Accomplished?

What had she accomplished?!

She was losing herself, losing her mind, becoming the monster that her "father" was. Fear clenched her gut tightly. She truly was becoming more like him, and it had nothing to do with the drug she had taken. The effects had long worked its way out of her system as she lay soaking in her own blood, listening to Kagome's heartbroken sobs.

These thoughts, these feelings, they were all her, every one of them. 

God, she couldn't even think without opening a valve of bleeding pain and misery. Truly, she had never known such anguish; had never known pain could permeate all the way down to the core of one's very soul or rip through one's body with such punishing force.

Gnashing bloody teeth, she forced her legs to move, placing one mangled leg in front of the other, stamping down on the cries of pain that threatened to escape.

She couldn't afford to alert Kagome of her survival, she'd never get to Ensei in time if she went another round with the grief stricken mother. Heart hammering loudly in her ears, Kagura's swollen eyes fixating on the nearly invisible ripples in the air just up ahead.

A barrier.

She'd made it, at long last.

Anticipation propelled her forward, anxiety shooting through her entire body.

Dear God what had Vishious told her mate?

Her steps faltered, slowing to a near stop.

Had he told Ensei what she'd done? Had he twisted her actions around, distorted the truth to make her look like a heartless murderess?

Kagura gripped the front of her chest, breathing through the tight clenching of her heart.

He would take one look at her, smell the blood on her hands and clothing and know the truth for himself.

Her eyes closed tightly, another onslaught of misery nearly sweeping her away. She had done it for him! For them! He had to know that, had to understand. He couldn't turn away from her, she couldn't bare it. Not after what they had shared together, not after all she had done, not after all the hopes for the future she had built within her soul!

It would destroy her; rip her to shreds a million times over.

"No," she croaked, a hysterical laugh bubbling past her sliced lips, "he will love me still,"

The words sounded desperate to her own ears, maybe even half crazed. And yet she could say nothing else, believe nothing else, accept nothing else.

She loved him, with all her heart, with everything she was.

`Come Kagura,' Vishious hissed through her mind, `Do not be so shy,'

Her stomach clenched in dread. Kagura stumbled forward, following the strong pull between her and her creator. As she broke through to a great clearing, she barely noticed the deadening vegetation, thick smog and two dragons standing a distance away.

Her eyes instantly searched and found the familiar brown eyes of her wolf lover.

He was a little battered, his clothing slightly torn in places, a few scratches here and there but otherwise unharmed. She nearly fainted with relief.

He was alive.

Thank the Gods above or the devils down below. She cared naught which at the moment.

"Kagura!" he called, surprise and concern on his handsome face.

It was only a moment before his strong arms were around her, holding her so very gently as his hands moved over her body, searching out the worst of her injuries. Kagura felt no ache, no pain. Not here, not in his arms, never in his arms.

"My God, what happened to you?" he demanded, "Who did this to you?"

Kagura held on to him tightly when he tried to move away to look at her face. She didn't want him to, didn't want him to look into her eyes and somehow see what she had done.

Not yet, maybe never.

"Just hold me, Ensei," she whispered, her body shivering like a leaf in a hurricane, "Don't let me go,"

"Kagura, love, tell me what's going on-"

"Yes Kagura, do tell your mate what is going on," Vishious said in a silky tone.

Kagura stiffened, her face contorting into horror as the first signs of disaster arose. Her grip on his arms turned painful, her eyes wild.

"I did it for us!" she cried hoarsely, "I did it because I love you! You must believe me! I didn't want to kill them but I had to!"

"Calm down!" he yelled, more confused than before, "Kill who? Slow down, take a breath and tell me what happened,"

"She's killed, wolf, did you not hear her?" Vishious asked with a pained grin.

Ensei turned at his words, as though he had only just remembered that he was a captive, and his two dangerous captors stood nearby. Prying himself from Kagura's grip, he placed his body between them and his injured mate.

"I heard her, lizard," he hissed with disdain, "Yet I sense there is more to her current state than a few kills. I swear, if you have hurt her-"

 "As I explained to you before you arrived, your precious mate has taken steps to see to your future happiness. She has failed, however, have you not Kagura? You left one of Kagome's pups alive; I am very disappointed in you, my little creation,"

Ensei froze against her.

Kagura's soul withered at the tension flooding his strong frame. Her shaking hands gripped the sleeves of his kimono, hanging on for dear life. Despite her grip, he pulled away, blazing brown eyes staring at her as though he had never laid eyes upon her before.

Pain lashed through her body, throbbing through her entire being.

"No...No!!!!!! God no! Do not look at me so!" she cried, "I did it for you! For us!"

But even as she pleaded her case, she could see him withdrawing from her, emotionally distant. It was a knife to the heart, worst than any wound Kagome had inflicted. He gripped her upper arms in a punishing grip, eyes growing fierce.

