InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Crescent Moon On The Brow Of The Sky ❯ The Sun Upon Her Blood ( Chapter 7 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

I AM SO SORRY! I wish I could update more often, but I had exams, and the teachers were really cramming it in there! I also have four new courses!

Hello everyone. Not in a particular good mood, because I was on antibiotics and a puffer because I had really bad bronchitis so no cheery intro today! You would be glad to know that I'm better now! I'm just listening to music that's blasting in my ears and am lamenting on the little reaction my fic is making on fanfiction AND mediaminer... nobody seems to like it anymore, or care. Hello? Where are my adoring fans? (grin)

Oh, yes. Reviews. Thanks to those who review, because I KNOW you care about my fan fic, unlike those who don't post reviews... I'm just gonna put my stupid fan fic chapter on... and reply to your wonderful reviews! He he he!

Ray: Thanks! (grin) I felt so unwanted until you said that! I'm sorry it took me a while to update, I promise I will do more when exam shock is over... I'm failing...sob...

tears of death: Thank you for reviewing, oh powerful anonymous one. Do you really know how glad your review made me feel? It made you cry! I love you for that! Please keep reading! You are the best!

shadows-insanity: Thank you so much! I will try to update as much as possible, so keep reading, keep reviewing. It makes days!

Demon Mortal: Thankyou for reading! I'm really glad you like it! I hope you like this chapter too!

kwannon: Thanks! The Kikyou bit came out of nowhere, so I'm glad a lot of people liked it! Poor old Kikyou... sure, she was mean, but she had her reasons...

kagegrl: Thanks! Keep reading, and I really appreciate your support! Huggles!

Media Miner Replies:

DarklessVasion: I'm glad you find Sess to be cold because that's just how I wanted him to be! I love that you found my story dark, because that's also a thing I wanted to put in. I wanted to give Inu Yasha the most tragic end...sorry, buddy...but then Kagome can find comfort with the taiyoukai that she is with. As to where I am taking this story, we will just have to see... (grin)

Wow, 30 reviews! I didn't know it would become this much! Thank you everyone! YAY!

Disclaimer: Nope. Own nothing but some leftovers, some relish, and my moldy oldy brain!

The Sun On Her Blood

The pungent smell of smoke made Kagome's eyes water and burn as they stood in the center of the dead, charred and empty village. Embers still curled and glowed around them, and smoke rose from the earth like tired, sickly breathing. The wind stirred her ebony hair into her face, turning everything into swirling strands of dark. All was quiet save for this wind. All was red save for this dark.

Blood and charred corpses were everywhere, curled in mortal husks of pain and death. Kagome shivered, clutching herself, the pungent smell overpowering even her own blundering senses. She coughed as a gust of smoke rushed over her, and she drew a breath and pressed a hand over her nose. Sesshoumaru stood calmly despite his surroundings- a prince among black smoke and screaming death.

Rin clutched his legs, burying her face in the scent of her only parent. She whimpered, ever so needy, and the taiyoukai picked her up, holding her as she cried. The wind tossed in his silver hair, mingling with the white pelt slung over his shoulder. Colourful. Colourless.

Kagome shivered endlessly, clutching her sides. Even Jaken was silent, clutching his staff tightly to himself, quaking ever so slightly. “What happened?” Kagome whispered, biting her bottom lip, shaking with fear.

“Demons have passed through, you stupid ningen,” grumbled Jaken sullenly, eying her roughly. “Surely in your village you have heard of such demon attacks.”

Kagome swallowed slightly and chose not to answer him, her thoughts wandering miles away and down a dark deep well. The stink of corpses was now stronger as the sun edged over it all, and she nearly gagged on the putrid stink of the lack of life around her. She squeezed her hands together.

The taiyoukai placed Rin back onto her feet, ordering her softly to stop crying, and stepped across a chaos-torn plain of earth. With sun-coloured eyes, he examined coolly the fire that still burned, dancing free under his glare.

“Why have we come here? Why don't we leave?” Came the frightened voice of the miko, and then the scratching of her feet against embers and stone approached him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw how her eyes watered. Around them, the acrid smell of blood mingled with the smoke, and then her scent- death, sadness, tears.

He then heard a noise that warranted further attention. For a moment, he eyes moved to meet hers, and she gasped at the movement.

“Go back to Jaken,” he ordered her, his voice without a trace of emotion, though he knew some was playing vaguely inside his eyes. She took a slow, halting step backward, and then another, and then turned and stumbled away. Rin latched her arms around her legs, and the miko's hand drifted down to caress her blowing black hair.

He stepped lightly among wreckage, closing his eyes as another waft of smoke billowed around him, bringing the scent of demon and flame. As he watched, a crawling hand reached and dragged against the wreckage, pulling the broken, empty-eyed body behind it. “Please, demon, please...” the figure wailed weakly, dirty nails scratching holes in the charred earth. “End my life! I beg you! I have nothing left!”

The taiyoukai would have never hesitated before killing a mere human creature, one that was scratching pitifully upon the earth. So, with a final crush, he shattered its neck underfoot. The creature did not deserve a second thought.

Just then, the miko cried out in pain, a cry that rang through his ears, almost stinging him, almost making him feel vague concern. He made his way back to them, seeing Rin leaning over the miko, small round face twisted ugly in worry. When Rin lifted her face away, the wind brought the scent of fresh blood to him, and the flash of warm red against white snow and black char flashed in the sunlight.

