InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Concrete Rose ❯ Alive and Kicking ( Chapter 12 )

Concrete Rose

 

Chapter 12: Alive and Kicking

 

 

 

 

Koga stumbled to his feet and limped over to Inuyasha. Blood was still dripping from the grotesque wound on his neck. His eyes were still wide open. Koga flinched when he sensed someone behind him. He turned his head to see Sesshomaru looking down at his younger brother. Koga stepped to the side, allowing Sesshomaru a clearer view.

 

Sesshomaru stared down at the brother he once held so much contempt for. There was once a time when Sesshomaru would not have cared if Inuyasha lived or died. Somehow, all that had changed over the years. Sesshomaru grasped Tenseiga's hilt and pulled it from its sheath. Koga looked at the blade that held seemingly no demonic aura. Sesshomaru slashed down at Inuyasha's body.

 

Kai raised an eyebrow. She'd seen Sesshomaru do this once before. It had worked on something he cared little for. Kai could tell that Sesshomaru had softened up on his brother over the years. Although his face was as stoic and vacant as ever, Kai knew this was as much as an emotional breakdown as she was going to get from Sesshomaru.

 

Sesshomaru frowned. Nothing had happened. Inuyasha's chest did not heave. The wounds did not heal. He did not blink. What was wrong? Sesshomaru held up Tenseiga and looked at it. Why was it not working? Was he doing something wrong? Sesshomaru raised it again. He slashed downward. Still, Inuyasha did not move.

 

“Sesshomaru, why isn't it working?” Kai asked from her place on the rocks. Sesshomaru heard her but chose not to respond. What was going on?

 

Kagome was shuddering next to Rin. The tears had not yet stopped falling. Her neck and chest was killing her. The image of Ikeike killing Inuyasha kept replaying in her mind. Kagome's whole body was overcome with grief. She jumped when Rin shifted next to her.

 

Rin sat up and looked around. She felt oddly drained. She heard sniffling next to her and turned her head. Kagome was sitting with her knees to her chest and she was crying. Rin immediately turned around to face her.

 

“Kagome? What's wrong Kagome?” She asked, looking genuinely worried. Rin had the strangest feeling that something had gone horribly wrong while she was out. From her surroundings, she could gather that they had been captured. But, something else was bothering Kagome. Kagome could barely speak coherently through her tears.

 

“Inu...yasha,” she mumbled. Rin frowned.

 

“What happened to Inuyasha?”

 

“Dog lady...killed...” Kagome burst into uncontrollable sobs and spasms again. Rin's eyes widened. Ikeike had killed Inuyasha. She looked at Kagome. Kagome was rubbing a spot on her neck like it was irritated by something.

 

“Tenseiga,” Rin whispered. Kagome looked at her.

 

“You think Sesshomaru used Tenseiga on Inuyasha?”

 

“Yes. It did not work, though,” Rin said glumly. Kagome looked horrified.

 

“What? How do you know? Why wouldn't it work?” She scooted away from Rin.

 

“Somehow, I just know that it did not work. You two are bonded, right?” Kagome nodded. “Well, you believe that Inuyasha is dead, right?”

 

“I know he's dead, Rin. I saw that bitch kill him,” Kagome said. Rin nodded.

 

“Kagome, Tenseiga did not work because you honestly believe that Inuyasha is dead and that he will never come back to you. Tell yourself that he is alive. Make yourself believe that he is alive. He can only come back if you want him to,” said Rin. Kagome stopped sniffling and nodded. She closed her eyes and thought of Inuyasha.

 

Ikeike stood outside of the room that they were keeping the mikos in. She was listening closely to what the younger miko was saying. So, Sesshomaru had finally found a use for his father's sword. That means she would get to taste Inuyasha's sweet hanyou blood again. The mix of human and youkai blood was intoxicating to her. She smirked to herself and walked off.

 

Tenseiga pulsed so strongly in Sesshomaru's hand that he had to drop it. It landed right on Inuyasha's chest. Sesshomaru, Kai, and Koga watched as the blade glowed blue. The light surrounded Inuyasha's body. Koga looked at Inuyasha's hand. His fingers flinched. The light dimmed and Sesshomaru reached to pick the sword up. Before he could, Inuyasha sat up, gasping violently for air. He looked to his left and saw Sesshomaru standing over him. His hand immediately touched his neck. There was nothing but skin.

 

“What the hell just happened? Where's Kagome?” Inuyasha stood up shakily, leaning heavily on the Tetsusaiga. Sesshomaru picked up Tenseiga. Inuyasha watched him and suddenly realized what had happened. “I died?”