"Tell me you didn't, tell me he lies," he commanded softly.

Kagura's lips moved, mouth opening and closing several times before she whispered her answer, her excuse, her only explanation.

"I did it all for you,"

Ensei ripped away from her, his eyes wide with disgust, with disbelief, with something akin to hatred. Kagura let her weak knees collapse beneath her, allowed her mangled body to hit the ground. It was pure scorching agony, more pain she ever though one person could stand. Her mind was shattering, her heart, her soul, her very world.

She reached out for him with a bloodied hand, imploring, pleading, begging him with her eyes to love her still.

"God, what have you done?" he whispered.

He strode to her, gripping her arms once more, the gentleness with which he had held her moments before nothing but a distant memory.

He shook her hard, caring naught for her injuries now.

"What have you done, damn you?!!" he thundered.

"I killed them!" she screamed back, "I killed Kagome's pups! I killed them! I killed them, I killed them, I killed them..."

Ensei released her, his eyes bleak as she whispered the words over and over, sickened.

Who was this woman that looked like his mate?

This was not his mate, this was not his Kagura.

"You were in league with him from the very beginning, weren't you?" he asked, his voice going soft once more.

"Not...by choice..." she answered just as softly.

"You had a choice," he countered, "there is always a choice,"

Silence filled the clearing as he stared down at her. Though she dared not raise her head and look into his eyes, she could feel his gaze upon her. The heaviness of it, the condemnation. It was like an ax being driven into her back.

"What are you?"

The question seemed torn from him, as though he asked a question that he could not bear to know the answer to.

"I am your mate,"

Kagura clenched her fist, hoping, praying he would confirm her words.

"You are no mate of mine," he whispered.

Kagura heard the words from a great distance, barely hearing it over the roaring in her ears. She felt lightheaded, near to fainting. She was dying. She had to be. This deterioration of her heart had to be what death was. She was rotting from the inside out, falling apart in way she had never imagined even in her darkest of nightmares. It was a new form of death, a torture belonging in a category of its own.

Laughter filled the clearing, horrible, horrible laughter, rumbling from the great black dragon, watching a few feet away. His smile revealed rows and rows of sharp teeth; crimson eyes alight with vast amusement and mirth, yet he could not mask the lines of pain that creased his forehead and mouth.

Never had she hated so deeply.

"For your trickery, for your part in the death of Lady Kagome's innocent pups, I will kill you,"

At first, Kagura assumed Ensei was speaking to her and in seconds, she had accepted his will, looked forward to death at his once loving hands. Yet as she looked up, she saw only his back. Nay, her mate faced the two dragons lounging amongst the dead trees, bushes and grass.

Vishious gave a negligent shrug of his dragon shoulders.

"You are welcomed to try," he encouraged, "You have already outlived your usefulness,"

Crimson eyes turned to the silent dragon next to him. Tourcher had behaved quite well throughout the entire fiasco, had not moved or uttered a word as he had been commanded.

"Tourcher, dispose of him," Vishious ordered, "Quickly, we have more pressing matters to attend,"

The dragon stepped forward, eyes gleaming with excitement.

"No!!!!!!!" Kagura cried, lurching unsteadily to her feet, dragging her body towards her mate, "Please don't fight. You'll die! Please-"

With a vicious growl, Ensei pushed her aside, staring down at her with blazing eyes.

"Don't ever touch me again," he hissed between clenched teeth, "I know not what you are, nor do I care. Whatever you are, you are a creation of that despicable lizard. You've murdered innocent pups, for that alone I will never forgive you. You are no better than him, just as sick and depraved as your creator,"

Kagura watched his mouth move, heard the damning words leave his lips, and yet she couldn't understand them, couldn't process the words.

"Heed me well, bitch, come near me once more, and I will take your head without hesitation,"

"Take my...head..."

God, what was he saying?! They were mates! He loved her and she loved him!

She smiled hesitantly, another one of those broken, hysterical laughs making its way up her throat and through her lips.

"You don't know what you're saying," she told him, "You love me, and I lo-"

"I love a woman that never existed to begin with, a lie,"

Kagura shook her head vigorously.

"Never a lie! It was all real, everything I felt for you, that I still feel for you! Please, just-"

 He turned his back to her, his rejection clearer than the bright blue sky. The battle began, and with the first few hits, Kagura felt something inside her go cold. Her eyes followed her mate, watched the fight, and yet she was frozen, numb to the entire duel to the death. But she noticed things, little things that held little importance in the face of the danger looming over the love of her life.

She noticed the stifling air about her, how no breeze swept through the protected air inside Vishious' barrier. She noted the air of desolation droning around her. Took in the fierce look of concentration on her wolf's face.

It was a different look than when his face was fierce with concentrated passion, yet there were similarities as well.

