InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Brother My Brother ❯ Chapter 16 ( Chapter 16 )

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

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<div style="text-align: center;">Brother My Brother: Chapter Sixteen 
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Sesshomaru came to a stop just outside of Naraku’s territory. The half
demon’s barrier stretched several meters into the sky, pulsating with
its raw power. Through the thickness of its blue walls Sesshomaru could
make out the silhouette of the fortress against the night shadows. He
stood for a moment and the barrier did not move or dissipate.
Sesshomaru began to wonder whether the strange girl had been truthful
when she told him that Naraku would willingly let him in, when suddenly
it began to change its shape, distorting itself until there was a
single doorway before him. He calmly stepped through and once he was on
the other side it closed behind him. He did not look back and instead
kept his sight focused on the looming fortress before him. The scent of
Naraku’s miasma was heavy in the air and as Sesshomaru approached, it
became more and more potent. 
 
“Sesshomaru,” he heard a voice say, rumbling through the darkness. “I
see you have decided to meet your death face to face.” 
 
The dog demon came to a stop outside of the fortress before the section
where the miasma was thickest. “On the contrary,” he stated firmly. “It
is you who has invited death into your home.” 
 
Naraku laughed, the sound chilling the air. A cloud of miasma blew
forth from the building and Sesshomaru was forced to cover his face
with his sleeve as it rushed past him. When he lowered his arm again,
he saw Naraku standing before him, holding in his hand the deadly
Tokijin. 
 
“I must admit I made a costly mistake in not killing you when I had the
chance,” the black haired hanyou said. “But rest assured you will not
escape this time. You don’t have your precious brother to assist you
now. You will become part of me!” 
 
“Lord Sesshomaru!” a small voice cried, and the golden eyed demon
glanced toward the source of the sound. Above him floated a giant
feather in which Kagura sat, holding tightly to Rin’s small wrist. The
young girl’s face was tear-stained and there was a small trickle of
blood on the left side of her mouth. “Lord Sesshomaru!’ she called
again and Kagura squeezed her arm, causing her to cry out in pain. 
 
“You will not harm her!” Sesshomaru snarled, his fangs gleaming in the
moonlight. Kagura smiled, her eyes reflecting an evil light as she flew
the feather up over the fortress, out of sight of the raging demon.
Sesshomaru did not follow and instead turned his attention to Naraku. 
 
“You’ve become wiser,” Naraku stated. “Before you would’ve attacked her
without so much as a second thought and I would’ve killed you while you
were distracted. Learning from our mistakes, are we?” 
 
“Enough!” Sesshomaru growled. “I have had enough of you, you wretched
half breed!” 
 
Naraku’s eyes narrowed. “You dare to call me a half breed?” he
questioned, his voice deadly. “I am much more than a simple half breed.
I will not be put on the same level as your pathetic brother!’ He
pointed the Tokijin directly at the demon and sent out a large wave of
energy. Sesshomaru leapt into the air and landed smoothly on his feet a
safe distance away. He glared at Naraku and Naraku glared back, keeping
a solid grasp on the Tokijin’s hilt. A mutual hated silence was shared
between them for a moment before Naraku attacked again, sending another
blast of energy toward the demon. Once more Sesshomaru leapt out of the
way, hovering in midair while bringing out his Whip of Light. He struck
out at Naraku who blocked his attacks with the Tokijin’s sharp blade.
Sesshomaru increased the speed of his blows, and the Whip of Light
moved through the darkness, crashing against the sword with resounding
clashes. The demon’s speed was tremendous and when Naraku missed a
single moment, the whip lashed through his wrist, sending it and the
sword falling to the ground. Immediately Sesshomaru dove at him and he
moved out of the way. Sesshomaru’s claws slammed into the ground,
crushing it as a green mist spilled from them. He was on Naraku again
in an instant, clawing at him while he dodged speedily. Finally,
Sesshomaru slowed for just an instant, but it was enough for Naraku to
capitalize. He moved forward and shot out several tendrils at the
demon. Sesshomaru was caught off guard and had to back up quickly. One
of the tendrils slashed against his right leg before he was able to get
out of the way completely. He hissed and leapt backwards, landing
several meters away. Naraku gave him no time to rest, however, and
lunged at him with his tendrils flaring. Sesshomaru’s speed was
hindered with his injured leg and he was unable to avoid all of them.
One wrapped around his left ankle and pulled him down to the ground.
Sesshomaru landed on one knee, bracing himself with his hand. A sharp,
searing pain shot through his chest, and as he looked down he saw that
the Tokijin had been skewered into his back. The sword pulled out
again, blood spurting from his wound as Naraku’s severed hand returned
to his body, the Tokijin in tow. 
 
