InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Angel ❯ The End Of An Era ( Chapter 72 )

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Chapter Seventy-Two:

The End of an Era

 

"We've run out of time," Vishious stated softly as he rose slowly from his seated position.

The poison pounding through his bloodstream had not loosened its crippling grip on his body; his strength was being sapped even while he rested. His wings flickered in agitated pain as his barrier crumbled about them, revealing their location to all that happened to look their way.

Tourcher looked over at him, eyes curious, hands soaked in blood.

Kagura noticed nothing. She sat next to her dead mate's body, her wet bloodshot eyes staring out into the distance at nothing. Her aura radiated misery and agony. As amusing and pleasurable as the energy was, Vishious had no time to enjoy and savor the broken bitch's emotions.

Another aura disturbed him now, this one red hot, burning as it neared them.

He'd never felt the likes of it before. It was toxic to his own aura, making his skin feel as though someone was rubbing acid against him.

"I kill him too?" Tourcher questioned.

A loud howl and an enraged silver dog driven well beyond the point of bloodlust saved Vishious from answering. Eyes blazing, mouth salivating dark poison, Sesshomaru went after Vishious, ripping Tourcher apart in the process.

A loud expletive left Vishious' mouth as sharp fangs sank into his tender flesh. Poison shot through his body, ravaging his senses with pain beyond his wildest dreams. The pain was so strong, so intense his heart struggled to continue on, it sputtered in his chest, beating fast and fitfully. His mind shattered, reformed only to shatter once more.

Nothing made sense; every thought was blocked out as agony erupted through his body, piercing his very soul.

Every nerve ending screeched with blistering pain.

He lay paralyzed for several seconds, clenched between slowly tightening teeth, unable to do anything more than force his lungs to function and will his heart to beat as more poison poured into his blood stream, setting it ablaze.

Darkened blood gushed from his nose and eyes as he stirred; bringing up weakened clawed hands trying to pry open the large dog's tightly clenched jaw.

Slowly, the sharp teeth slipped from his flesh.

Vishious clenched his teeth against the pain, trying not to give in to the desire to let unconsciousness slip over him. He gasped as another inch was removed from his body, pushing even harder against the painful grip.

Sesshomaru's red eyes narrowed as he clenched his teeth even tighter, driving his fangs even deeper than before. Vishious' roar of pain echoed through the forest as more blood bubbled past his lips, staining his teeth crimson.

Anger crashed over him, dark and ugly, twisting in his gut.

He was helpless, at the mercy of some overemotional whelp with nary a chance of escape. This time was supposed to be different; this embarrassment was meant to befall his enemies, not him, not in front of his father! The old man had enough to hold over his head, he didn't need more and Vishious damn sure didn't want him to have any more.

"Fucking mutt," he ground out between clenched teeth, infuriated, "You fucking-"

His words were cut off abruptly, replaced with scream of intense agony as Sesshomaru gave a vicious shake of his large head, tearing at the soft skin of his side and gut. His sight went dim as flesh ripped and blood gushed. His body swayed from side to side before crumbling to the ground landing in a pool of warm dark blood.

Vishious wheezed trying to force air into his lungs, one hand gripping his gushing wound, ineffectively trying to staunch the bleeding.

Dark liquid spilled through his fingers, spurting out with each contraction of his heavily laboring heart.

A shadowy figure moved to stand over him. Sesshomaru's fangs dripped blood, his eyes so deep a red they bordered on black. Black poison mist wafting from his open mouth and his demonic aura casting a dark haze to his fur. Vishious snarled at the beast above him, hating his face, wanting nothing more than to reach up and rip his eyes out.

How dare he look down on him, as though he were his better.

All his planning, all his hard work meant nothing now. With exception of Ehvil, the other members of the new Evil Six would die with him. And if Ehvil's actions today were anything to go by, Vishious was more than doubtful that the traitor would revive him a second time. Fury burst through his mind and body, prompting his jaw to move, his mouth to form words at the hated beast.