 

“You did.” Sesshomaru turned to walk away from Inuyasha. Inuyasha looked over at Kai. Koga was helping her up. She smiled at him.

 

“Hey! Why did you bring me back? I thought you hated me?” Inuyasha said. Sesshomaru stopped in his tracks and lowered his head.

 

“This Sesshomaru was...” Sesshomaru found that he really could not explain why he wanted to bring him back so badly; nor did he want to explain. Hopefully, his half-brother would see that and leave him be. Luckily for Sesshomaru, Inuyasha sheathed Tetsusaiga and smirked.

 

“Yeah, I don't hate you either,” he said quietly. Sesshomaru was apparently satisfied that Inuyasha could figure it out on his own. “But, where's Kagome?”

 

“They left with her and Rin,” Koga said. Inuyasha growled under his breath and looked back at his brother.

 

“Do you have any idea where they will go next?”

 

“Kimi's mother's tomb,” Sesshomaru stated. Inuyasha stared at his brother a moment longer.

 

“And where the hell is that exactly?” He asked, sounding irritated.

 

“Not a clue,” Sesshomaru said lackadaisically. Inuyasha's mouth hung open. “Do not stand with your mouth hanging open, Inuyasha. You look like an idiot.”

 

“Well, how are we going to find them, Sesshomaru?”

 

“I know of someone who does know where her mother's tomb is.” Sesshomaru took a deep breath. Inuyasha and Kai realized what he was about to do.

 

“Can I at least get some new clothes? I'm not too keen on the prospect of walking around with a big hole in my clothes,” Inuyasha said, looking down. Sesshomaru turned around and looked at the others. They were all dirty in some way or another.

 

“I don't like being dirty either, Sesshomaru,” Kai said from Koga's shoulder. Sesshomaru knew that once Kai got involved in an argument, he was not going to win it. Inuyasha he could deal with; Kai was a different story.

 

“Fine. We'll go back to the estate for one night. After that, we must make haste. Kai, are you back at full power?” He asked, looking in her direction. Kai nodded slowly.

 

“If you mean if I can run at full speed, then the answer is no. I don't think I'll be able to do that until tomorrow.”

 

“We don't need to go all the way back to the Western Lands, Sesshomaru,” Inuyasha said. Sesshomaru faced his brother.

 

“Why not?”

 

“My village is much closer. If you want to save time, we could just go there and spend the night,” answered Inuyasha. He knew this was a long shot. Sesshomaru hated with all his heart spending time around humans. He complained that there were way too many smells in one concentrated area to endure. Plus, the smells were unpleasant.

 

“You know this Sesshomaru hates being near humans,” he said. Inuyasha nodded.

 

“Well, you're just going to have to deal with it. It doesn't make much sense to travel all the way back to your estate when my village is not far. That's just wasting time,” Inuyasha argued. Kai shook her head. They would go at this all day if necessary. She stepped between the two.

 

“Listen, you two. Power of this trip has been relinquished from the both of you until you learn to agree on something other than what to eat. Now, we're going to Inuyasha's village whether you like it or not, Sesshomaru. I'm not riding you all the way back to your estate. It'll give me cramps. Can we go now?” Kai asked. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha turned away from each other, their arms crossed. Koga and Kai couldn't believe what they were witnessing. Sesshomaru was acting as childish as his brother.

 

“Let's just go,” Koga said.

 

Kimi stared at the scythe from across the room. Her uncle had chained her to the wall. She had been sitting there for hours, thinking of all the day's events. Inuyasha was dead and it was because of her. If he hadn't been trying to save her, Ikeike would've never had an opening to kill him. He would still be alive. Kimi sighed and hung her head.

 

`It's all my fault,' she thought miserably.

 

It was then that Kimi heard the door open. She did not dare look up. She heard the footsteps approaching her. The scent of Ikeike and her uncle flooded her senses. Kimi continued to look down. She couldn't face his eyes yet.

 

Ryomaru kneeled down in front of Kimi. She was determinedly looking down at the dusty floor of the room. Her hair hid her face from him. She had reverted back into her hybrid form. Ryomaru touched her chin and lifted her head to him. Kimi stared him in the eyes.

 

“You need to tell me something, mei,” he said. Kimi's face did not change.

 

“What is that?” She growled. Ryomaru blinked at her low tone. He regained his composure quickly and squeezed her chin.

 

“I could break your jaw with a simple twist, mei. Do not try me. Now, tell me where your mother's tomb is,” he said. Kimi smirked.