“I’m full of surprises, am I not?” Naraku sneered, looking over the
bloodied blade. “You must’ve let your guard down, Sesshomaru.” 
 
“Damn you…” Sesshomaru cursed, holding the gaping wound in his chest.
He heard a slight noise from behind him and he turned, finding a sharp
sickle flying through the air toward him. Quickly, he lashed through
the tendril holding him, freeing himself in order to avoid the
approaching weapon. He leapt to the side and the sickle pierced the
ground where he had been standing. He looked to where the sickle had
come from and found a young boy standing there, holding the chain to
which the sickle was connected. The boy pulled on the chain, sending
the sickle flying back to him, catching it easily. A sound from Naraku
turned Sesshomaru’s attention back to him as his tendrils came at him
again. A blast from the Tokijin rumbled through the night and
Sesshomaru moved out of the way just in time, but the heat of the
energy blast just missed scalding his body. The sickle came at him
again and the tendrils shot up at the same time, hindering his escape
possibilities. He was trapped between them, and as Naraku attacked with
the Tokijin again, he had nowhere to go. He braced himself and the
blast from the sword slammed into him, knocking him backwards into the
sickle that pierced into his flesh. The pain was so intense that he
hardly felt the tendrils wrap around his body and slam into the ground.
His senses took leave of him for a moment, but as they returned he
slowly lifted his head from the ground, his eyes blood red with rage.
“Damn you…” he cursed again, growling deep in his throat. The boy
pulled the chain, ripping the sickle from Sesshomaru’s back. The demon
flinched, but never removed his gaze from Naraku who was striding
confidently toward him. 
 
“Are you ready to surrender now?” Naraku sneered as he came to a stop
before the demon. Sesshomaru’s growl intensified and he suddenly leapt
to his feet, taking a mighty swing at him with his dangerously sharp
claws. Taken slightly off guard, Naraku was unable to move completely
out of the way in time and those claws sliced into his midsection. The
hanyou was forced to back off, attacking once again with Sesshomaru’s
sword as he did so. The demon avoided the blast, but the one that had
struck him before had weakened him and he was struggling against the
pain that was searing through his body. He stood, but he was trembling
slightly and was not at all stable on his feet. Naraku landed a few
meters away, holding the gaping wound in his side. The hanyou was not
at all pleased, and the icy glare he was giving Sesshomaru spoke
volumes. “Wretched demon,” he snarled. “How dare you strike me!” But as
he spoke, his wound began closing as his body regenerated itself.
Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes, knowing that if he was going to defeat
his enemy, he would first have to deprive him of his sacred jewel
shards. He looked Naraku’s body over, wondering where exactly he had
hidden the Jewel. Naraku studied Sesshomaru’s face until he deciphered
what the great demon was doing. 
 
“I assure you, Lord Sesshomaru,” the half demon said. “You needn’t
worry yourself over my Shikon Jewel shards. They are hidden within my
body, but you won’t be getting a chance to find out where.” He lunged
again, and Sesshomaru leapt into the air, avoiding the Tokijin’s sharp
blade. But as he landed, several tendrils burst from the ground,
seizing his legs. The demon attempted to leap again, out of their
reach, but they held tight. Naraku laughed victoriously. “You cannot
escape, Lord Sesshomaru. You will become part of me!” The tendrils
slithered up Sesshomaru’s body, trapping him within their coils. He
found he could not move, no matter how hard he tried, and he was soon
completely trapped inside. 
 
“Sesshomaru!” 
 
Naraku turned, dodging just in time to avoid the gigantic blade of the
Tetsusaiga. Inuyasha took another mighty swing with it, but Naraku
leapt out of his striking range. 
 
“Let my brother go, you bastard!” Inuyasha demanded, holding the
Tetsusaiga’s helm firmly in his hands. “Or I’ll slice you to pieces
with my sword!” 
 
Naraku smiled confidently. “Oh? But first you must surpass the power of
my sword.” He held the Tokijin out in front of him, the blade
glistening with crimson blood. 
 
“You ass, that’s not your sword, it’s Sesshomaru’s!” Inuyasha snarled.
“And don’t you forget it!” 
 
“My, isn’t this a strange turn of events?” Naraku said, his air of
confidence audible in his tone. “And here I was under the impression
that you hated your older brother. All of those incidents when he
attempted to murder you in cold blood and take your sword-- You have
forgiven him for them?” 
 