"I will return," he hissed through bloody teeth, "Death means naught to one such as me. When I return, you will know suffering beyond what you have experienced today,"

Sesshomaru's bared his fangs, his body tensing, coiling, and preparing for the final strike.

"And when I return you will lose more than a handful of mutts!!!!"

Razor sharp fangs buried into his throat, tearing, ripping, mutilating his flesh. Blood spilled, spurting, bathing Sesshomaru in crimson liquid. As the life drifted from Vishious' body, Sesshomaru roared in anguished satisfaction. Even with blood filling his mouth and Vishious corpse at his feet it wasn't enough. The pain, the agony of his loss was crushing his soul.

His hands moved on their own accord, gripping the body, tearing apart flesh, rendering it to mere shreds of bloodied flesh, broken bones and squishy organs.

And when that body was no more, when there was nothing left for his rage to destroy, misery settled into his heart as his body shrank, fur retracted and his humanoid form returned. Kneeling next to the body, Sesshomaru turned fierce tear heavy crimson eyes to the gray cloudy sky, raging silently at the very Gods themselves.

He reflected his anger, his pain, his grief every emotion ripping apart his soul to the Gods above, hating them, hating himself for the death of his young ones.

His heart was broken; it bled with him, dying with every in drawn breath.

The agony of it was unlike anything he had ever believed he could experience. The tears in his eyes spilled over, streaming down his magenta stripped cheeks. Thunder crackled above and a light rain showered his skin, bathing him in cool moisture.

Sesshomaru felt nothing but his own grief and that of his mate.

A mate that needed him strong for her now more than ever regardless of his failure of protecting their family.

Turning away from the sky, he stood and began his venture back to the castle.

The dusty remains of the creature masquerading about as Tourcher dusted his boots as he walked by, and the crumpled form of the Kagura woman a short distance away did not stir his interest. As he disappeared into the poison laden remains of the surrounding forest, he leapt forward with a burst of speed in the direction of Kagome's energy.

It took only moments to find his despondent mate, her crumpled form, her hair in disarray, curled up into a fetal position, so still that for a brief moment, his heart sped up and the fear that he had lost not only his pups but his mate nearly sent him to his knees.

Yet he sensed her aura, the energy so laden with pain and despair that his own seemed to pale in comparison.

In a floating bubble above her body, Rikimaru floated, small whimpers emitting from his chest as the energy within flooded him with healing power. His heart clenched and a small fraction of his pain lessened, allowing him to breathe.

He moved towards the prone female, throat tight, eyes burning.

Kneeling beside her, he laid his hand upon her head, gently stroking her hair. Sesshomaru gritted his teeth in agony as his eyes moved over the dead and cooling bodies of his pups. Even now, he could smell the scent of decaying flesh and blood, the smell making his stomach turn and for the first time in his life he feared he would lose the contents of his stomach.

His crimson eyes shifted to her face, taking in the wide open deadened brown eyes staring out blindly, tears sliding gently from those shining honey orbs.

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

 

Sesshomaru watched the events taking place about him, feeling disconnected and removed from the entire ceremony. Beside him, Kagome stared blindly and silently out at the three small urns being carried into the Western Crypt, a sleeping Rikimaru clenched tightly to her chest.

Mourners, villagers, relatives and acquaintances stood around, some weeping, others praying for the souls of pups whose lives had been taken too soon.

The service was quiet and dreary, and mostly a blur to Sesshomaru.

Between caring for his soul broken mate, making preparations for his pups cremation ceremony and fighting to repress the grief that threatened to unman him it was hard for him to focus. He lived in a surreal world, an alternate reality in which emotional agony was a constant.

It ended as quickly as it began, and when it was all said and done, he and his mate took shelter in their bedchamber.

As he lay curled around his mate and pup later that day, he gently stroked her hair, his worry of her mental state elevating to a level that overshadowed his grief.

She had not spoken one word in three days, nor had she been separated from Rikimaru for even a second. She kept him nestle to her breast, allowing none to touch him or get close. Rarely did she eat, and only when she had to relieve herself did she allow Sesshomaru to take the pup, but with the stipulation that he was to remain outside the door.

