InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Dark Sensei ❯ Ch10-Ode to the Impure Martyr ( Chapter 10 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: TearsOfTwilight 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Hentai | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 12.17.2005 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.0K | Visits: 369 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Hentai | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 12.17.2005 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.0K | Visits: 369 | Status: Work In Progress
A/N- Sorry for the extended update time. I don't really have an excuse. Much thanks to those readers who have been patient enough to keep up with this slowmoving fic. I'm really not pleased with how this chapter turned out. Still I hope you'll bear with me. There will two or three chapters left, depending on if I decide to write an epilogue. Enjoy.
Chapter 10- Ode to the Impure Martyr
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Was this what it was like to die? No welcoming cries of long dead loved ones. No flashing of life before his eyes. Just silence.....and a night that stretched on for eternity....
Sesshoumaru fought hard. He fought as if the whole world were falling and he alone could hold it up. Naraku may have been dragging him into darkness, but under no circumstances would the inu go down without a fight. He simply had too much at stake, too much to lose, but most of all Sesshoumaru had too much to live for. He had Rin, and though at times it seemed questionable, he had his family. He would fend off death until the very bowels of Hell came forth to grab him.
Grunting at the sheer will to live that his young victim possessed, Naraku tightened his bone-shattering grip on the white-haired teen. It was perhaps the most irritating yet strangely fascinating thing he had ever seen. The kumo could feel Sesshoumaru's body giving in, but his soul.....his soul only seemed to become more vibrant as the seconds crawled by. It was enigmatic, simply impossible to explain.
"What's the matter Akuma? Can't you even manage to kill a helpless puppy?"
Naraku looked up just in time to see the assassin, Bankotsu, barreling towards him. With a gravity-defying leap, the mortal bravely slammed into his demonic opponent. There was a nasty crunching sound as his foot made contact with the kumo's head then, from the depths of Naraku's chest, came an enraged snarl.
"NINGEN! YOU AND YOUR FILTHY WHORE HAVE BETRAYED US FOR THE LAST TIME!" Releasing his grip on Sesshoumaru, the kumo sent all eight of his spindley tentacles straight towards Bankotsu's heart. With a cry of alarm, the attacking human lept backwards. Just a second sooner and he would have been too late. With a rumbling crack, the apendages impaled the wall where he had stood moments before. Diving behind a group of distraught and paniced club-goers, Bankotsu waited to see what Naraku would do next. True, he was in danger, but at the same time the ningen hadn't felt so alive. He was going to get back at Naraku. He and Jakotsu would finally break free.
Despite himself, the kumo was getting nervous. They may have been mere humans, but he knew Bankotsu and his lover to be dangerous all the same. And if Sesshoumaru ever managed to scrape himself up off the floor it would be three to one. At that moment however the younger youkai was still regaining his breath. Crawling away from Naraku, he massaged his throat vigorously.
"Damn him." Jakotsu seemed to come out of nowhere, holding a switchblade in one hand, a broken bottle in the other. "You bastard. I WILL kill you!" Nearly stumbling over Sesshoumaru in the process he lunged at the dark-haired kumo. Naraku hissed in pain as the serated glass tore into his left shoulder.
"BITCH!" With a snarl that would have put wolves to shame the youkai struck back, sending the red-lipped assassin sailing over the counter until he hit the storage shelves, shattering the bottles of wine and other spirits into thousands of pieces. Jakotsu stood for a moment, wide-eyed and bloody, but then, with an agonizing slowness, he began to sway slightly and slumped to the floor with a small thud. The silence of the now almost empty club only added to the ethereal sense of surprise that flitted across Jakotsu's face. It was the glass. The glass shards were embedded in his head, his back, the gentle curve of his spine. It hurt but in a detatched sort of way, as if the pain belonged to his body, but his mind was somewhere else. Jakotsu sighed lightly. 'Is this my fate? To be killed by tiny pricks of glass?'