“Shut your mouth!” Inuyasha snarled. “That’s none of your business!” He
charged, holding his great sword above his head. “Wind Scar!” The
Tetsusaiga’s blade slammed into the ground, crushing it beneath its
tremendous weight. A great wave of light and power sliced through the
air, straight toward Naraku. But he easily leapt out of the way, and
the Wind Scar blasted through the mass of tendrils behind him,
releasing Sesshomaru from his prison. 
 
“Sesshomaru!” Inuyasha called, resting his blade on the ground. “Are
you all right?” 
 
The elder demon stood up, pieces of Naraku’s tendrils falling to the
ground beside him. “What are you doing here?” he growled at the hanyou. 
 
“What do you mean what am I doing here?” Inuyasha snapped.  “I
just saved your life! Show some damn gratitude!” 
 
“Hardly,” Sesshomaru responded. “I do not need your assistance, half
breed. I never needed it.” 
 
“Wha--?” Inuyasha stammered. “What the hell’s gotten into you? Why’re
you acting like such an ass all of a sudden?” 
 
“Do you really not know?” Sesshomaru questioned. “Or have you forgotten
what you said to me before?” 
 
“Oh, come on. You’re not gonna tell me I hurt your feelings,” Inuyasha
snorted. “Like you have any to be hurt.” 
 
“Silence, half breed,” Sesshomaru commanded. “Now leave this place at
once. Naraku is mine to defeat.” 
 
“Not likely!” Inuyasha responded. “He’s done way more crap to me than
he ever did to you! He’s mine!” 
 
“Are the two of you fighting over me?” Naraku intervened. “How honored
I feel. But I will not allow this childish bickering to go on any
longer. Tonight both of you will die at my hands!” A flurry of tendrils
shot out from his body at the demonic siblings. Both leapt into the
air, avoiding his initial attack. 
 
“I’ve let you live for way too long, Naraku!” Inuyasha snarled. “It’s
time for you to finally taste my Wind Scar!” But as he raised the
powerful Tetsusaiga, he felt a sharp pain in his back. He was forced to
cut off his attack as he landed ungracefully on the ground. “What the
hell--?” He looked behind him, spotting Kohaku standing a few feet
away, holding the chain to his sickle, which was now lodged in between
Inuyasha’s shoulder blades. The half demon froze. Kohaku’s eyes, his
face was so familiar to him. Why only now did he realize how much he
resembled his older sister? If Inuyasha was able to free Kohaku from
Naraku’s control, how would he react knowing that because of him, most
of his family had been killed? And what would he do when he found out
that Inuyasha himself had been the cause of the death of Kohaku’s only
surviving family member? “Kohaku…” But he could contemplate it no
longer as he suddenly felt his entire body being lifted from the
ground. It took him a moment to realize that Sesshomaru had grabbed
him, and as he looked down, he saw Naraku’s tendrils shoot out,
narrowly missing the hanyou. Instead the massive limbs plowed straight
through Kohaku, tearing his small body apart with their sheer power. 
 
“Kohaku!” Inuyasha shouted, but there was nothing he could do. A shiny
bit of light twinkled in the dark-- Kohaku’s sacred jewel shard-- But
it was quickly swallowed up in Naraku’s dark mass. Sesshomaru roughly
let Inuyasha down and landed neatly beside him, taking the time to yank
the sickle out of the hanyou’s back. 
 
“You bastard!” he shouted at the older brother, shoving him away. “You
let him kill Kohaku! Why’d you let him do that?” 
 
“It was either the child or you,” Sesshomaru stated firmly. “And I
cared not for the child who attempted to slay me while my back was
turned.” 
 
“You’re a cold-hearted bastard, you hear me?” Inuyasha raged. “A
cold-hearted bastard!” He turned, setting his fiery gaze on Naraku.
“And so are you! You slew one of your own! And you have no regrets
about it, do you?” 
 
Naraku smirked slyly at Inuyasha’s anger. “Why should I have cared
about the boy? He was placed here in order to assist me in destroying
Sango the demon slayer. Since she is dead, I had no more use for him.” 
 
“Damn you!” Inuyasha snarled. “I’ll slice you into so many pieces,
nobody will ever find them all!” 
 
“I wouldn’t be so hasty,” Naraku warned. “For there are more lives at
stake here than just yours.” As he spoke, a gust of wind began to pick
up, and above them Kagura appeared, sitting daintily on her giant
feather. And next to her sat the small form of a human girl. Inuyasha
felt Sesshomaru tense beside him. 
 
“You coward,” Sesshomaru growled, his voice venomous. “How dare you
hide behind an innocent mortal girl? Have you not the courage to face
me on your own?” 
 