 

“I thought you knew everything, ojisan. You mean to tell me that you do not know where your own sister is buried?” Kimi laughed. Ryomaru released her chin. He grabbed her wrist. Kimi flinched as an electrical charge was sent through her body. Ryomaru obviously had an idea of just how painful that was; he was smiling down at her.

 

“Tell me, mei. My father was rather good at keeping secrets from me. He said I wasn't worthy of them. I didn't have enough compassion,” Ryomaru said with spite in his voice. Kimi resisted the urge to spit on him.

 

“Well, you're out of luck. I have no idea where okaasan's tomb is. I did not go with ojiisan to bury okaasan. Sorry, but I can't help you on this one, ojisan,” Kimi said, smiling smugly. Ryomaru stared at her. Behind him, Ikeike watched as the powerful thunder youkai slapped Kimi in the face. Kimi's head snapped to the side painfully from the force of the hit. Kimi sucked in air through her teeth. She spat a tooth to the ground and looked back at her uncle. “Hitting me won't make the tomb appear out of nowhere,” she said.

 

“We shall see,” Ryomaru said. Kimi watched him stand up and step back from her. Kimi smirked as he glided past Ikeike. Ikeike looked in Kimi's direction.

 

“Aren't you the spirited one...” Ikeike uncrossed her arms and started to walk towards the young hybrid before her.

 

“Is there something I can help you with?” Kimi asked, sounding annoyed. Ikeike smirked. Before Kimi knew what was happening, she was being held off of her feet. Ikeike was holding Kimi by her neck.

 

“You can talk to your ojisan however you like, Kimi. He might do to you what I would. Unfortunately, if you continue to talk to me as if I am nothing, I will be forced to render you paralyzed with my poison. Believe me, it is very painful.” As if to emphasize her words, Ikeike's sharp nails began to leak her poison. The acidic liquid burned Kimi's sensitive skin.

 

“I hope you rot in hell,” Kimi croaked. Ikeike smirked and dropped Kimi unceremoniously on the ground.

 

“Maybe I will someday. I can't live forever,” Ikeike said. Kimi caught an underlying tone in her voice. Their eyes met one last time before Ikeike turned in a huff. She left the room quickly, leaving Kimi in her malefic wake.

 

Inuyasha stepped outside of his house. Kai was sitting on the porch, looking off towards the forest. Koga was leaning against a post. Inuyasha looked around for his brother, but found no sign of him. Kai turned her head and noticed Inuyasha's curious face.

 

“He left without a word,” she said. Inuyasha looked at her with an inquiring eye.

 

“Why?”

 

“I think he's confused,” Kai answered. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at this. He'd never known Sesshomaru to be confused about anything. If he didn't know something, he immediately found out on his own. Inuyasha went and sat down next to Kai. Kai just smiled.

 

“When Ikeike killed you, something inside of Sesshomaru snapped. You should have seen him. Normally, Sesshomaru plans his attacks. He never just dives in headfirst. But, when Ikeike took that bite out of you, something made him lose his cool,” she said.

 

“Sesshomaru, also known as Lord Stick-Up-My-Ass, lost his cool? This is too much! What did he do?”

 

“Just that. He went berserk. He was blinded by his anger. Nothing was driving him except his hatred for that demoness,” Koga said, looking out towards the forest. Inuyasha was suddenly very curious.

 

“He attacked her. His movements were forceful, but he was just fueled by adrenaline. He was not really concentrating on the fight. He just wanted to cause Ikeike as much pain as possible. He was truly enraged. For a moment, I thought he was going to transform into his full youkai form,” Ikeike said. She flexed the fingers on her injured hand. Inuyasha and Koga winced as they heard multiple cracks in them. “All better,” she whispered.

 

“So, he went off to brood because of that? I do that all the time when I can't protect Kagome the way I want to,” Inuyasha said.

 

“Sesshomaru does not wear his heart on his sleeve, Inuyasha. You don't either, but you deal with your emotions a lot better than he does. He's so used to knowing one emotion and that emotion is anger. He rarely feels even that unless someone has violated what is his. In that case, it would be Rin. A wall was broken when he saw Ikeike take your life. Now, he doesn't know how to deal with these emotions,” Kai said.

 

“So, he's going to chafe inwardly over it?”

 

“Yep. You two are so much alike, it hurts,” Koga said, stretching. Inuyasha made a choking noise. Koga looked over at him.

 

“No, we are not. Don't ever put me in the same boat as Sesshomaru,” he said. Koga and Kai looked at each other. Kai looked back over at Inuyasha.