Each day she looked at him with those vacant eyes, it twisted his heart into several knots.

She was no more than a shadow of her former self, and the very sight of it made him want to kill Vishious all over again. Even his followers would have sufficed to stem some of his rage, yet with the passing of their leader, the creatures had dissolved.

A soft knock pulled him from his thoughts, while an unwelcome scent drifted past his nose.

He hadn't smelled the male coming, a testament to how deep his grief really was. It was a moment before he could force himself away from the remainder of his small family, and by the time he made it to the door, he already wanted to return to them.

He opened the door and stared, narrow eyed at his father's solemn face and sad amber eyes.

The pity and anguish that colored the other male's face was neither wanted nor needed. He knew what he looked like. His eyes bloodshot from tears shed, the dark circles seemingly darker against his pale skin. His appearance, for the first time, unkempt and disheveled. Even his luxurious hair lay in disarray about his shoulders. Sesshomaru held onto his temper, though he wanted nothing more than to slam the door on his father and the rest of the world and hold his mate and son as close to his heart as possible.

He couldn't deal with his father right now. Couldn't deal with anyone or anything. Everything was too much, everything hurt.

"Son I-"

His voice broke, and despite himself, Sesshomaru felt his throat tighten at the sound of his father's own grief.

InuTaisho lowered his head as he cleared his throat, took a breath. When he looked up at his son once more, his golden eyes were suspiciously moist, though his voice was much steady, and a bit hoarse.

"I know we do not have the greatest of relationships, and I know what happened between me and your mother hurt you, but I want you to know that I'm here for you. I loved those pups as fiercely as I love you and your brother, they were my only grandchildren," his eyes gleamed brightly once more, "I cannot, in my wildest imagination understand or even contemplate what losing a child is like, let alone three. Should you need to talk, I-"

"There is...naught I wish to speak about," Sesshomaru said struggling to hold on to his own emotions, "In time...perhaps then. But as of this moment...I cannot,"

Despite the angry and damaged relationship between him and his father, Sesshomaru truly and completely appreciated his father coming to him in his time of grief. Somehow, it pushed away the disappointment and the hurt that had fueled his fury towards his father, making way for the happy memories he'd long since buried.

Before the madness had come along with his father's mistress, he had been a happy child, and his parents had seemed content if not as equally happy as he was.

It was those memories, of him and his parents laughing together connected as a family should be that bombarded his mind now, bringing an aching balm to his wounded heart. Thinking back on those times past gave comfort to him now. A safety net in which he could try and make some sense of the tragedy his life had suddenly become.

His father visually swallowed back emotion and nodded.

"When you're ready...I'm here,"

Turning, his father headed back to his room, his steps stead, shoulders slumped. As he walked away, Sesshomaru felt his heart squeeze and before he could stop himself, he spoke aloud.

"Thank you...father,"

His father turned, mouth opened to speak. Sesshomaru closed the door, pressing his back against it. Reaching up, he covered his eyes with his hand, trying to still his throbbing brain. Through his fingers he watched his mate as she fed their only surviving pup.

It was a sight that had always filled him with warmth and overwhelming love yet now it shattered his heart into a million pieces.

She held the pup so gently to her breast, tears streaming down her cheeks while her mouth moved forming silent words even he could not hear. He doubted he wanted to hear them. There was only so much pain he could endure.

Rikimaru whined against the nipple he fed from, milk dribbling down his chin.

It was a habit he'd started since the death of his brothers and sister. Even he, so young felt the pain of loss. At feeding time, he missed whimpers of his siblings awaiting their turn to feed, during the day he longed to play with his brothers as pups were prone to do. And at night, their pup cried, reaching out for the warm, tiny bodies that used to surround him, the scents that used to lull him to sleep. It was painful to see his son struggling with a grief his young mind could not understand.

Even more so because he could not explain to his pup why things were as they were.