Naraku smiled wickedly. “Really Sesshomaru, you’ve gone soft. 
Proclaiming your love for this human child simply proves that you are
not the demon you say you are.” 
 
“Love for a human child…?” Inuyasha thought out loud to himself. It was
hardly like Sesshomaru to develop feelings for anyone, let alone a
mortal. But the look on his brother’s face told him that what Naraku
had said was the truth. “Sesshomaru,” the half demon said. “Go after
Kagura and the girl. I’ll handle Naraku.” 
 
“Don’t be a fool,” Sesshomaru responded.  “You cannot possibly
have the strength to defeat Naraku alone.” 
 
“This isn’t the time to argue!” Inuyasha snapped. “If we don’t do
something, that girl will die. Is that what you want?” 
 
Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes. “Very well. Keep Naraku distracted while
I pursue the wind sorceress. Do not let him escape. And show him no
mercy.” 
 
“You don’t have to worry about that,” Inuyasha nodded. “That bastard’s
pissed me off one too many times.” 
 
The air around the demon bristled with energy as Sesshomaru’s feet left
the ground and he rose upward toward Kagura and Rin. The wind sorceress
smiled evilly at him, then turned and began flying away. Sesshomaru
followed until she landed on the ground on the other side of the
expansive mansion. She held tightly to Rin’s small wrist. 
 
“I must say, Lord Sesshomaru,” Kagura began. “I didn’t expect you to
survive this long. You must have an incredible desire to live.”
Sesshomaru said nothing, and so she continued, “Your power is nothing
short of amazing. You alone may have the strength to finally defeat
Naraku.” 
 
“I tire of your mouth,” Sesshomaru said coldly. “Release the girl or I
will kill you.” 
 
Kagura smiled and lowered her head. “Very well, I’ll release the girl.
But in exchange, you must kill Naraku. I do despise him so.” She
released her hold on Rin and pushed her forward. The girl lost her
balance and fell to the ground, but quickly scrambled to her feet to
run to Sesshomaru. But the demon was too fast for her and before Rin
was able to process it, Sesshomaru had moved past her and had seized
Kagura by the throat. 
 
“You wench,” he growled viciously. “How dare you even consider
bargaining with me. No one has the right to toy with me. You will die!”
He tightened his grip on her, letting his sharp claws sink into her
flesh. 
 
“Sessho--” Kagura struggled out. “Please-- don’t-- do-- this-- to--
me--” She pulled at his strong fingers, desperately trying to free
herself, but his grasp was far too tight for her. 
 
“Silence, witch,” Sesshomaru growled, lifting her off the ground. “No
one crosses me and lives to tell about it.” He shook her slightly, and
then closed his fist, his strong fingers breaking the bones of her neck
with ease. Her body went limp and he tossed it aside. When it hit the
ground, Rin screamed. Sesshomaru turned to her, finding her crouched on
the ground, covering her face with her small hands. He approached her,
stopping just behind her. “I apologize, Rin. You should not have seen
that.” 
 
Rin raised her tear-stained face toward him. “Lord Sesshomaru, I was so
frightened! I was afraid you wouldn’t come for me!” She raised herself
to her feet and ran to him, wrapping her arms around the demon’s legs
and laying her face on the soft fabric of his clothing. Sesshomaru’s
initial reaction was to step away from her, but the sounds of her
sobbing and the trembling of her small body convinced him to allow her
to embrace him for a moment. “Lord Sesshomaru, I missed you so much.
I’m so glad you came for me.” 
 
“Rin,” Sesshomaru stated firmly. “There is no safe place for you here.
You must escape while you can.” 
 
“But Lord Sesshomaru,” the girl pleaded. “Won’t you come with me? I
don’t want you to leave me again!” 
 
Sesshomaru looked down at her, a softness in his eyes. The girl’s face
was tear-stained and dirty, and it was obvious that she had had a
traumatic experience. But her ordeal was far from over. “Rin, I cannot
go with you. Inuyasha cannot defeat Naraku on his own. You must run
from here. Hide somewhere safe. And do not look back.” 
 
“But Lord Sesshomaru,” Rin said, fresh tears running down her cheeks.
“You’re already injured. You shouldn’t have to fight anymore.” 
 
Sesshomaru remained still “You heard what I said, Rin. Do you dare defy
me?” 
 
She lowered her eyes. “No, my lord. I’ll do as you command.” She raised
her face to him again long enough to whisper, “Please, be careful.”
Then, she turned and ran toward the edge of Naraku’s fortress.
Sesshomaru watched her go, and then turned toward the sounds of his
younger brother’s desperate fight. 
 
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