 

“Yeah. Heaven forbid that you two actually start acting civil towards one another. That'd almost be asking too much. I think him bringing you back to life was enough of a brotherly action for the rest of his lifetime, don't you think?” Kai asked. Inuyasha looked away from her out into the forest. He could easily follow his brother's scent. Few demons even resembled his scent. His thoughts were interrupted by Koga.

 

“So, what is the story with that demoness and Sesshomaru, anyway? They obviously know each other from the past. How do they know each other?” He asked. Kai and Inuyasha exchanged glances. They knew sooner or later that someone was going to ask this question. The problem was, were they at liberty to say?

 

“Well, I don't really think we should be the ones to tell you that. I mean, it really is none of our business,” Kai said. Inuyasha nodded. Koga sighed and sat down on the porch.

 

“Whatever,” he mumbled.

 

“Rin?” Kagome whispered in the darkness. Rin's body did not move. Kagome could tell she was feigning sleep. She was pretty good at it. She might have fooled a lesser person, but Kagome was the master at pretending to sleep. Rin's breathing was not deep enough for her to be asleep. “Rin?” Kagome repeated. Rin let out a long sigh.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Do you have any ideas on how to get out of this one?” Kagome asked. Rin rolled over on her back. She stared up at the ceiling of the dark room they were in.

 

“One. The only problem is that I need some sort of arrow or slingshot to do it,” she whispered. Kagome nodded.

 

“What is it?”

 

“I have a way of calling Tenseiga to me. I actually have no idea why it does it, but it will come and protect me with a barrier. I just need to call for it. That should lead them to us. But, I think we should go to the next tomb first,” Rin said. Rin could just imagine what Kagome's face looked like, even if she could not see it in the darkness.

 

“Why don't you call as soon as you get the chance?” Kagome asked.

 

“I have a hunch,” she said. Kagome nodded apprehensively.

 

Ryomaru looked at the scythe known as Jinrai. He could not touch the scythe until Kimi was dead. He could not kill Kimi until he had the other scythe. This was a problem that he could not afford to have. If the girl realized the power she possessed, it could be a major problem. He needed to find out where his sister's tomb was and he needed to find it quickly. He sighed and sat back in the chair.

 

“Tired?” He heard a female voice say. He did not even open his eyes. He already knew who it was that had ruined his solitude.

 

“Ikeike,” he said. Ikeike approached him slowly. Her hands were behind her back. “A question comes to mind,” he said. Ikeike stopped behind his chair.

 

“What is that?” Ikeike asked. Ryomaru opened his eyes.

 

“Why did you kill Sesshomaru's brother?”

 

“I never really liked him anyway. Besides, the next time we meet with Sesshomaru, Inuyasha will be as good as new,” she answered. Ryomaru raised a thin eyebrow.

 

“How is that possible? Will he be a specter?”

 

“Of course not. Sesshomaru received a sword just like Inuyasha. While Inuyasha's sword is one of destruction and death, Sesshomaru's Tenseiga is a sword of healing and life. So, Sesshomaru most likely resurrected his brother. It should be fun to see them again. Now, where is this next destination?” Ikeike asked.

 

“I have no idea. Neither does the brat,” Ryomaru said. Ikeike looked thoughtful for a moment.

 

“You say that the hybrid is also of the Red Dogs, right?”

 

“Her father was a general, yes,” Ryomaru sighed out. Ikeike nodded.

 

“So, why wouldn't they be buried together? It would make sense that the girl's mother was buried with the one she loved, right?” Ikeike said. Ryomaru nodded.

 

“We try her father's tomb tomorrow. I know exactly where it is,” Ryomaru said. Ikeike nodded. She left the room and went to look at the stars. She sat in the grass, staring up at the crescent moon. It had been so long since she'd just looked up at the moon to admire its beauty. She thought of the last time she did it, which was at least two hundred years ago.

 

`When I was happy,' she thought. She continued to stare at the moon.

 

Sesshomaru sat atop a tree, looking at the moon. To him, the moon was still the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes upon.

 

`With the possible exception of two female youkai,' he thought. Shaking his head, he looked away from the silver crescent. Every time he looked at it since that day two hundred years ago, he thought of only one person.

 

She had been the only youkai who could fully understand him. He would've followed her to the depths of the earth, but it was not meant to be. Deception was a cruel thing. Sesshomaru was sure his life would've taken a different path if certain events had never taken place.

 

`If only,' he thought.

 

A light bulb turned on in Kimi's head. She sat up. Ryomaru had Jinrai in his possession, but he could not touch it. Kimi thought about the powers of Tenseiga. If Sesshomaru could call to it and it would come, who's to say that Jinrai didn't have that feature as well? Kimi glanced at the locked door. She focused on what the scythe looked like and closed her eyes.