Sesshomaru approached the bed and sank down next to his mate and pup. Kagome didn't struggle or stir as he pulled her into his arms. He pressed his lips against her hair, reaching out to stroke his son's head.

His mate was silent and subdued, her eyes wet, red and hallow. A former shadow of her once happy and vibrant self. She never spoke, not one word. She didn't want to eat so he'd taken to feeding her himself. Even at night she refused to rest. In the early morning light he would wake to find her standing at their bedroom window, Rikimaru clutched at her breast, staring sightlessly out at the rising sun.

To be honest with himself, he feared for her.

If not for Rikimaru, he was sure he would have had to watch her even closer than he was now. Too many times had he seen her eyeing her breakfast knife and the lake a distance away. At times he'd been afraid he'd look out of the window only to catch sight of her dark head disappearing beneath the water.

The thought of it made him sick to his stomach. To lose her would tear him to pieces.

Even he, the cold hearted, unemotional former demon lord, had a breaking point. He was barely able to bear the pain himself; he did so now because he had a broken mate and a scared pup to care for. He had never shrunk from his duties, and he would not start now, no matter the pain it produced for him.

Which was why he had made his decision regarding his status and place in the Western lands, or lack thereof.

In the beginning, it had been a choice to ultimately hurt his father, to lash out at him for being alive and taking the position and honor of being the Western lord from him. Now, it was an escape, a new start for him and his family. A chance to try and lessen the pain, if not heal their wounds over time, to forget the past and look forward to the future.

Morning came and went, to Sesshomaru it felt as though he had only just closed his eyes. Another sleepless night of watching his mate pace slowly about the bedchamber had assured he would find no peaceful rest. Every inch of his body ached. He felt sluggish, and more tired than he had ever felt in his entire life.

It showed in his tired, slightly pink eyes, in his mussed hair, no longer brushed to perfection as it usually was.

Even his clothing had lost its luster.

The silk hakamas and kimono he had taken such pride in were wrinkled and sloppily donned. His appearance didn't concern him, and he found it hard to remember why it had before. Looking back now, all his grooming and primping seemed petty and unnecessary. But everything seemed pointless to him at present. Even the title of the Western lands had lost it appeal to him. He cared not to retain his illustrious status, nor fight his father over the position.

All he wanted was a quiet place away from the world. Somewhere he could gather his small family close to him and shut out the world.

A place to give him and his family's wounds time to heal.

"You have our ears, Lord Sesshomaru," his uncle announced as the silence of the room began to lengthen.

With no small amount of difficulty Sesshomaru turned his focus back to the males seated before him. It was so hard for him to concentrate on anything with his misery so close to the surface. Every second of the day his emotions threatened to break free of the pitiful restraint he'd exerted and strangle him in an unbreakable grip of pain and sorrow.

Toramaru's eyes were just as tired and pain filled as he took in his nephew's state.

His amber eyes gleamed with pity and great worry that Sesshomaru neither wanted nor needed at the moment. All he wanted was to make his announcement and leave. Toramaru, Torao, Kiji and his father waited quietly for him to begin.

He could barely deal with his own devastation, let alone someone else's.

Without a breath of hesitation or apology, Sesshomaru made his declaration.

"I am taking what is left of my family and leaving,"

His father half rose from his chair as he spoke, his uncle's eyes widened, even Torao was visibly taken aback by the news.

"Leaving?" his father repeated slowly.

Sesshomaru inclined his head slightly.

"Leaving the Western lands?"

"Leaving Japan,"

The shocked silence that followed was deafening and uncomfortable. Sesshomaru barely noticed and had he noticed, he would not have cared.

"Leaving to go where?" Toramaru demanded after a moment.

"That is no concern of yours," Sesshomaru informed him tonelessly.

He had no idea where they were going to go actually. It didn't matter. Not to him, nor his mate. He was perfectly capable of providing for them on his own no matter where they went. He'd been giving this quite a bit of thought long before his pup's murder, but before, leaving Japan had not been something he had been considering. Now, after all that had happened, he just wanted to get out; to leave this land and its horrific memories as far behind in his past as possible. With Vishious and his minions gone, there was no need to hide within the Western Castle any longer. Though it had taken the lives of his pups and countless others, they finally had peace.