Kagome hissed through her teeth at her own clumsiness, pressing her hands upon the wound etched deeply into her knee. Blood soaked into the glove between her fingers as the taiyoukai's inevitable shadow fell across her. The day grew cooler as the taiyoukai regarded her with disinterest. She could not help but feel a glimmer of fear as she became trapped in his gaze again, and could not help but hear murmurs of thoughts in her mind that told her she believed he was beautiful.

“You have injured yourself,” he said simply, as warm sun glimmered across his face, “let me see what you have done.”

Kagome did not expect him to show any kind of concern for a ningen like herself, something he despised. She knew he hated her, and did not know why he still kept her close to his side. Kagome somehow knew that if she ran, he would hunt her down to kill her, his claws digging into her throat. She closed her eyes tight, alarmed to find tears at the corners of them, and shook her head stubbornly.

“Foolish, clumsy ningen,” exclaimed Jaken, pointing the Nintoujou at her, “you will show Lord Sesshoumaru your wound!”

Kagome sighed and rolled up her pants as far as they would go, brandishing her cut to the cold wind. She hissed through her teeth at the pain and the sight of her own blood, which burned hotly against her skin, and clamped her hands over it again.

To her profound surprise, the taiyoukai's single hand drifted down and lifted her hands away to touch where it burned the worst. She held her breath for a moment, and lifted her face to vaguely meet the taiyoukai's eyes, surprised at how gentle his clawed touch was before he lifted his hand away. His eyes cooly asked the question: how?

“Oh,” she said, lowering her eyes and blushing. “I was climbing into a burned house to get this...” She reached behind her, and showed him the old, worn peasant's kimono she had found. It was simple, old, yet clean, and she had wanted it so he would no longer look at her with disgust. She knew she smelled like death, like blood, like Inu Yasha...

She got to her feet, slightly wincing, while Jaken rolled his large yellow eyes. Sesshoumaru lifted his gaze away from hers, and allowed her to follow him. Her blood cooled and dried upon his fingertips, and the wind blew the smoke away.

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The world was locked in chains of molten ice. Light flickered off the surface, shredding brilliance into a blinding ray.

Sango looked up to a bland, slate, sun-lightened sky, and sighed a misty cloud. Shippou, curled up and silent in her arms, shed quiet tears as the sun turned all to brilliance. Miroku stood before her like a robed shadow, yellow-edged by the light.

A sob rattled in her chest, but she bit it swiftly down, clutching Shippou closer. The night before had been sleepless and long, and, since all had lost the ability to cry, mute. In all their faces, weariness bloomed.

Miroku had urged her onwards, silently, and she had followed. Now, she was worried that they had been chasing some old dream. For now Miroku's eyes had become wild, uncaring, persistent in his revenge, a downward turn towards some other distant place. He bent towards her as the dawn splintered around them, and held her in his arms until she slept.

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“I will guard you, Kagome-sama!” echoed the shrill, happy cries of his charge. The sun was bright upon the brow of the sky, and the world was new- it carried the mingled scent of river and forest. “I will make sure no one see!”

The river that Rin had found was cold but swift, and as the miko bathed herself and her clothes Sesshoumaru sat in the frozen woods, deep in contemplation. Ah Un lay curled, his yellow eyes watching the taiyoukai as he sat, hand touching the white pelt lightly.

The day was reaching its peak, and the scent of day still clung to the youkai's senses. The scent of life, all around him- the feel of Rin as she played, the heat of the sun as it danced through his hair. He closed his eyes, seeing the Tenseiga there- forever restless, never at peace. A star in the darkness behind his amber eyes.

With patience, he awaited the return of the miko. He could smell her, hear her gasps and shivers as the river turned her skin to ice. A torment, he knew, for ningens who could die so, so easily. The river was like a dragon, winding, curling, beautiful- ferocious.

She returned, dressed in the peasant's kimono she had found in the village. She no longer smelled like death, however: like human, now, like a female. The taiyoukai gracefully stood, watching her as she put on her large strange shoes. Rin leaned against her, sleepy again.

“Jaken,” said Sesshoumaru, “we are leaving now.”

Jaken jerked out some daydream and nodded eagerly. “Up, ningen, up!”

The miko stood unsteadily, carrying her old wet clothes to Ah Un and placing them in a saddlebag. Rin climbed up to the scaly creature's back, settling there and closing her eyes.

There she was, following him again: the heavy shuffle of her feet gave away her weariness, and her smell, still overpowering, wafted over to him. He payed her no mind, and turned his face towards the trail, noticing the dark clouds gathering overhead. Soon, snow came again: he could almost hear her shivering. Ningen, he thought,are very weak.

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A white-pelted shadow stood in the center of a ruined village, holding a pink slice of brilliance between its fingers. Its dark blood flowed across its surface as its sharp sides peirced his perfect flesh. Dark, long, curly hair spilled over his shoulders, spilled into his red eyes.

He stood over a spill of blood, one dotted with snow, nearly old. Dusk fell and gleamed last light into this stain, and the figure smiled.

“Ka-go-me,” he said softly, bending down to touch the cool liquid of her life. The shard in between his fingers glowed as he placed it in the center of the smear. “Your life is mine.”

The snow swirled faster as the shard burned the blood to life, and Naraku smiled softly, a cresent of lust in the pale of his face.

“Your life is mine, for you will die.”