 

`Come to me, Jinrai,' she said in her mind.

 

Ryomaru opened one eye as he heard a buzzing noise. He immediately ducked as the scythe came flying towards him. It went straight through the wall towards Kimi's room. Cursing fluently, he stood up, grasping the silver stick on his belt.

 

Kimi opened her eyes. She saw Jinrai flying towards her through a hole in the wall. Smiling, she grasped it and stood up. She climbed through the hole and ran as fast as her legs could carry her.

 

“Get the brat!” Ryomaru was yelling. Masoto and Yukiko were looking around for Kimi. They saw a red and white blur go flying down the hall. They went after her. Akio and Suzuka were following as well. Kimi was pretty light on her feet.

 

Kimi slid to a stop as she faced Yukiko and Masoto on one end of the hall. She turned to see Suzuka and Akio on the other. Akio looked ready to attack her.

 

“Looks like this is the end of the line for you,” Akio said. He sent a wave of energy at her. Kimi, thinking quickly, ducked. The energy went flying over her and into Yukiko and Masoto. Kimi smiled and jumped over them. She kept running.

 

Kagome and Rin looked up as they heard a ruckus outside of their door. Rin leaned back and something came flying between them, creating a hole in the wall. They saw Kimi standing there, holding their weapons and smirking.

 

“Coming?” She asked. Rin and Kagome climbed out of the room. They took their weapons just as they started to run. That was when Yukiko and Masoto opened the door, looking extremely peeved. Yukiko's arm was bloody from the blast.

 

“You little...” Yukiko couldn't even form the words she wanted to call Kimi.

 

“Go,” Kimi whispered.

 

“I'm not leaving you,” Rin said.

 

“She's right. We're not going unless you come,” Kagome said. Kimi cursed under her breath.

 

“Go. I did this all to free you. I really had no intention of leaving. Just go and find Sesshomaru and the others. I'll hold them off,” she said.

 

“What? You don't even know how to fight with that thing,” Rin whispered. Kimi rolled her eyes.

 

“You'd be surprised,” she said. Kimi swung the scythe as if she'd had it all her life. Yukiko dodged but Masoto was caught around the stomach with it. Kimi pulled it back above her head. Kimi pushed Kagome and Rin out of the window. Kagome and Rin, shocked at her strength, felt as if they were falling to their deaths. That was when Rin noticed that they were on something soft and white.

 

“A cloud?” Kagome whispered. They looked back up at Kimi. Once they were on the ground, they began running as fast as they could.

 

Ikeike watched them go. She was not going after them; they meant nothing. They would just lead Sesshomaru to them and that was a good thing. She smiled and turned around.

 

Kimi stopped swinging the chain and scythe as Ryomaru walked in. He looked very placid, but Kimi could tell he was very displeased with her.

 

“Were you trying to escape, mei?” He asked. Kimi smiled and shook her head.

 

“Nope. I was just freeing my friends. I can go back to my room now,” she said happily. Ryomaru snapped. Kimi felt the most powerful surge of energy flow through her body. The pain was so intense, her body felt raw with it. She passed out completely.

 

“Take her back to her room. Be careful not to touch the scythe. The barrier is too strong around it,” Ryomaru said to Yukiko. Yukiko nodded and walked over to Kimi. She looked down at her with indignation.

 

Once Rin had decided they were a safe distance away from the castle, She loaded an arrow. Kagome stopped beside her.

 

“What are you doing?” She asked as she watched the arrow's tip glow. Rin smiled.

 

“Calling Tenseiga,” she said. Kagome watched as she let the arrow fly into the sky.

 

Sesshomaru opened his eyes. Tenseiga pulsed violently and he looked to his left. A bright light lit up the sky. Tenseiga flew from his side towards the light. Sesshomaru jumped down from the tree.

 

`Rin,' he thought.

 

Inuyasha and the others saw it as well. They caught up with Sesshomaru.

 

“Are we going?”

 

“In the morning. Tenseiga will keep them safe until then,” Sesshomaru said. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow.

 

“I want to go now,” he said. Sesshomaru rounded on him. Kai and Koga shook their heads. Inuyasha did not know when to just let it go.

 

“We will wait. Going now will draw attention to them. It will also be what they want. I'm sure they have escaped, but I know the enemy very well. We will wait,” he repeated. Inuyasha stepped away from him and crouched to the ground.

 

`You know Ikeike well is what you mean to say,' he thought.