Well, maybe not peace, but the constant threat the Evil Six had posed to all of Japan had been lifted.

"If this is about your title being revoked, you must understand that there was no way you could continue on as the Western Lord with your father alive," Elder Kiji began, "That does not mean you are not needed here. You are still-"

"Weather I am need or not is irrelevant. We leave at first light tomorrow,"

Sesshomaru turned to the doors behind him. The raised voices and arguments that followed him out went through one ear and out the other. There was nothing they could say, nothing they could possibly do to deter his course of action.

He was leaving, and that was that.

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

Anger, hurt and grief ripped through his heart, making him feel as though his world was spinning out of his control.

InuYasha stomped through the castle, his fist clenched, his short temper riding even shorter. Golden eyes searched every face looking for the one so like his own.

He couldn't have gotten far.

After Sesshomaru's little announcement, he was betting his father was trying to come up with some way to stop his wayward big brother. How he could even think about leaving the Western lands was beyond him, let alone leaving his mother land for parts unknown with a grief stricken mate and a small pup. It was crazy. There was no way in hell his father could permit such an action. He was considered the more reckless of his father's two sons, and even he would not have come up with such a thing to do.

Sesshomaru could not be in his right state of mind.

That was all there was to it.

A wave of emotion crashed over him, tightening his throat and making his eyes sting. Taking a deep, calming breath, he swiped at his eyes.

Who could blame him?

The pain of losing his niece and nephews in a senseless battle that had absolutely nothing to do with them was hard for him. Each day he awoke the pain washed over him anew. He could only imagine what the pain was like for his brother and Kagome.

He could imagine it was enough to drive even a level headed person completely insane.

He found his father in his study, his back toward him, staring out the wind at the blue sky. The pain radiating from his father filled the large room, swamping InuYasha with its intensity. It was almost as great as his brother's. It rekindled his own emotions, clenching his heart in an uncompromising grip of grief.

He knew his father could sense him, but still, he took a long few minutes to try and compose himself. To cut off the flow of pain so he could breathe, let alone speak without unmanning himself with tears.

If Sesshomaru could bear the pain, he damn sure could as well.

"Father," he croaked in a hoarse voice.

The sound grated on his own ears, but it was the best he could do under the circumstances.

His father didn't answer, didn't move. InuYasha spokes as though he had been acknowledged.

"Father, you can't let Sesshomaru leave. He's not thinking straight,"

The silence that filled the room after his statement frustrated him.

"Father-"

"There is naught I can do to stop him," he said so quiet InuYasha had to strain to hear him.

"You're the lord of the Western lands now, you can-"

"I can do nothing," he whispered, "naught as a western lord or a father,"

InuYasha clenched his teeth.

"He's clearly not thinking. You can't just let him leave, not like this,"

"What would you have me do InuYasha? Imprison him? Incapacitate him?"

"Why the hell not?" InuYasha growled, knowing both suggestions were as ridiculous as his brother's impending move to God knows where.

"You know better than that,"

Yeah he knew better; seemed like he knew better than everyone.

He was at a lost.

What could he do?

It wasn't as though he and his brother had ever been close to each other. Quite the opposite in fact. The bad blood that boiled between them stemmed from his very birth and the circumstances surrounding his conception. Loath as he was to admit it, InuYasha understood his brother resentment towards him. And to be honest, he couldn't say he wouldn't have treated Sesshomaru in much the same way had the roles been reversed and his mother was on the receiving end of their father's inconsideration and, if you really looked at it, cruelty.

As much as he loved as his father, it still astounded him that he could have done the things he had done back in his youth. Even he would not have made the mistakes his father had made.

At times, it made him wonder about the male he so idolized.