His eyes glowed the same, the aura about him just as aggressive.

Each injury to his frame oozed a steady stream of dark crimson, and that scent hit her nose hard, leaving her dizzy in its wake. His grunts of pain and frustration echoed in her ears over and over again, twisting her soul into such tight knots.

And still, she could not move.

Even as the one known as Tourcher pinned down her mate right in front of her, she sat rooted to the spot. She watched with widened eyes as he turned to look at her with burning eyes of hatred, his lips pulled back in a snarl, cursing her, damning her even as Tourcher's head descended, mouth open. Blood splattered her face and cloths as her lover went limp, blood pooling around his body, the red liquid spreading towards her knees, soaking her gown.

She stared down at his face, the emptiness of his once expressive eyes and felt something she had only ever seen.

Tears, her very own tears.

They stung, burned her eyes, and blurred the face she stared at, dripping down her cheeks and falling carelessly onto his cooling body.

At long last, she was able to cry.

The sky need not cry for her anymore now, she could do it herself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sesshomaru roared loudly once more, the pain in his heart overwhelming all else.

He could feel the finality of his pup's deaths, the great suffering his mate was enduring, and the weight of his own desolation caving in on him. It hurt to think, hurt to breathe, to live. And above all the torrent of emotions piling atop emotions, the sense of failure was so deep in his bones, he felt crippled.

He had failed his family as provider, protector, mate and father. He had failed in every way a male could possibly fail.

The grip of failure was excruciating, threatening to down him right then and there.

He pushed against it, refusing to let it overtake him before his task was complete. Bloodshed was on his mind, the mindless need to eliminate the ring leader of this tragedy pounded hotly through his veins. He would not rest, would not leave until he had killed the black dragon and feasted on his flesh, crushed his bones to dust and drank his dark blood.

It was his one and only thought. His singed fur was not felt, the bleeding wounds long forgotten in the face of revenge.

His nose low to the ground, he sniffed frantically, impatient to pick up the scent of his fleeing prey. He was close by, he could sense him even without picking up the scent, he could feel it in his very core. His claws flexed in anticipation, poison trickling from the tips, burning through the ground below his feet.

He had no idea how or why Vishious had not been incapacitated by the toxic liquid as he had been last time, but at this point, he didn't care.

This new development would only give him the chance to make sure the dragon suffered a thousand different ways before death was delivered. Something to look forward to for him. To see the lizard suffer unimaginable pain, to show him a sliver of the agony Sesshomaru himself was plagued with before sending him to the eternal flames of Hell from whence he came.

It would never absolve him of his failure, yet it would bring him and his mate closure.

He closed his eyes, swallowing hard.

God, his mate.

He could feel her pain like a gaping, festering wound. It crashed over him, thundering through his soul, ripping it to shreds. He wanted to go to her. To comfort her, take the pain away somehow, some way, yet he couldn't face her right now, not until he had killed the dragon responsible, whether directly or indirectly for the deaths of their precious children.

Not until he had redeemed himself a little bit.

He'd be damned and burned in a river of fire before he returned to her with Vishious' survival looming over their heads, a constant reminder of what he had taken from them. He'd kill him and everyone else that was responsible.

Already his body was gearing up for the final showdown, his energy swirled through his body, seeping into his muscles, stimulating poison to accumulate not only at his claws, but in his very pours. The invisible gas that escaped from them crippled the vegetation about him, turning it black, lifeless and frail. Trees disintegrated to dust, grass shriveled, ate away until nothing but black dirt remained.

Never before had he gotten to this state before, a state where he had no control over the functions of his body.

He was in a state of near mania.

The intensity of it made his head swim, every one of his sense honed and sharp, magnifying everything he heard, saw and felt. It was almost too much for someone like him, some who was not used to feeling. He couldn't adjust, couldn't adapt. Too overwhelmed, too wired to even try and recover his famous self control.

As the scent of dragon and blood suddenly bombarded his nose, he picked up speed, moving faster than he had ever moved before, a blur to the naked eye.

He crashed hard against the barrier before him, the force of the two clashing energies sending him stumbling back. With a roar of fury he thrust himself forward again and again, battering the solid energy, each crack in the invisible wall making him push harder.

Moving backwards, he got a running start and leapt for the weakened barrier, claws extended, energy pulsing through his paws.

It broke, shattering into a million pieces, revealing the hidden, deadened area it contained.

Thick, choking smog drifted to his lungs, the scent and viscosity of it threatening to cut off his air supply. Ignoring it, he raced into the gray forest, his entire focus on killing those within.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now I know it's been a while since I updated, but there is a legit reason for that.

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE REVIEWS!!!! LOVE YOU ALL!!!!      4; Â Â Â Â Â Â& nbsp; 

Until next time!

Laters!

~Sessakag