"Iie." He refused to die like this. The kumo would pay. "YOU CANNOT KILL ME NARAKU!" Ignoring the pain coursing through his body Jakotsu struggled to his feet. Naraku had by now advanced upon him. The ningen braced himself for the next attack, but instead heard the kumo utter another snarl of pain.
"Damn you Bankotsu!" Lashing out with one of his tentacles, the black-haired youkai pinned his other opponent against the far wall. "Lay down and die like the mortal you are."
Bankotsu laughed, his eyes sparkling with the lust of battle. "Even demons can die Naraku!" And with a wild, almost demented cackle he broke free and lunged at the kumo with nothing but his bare fists. "Do...you...know...why I...will win?" the assassin managed to choke out as he dodged past what seemed like millions of spider's legs. "Because I AM mortal...and because....of this....I value every second I have left....with what I love most." Bankotsu murmured the last bit so no one else could hear, and he chanced a fleeting look over to Jakotsu, who stood still with shock amongst the shattered glass.
As the demon and ningen fought, Sesshoumaru had finally managed to regain his feet. Everything hurt, but the inu's body was becoming used to that. He leaned against the bar counter, watching the battle with a vague, almost childish sort of wonder. His oxygen-starved mind saw the two warriors as blurs of color, one as black as night, the other blue like the ocean waves in a silk painting. They bounced ecstatically about the dance floor, serpent and falcon sparring for dominance.
But the dragon was winning. Despite his efforts Bankotsu was reminded again and again that he was only mortal. Eventually his time would run out. Naraku was faster, stronger, and far too powerful for him to ever hope to defeat. In the beginning he had hoped to kill the kumo, but then he had counted on Jakotsu and Sesshoumaru to remain uninjured. Bankotsu had one option remaining. He had to hold out, hold out just long enough for his lover and the pup to escape. It was a frightening prospect. The ningen had fought many battles, but never before had he actually felt the presense of his own death surrouding him. 'I...I'm going to die....' For the first time in his life Bankotsu was afraid.
Naraku's eyes glowed a deep red as several more tentacles erupted from his spine. Some of them had already been severed by the powerful human, but there were plenty more where that came from. With a derisive snort the kumo sent the new appendages soaring towards Bankotsu who was trying valiantly to fend them off with a broken bar stool.
"Idiot! Did you think for one minute that I would actually allow you to win?"
The ningen screamed in pain as one of the tentacles struck him from behind, spraying its toxic miasma all over his bleeding frame. He stumbled to his knees, tried to get up, and failed. 'That's it. It's over.' Bankotsu locked eyes with Naraku willed his legs once more to move. Nothing. The poison had seeped into his blood, momentarily paralyzing the human.
"Now, you will DIE!" With a hidious laugh the kumo advanced. Bankotsu felt like a fly. He couldn't move. The spider was drawing closer. Still, he kept Naraku's gaze. His end would be gallant. He would not scream, and he'd keep his eyes open and clear.
"You're wrong Naraku. Tonight is your night."
It was Jakotsu who uttered these words, but at the same time it wasn't. Never before had the free-spirited human's voice been so serious. Never before had it been so shadowed with death. Behind the veil of blood that clouded his vision Bankotsu watched as his lover appeared behind Akuma. He moved quickly, though to the other ningen he appeared to merely drift along. Jakotsu drew back his fist. In it was clutched that same broken bottle, dripping with blood. It gleamed dully, casting his face and that of Naraku in a shadow of sanguine decadence. Moments later Bankotsu heard a strange tinkling sound. The bottle had connected with the side of the kumo's head, shattering as tiny fangs of glass attacked his flesh. Dark, brackish blood spewed from his face as Naraku lurched around to meet Jakotsu.
"Slut! Can't you just accept your fate? Roll over and die!"
Shichinintai laughed. "Oh you know me, Naraku. I'm persistent. Some would even go far as to say irritating." The man's voice held laughter, but his eyes reflected nothing but hate. Sesshoumaru had never seen him like this before. Jakotsu was in a killing mood. Lives would end tonight. Massacre dwelt within his gaze. The inu was astounded by this. The ningen had always been the joking one. Never before had he dropped this facade. Was this Jakotsu's true nature? Or was it only brought out when the one he loved was in danger? Sesshoumaru felt a reluctant respect growing within him. Perhaps he had misjudged Shichinintai Jakotsu.