Even so, Sesshomaru was still his big brother. And through their bickering and fights he'd grown attached to the elder demon in ways he hadn't noticed until now. He was family, pack. And no matter the bad blood between them, he didn't want his brother to leave and venture out into unknown dangers without any aid.

Not only that, his brother and father's relationship had yet to be repaired. There was always an undercurrent of uncomfortable, angry tension when they were both in attendance. Even when he mentioned his father's name to Sesshomaru and vice verse, the emotions were there.

It bothered the crap out of him.

He was sick and tired of Sesshomaru holding a grudge that was clearly doing as much damage to him as it was his father.

And he was tired of bearing Sesshomaru anger about something he had nothing to do with.

He hadn't asked to be born, nor had he purposely done so to cause his brother any pain. What was done was done. What sense did it make to hold onto something that couldn't be changed?

None at all.

"If you won't do anything, then I will," InuYasha announced.

Still his father remained fixed at the window, silence spreading once more through the chamber. InuYasha took that as a dismissal.

Turning, he headed out the doors, sniffing out his brother's scent. He followed it back to his bedchamber. Standing outside the large double doors, he hesitated to knock. There were no signs of life behind the doors. No sounds of movement or voices.

That wasn't what had him pausing though.

The fact that he had absolutely no idea what to say kept him rooted to the spot and his hands dangling uselessly at his sides.

What the hell was he supposed to say?

He hadn't spoken to his brother since they'd lost their pups. His usual crude language and insults usually worked when he needed to communicate with his brother. They'd tussle a bit before Sesshomaru got tired of playing and squeezed out the purpose of his visit from his neck. Quick and easy. But now, that wouldn't work in his favor. It'd likely get him killed.

Literally.

His brother was too quiet for his liking and that was really saying something considering his brother never really was one for frivolous chit chat and friendly banter with anyone.

Next to InuYasha, his brother had zero people skills and liked it.

Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door and waited. It wasn't long before the dark, depressing aura swamped his senses. The pain radiating from it intensified as his brother drew closer. InuYasha swallowed a lump, praying he wouldn't shame himself in front of his brother.

God knew now was not the time to show weakness.

His brother opened the door, his clothing and hair in disarray, his eyes tired and bloodshot. The agony of loss blazing brightly in his amber eyes.

It was hard to meet those eyes. To stand there and see the sadness, something he would have sworn a month ago, his brother could never, would never allow himself to feel. It was sickening in the worse way. It made him sad, it made him angry. It made him long to revive Vishious once more just to rip him apart, made him wish he could turn back the hands of time and spare his brother such heartache.

Breaking away from his emotions, he met his brother's eyes and got straight to the point.

"You can't leave,"

His brother just stood there and stared, as though he hadn't heard a word. It was unnerving to say the least. Speaking to his brother in such a way would normally end with him flat on the ground, fighting to remain conscious.

Angered at the lack of a reaction, InuYasha growled low in his throat.

"Where the hell are you gonna go Sesshomaru? Or do you plan to just wander aimlessly and set up camp where ever the hell you land?"

More silence greeted him. He gritted his teeth tightly, pain shooting up his jaw.

"Do you know how stupid this is? How crazy you're acting?"

His brother blinked but said not a word. InuYasha reached out and gripped the front of his kimono in both hands tightly, expecting to be smacked into next Tuesday. The fact that he was still standing with all his bones intact pissed him off even more.

"You think you can just leave and forgot about everyone and everything you're leaving behind? Like it's just nothing? You think it won't follow you? What the hell is running away gonna solve, huh?!" he demanded, giving his brother a little shake, "It won't change what happened, and it won't make you heal any faster. At least here you have people that give a fuck about you! Leaving won't help! Me and Dad-"

Sesshomaru reached up and gripped his wrists.

 For a moment, InuYasha believed that he had reached his brother somewhere in his grief clogged mind.

The disappointment was crushing when his brother removed his hands from his person, turned and went back into the room, shutting the door firmly in his brother's face.

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Tell me what you think! You know I love to hear from you all! Don't crucify me please!

Laters!

~Sessakag