With another wild chuckle Jakotsu brought out his switchblade, still covered with blood from one of his previous attacks, and dropped into a crouch. Slowly he circled Naraku, who, knowing the knife's 'special' abilities, kept a close guard.
"What will you do, Shichinintai? Use that little toy on me?"
Jakotsu's smile only widened. "This isn't exactly a toy, kumo. You should understand that by now. I may not have demon blood on my side, but then I'm talented enough not to rely on petty magic." Not waiting for a reply he flicked out the blade. Like a snake it seemed to arc across the sky, and for a moment Sesshoumaru wondered if Jakotsu had actually thrown his weapon. Then he saw that what he'd mistaken for a single razor moving through air was actually dozens of incredibly thin ones latched together by miniscule rivets. Steel lightening lashed out, and it was all Naraku could do to dodge its platinum fangs.
"That's right, Naraku! Keep running! Then when you slip I can cut you down!" There was a maniacal gleam in Jakotsu's eyes. His knives spun every which way, once in a while finding their mark and earning a muffled grunt from the bloodied kumo. For once it was Naraku being attacked. His powers were weakened from loss of blood, and for a moment it looked as if Shichinintai might win after all. But like his lover, Jakotsu was only human. He too had lost blood, and had little energy left with which to wield his weapon. Bankotsu saw this and struggled to his feet. 'I can't let him die!' The kumo also sensed this and began carefully closing in on his opponent. Bankotsu gave a startled cry and lunged forward on unsteady feet.
"Jakotsu! Look out! He's..."
There was a nasty squelching sound as Naraku's tentacles dodged past the wirring blades and struck the Bankotsu's partner through the chest. The ningen's serpent came to a tangled halt. His eyes were impossibly wide. He looked down at the festering apendage that pierced his flesh then raised his gaze, not to his murderer, but to the one he loved.
"Bankotsu, I..." His strength failed then, and Jakotsu slumped over dead. The red-lipped assassin had been killed, not just by Naraku but by his own, warped sense of pride, of bloodlust, but mostly of love. A murderer's love is strange, strange but no less beautiful than that of a saint, for love is a light that beautifies everything. At that moment, though his soul had fled and his body was covered in blood, Shichinintai Jakotsu seemed an angel. The three remaining, Naraku included, watched in morbid amazement as his body seemed to glow for a moment then fade back into a waxen corpse. Only then did Bankotsu scream.
"BASTARD!" Blinded by a rush of oncoming tears the ningen lunged at Naraku. His plight was courageous but in vain. Though the kumo was injured, he was still in much better shape than the human. Jerking his tentacles from Jakotsu's mangled body he easily pinned the other killer to the ground. He bent over Bankotsu, maddening grin repainted on his lips.
"What were you going to do little ningen, kill me? I think not." Slowly Naraku wound his extra limbs around the blue-eyed man's body, fully intent on crushing the life out of him. For a moment Bankotsu struggled, but then lay still. Perhaps it would be better to die. At least he would be reunited with Jakotsu. But just as he was drifting off into the abyss, the assassin heard his enemy scream with rage.
"Brat! Stinking bitch! Get your filthy paws off me!" Sesshoumaru had regained his breath, and along with it his rage. He had seen Jakotsu die. Jakotsu had annoyed him, but he had also proven brave and worthy. As was Bankotsu. Neither deserved to be killed by such trash. Eyes glowing crimson, the inu buried his poisonous talons deep into Naraku's flesh.
Pulling away from Bankotsu, the kumo tried desperately to shake him off. Finally, with a snap of ripping tendons, Sesshoumaru was hurled backwards into the opposite wall. He whirled back around only to find the remaining ningen back on his feet. By all rights Bankotsu should have been dead, but his need for revenge had been restored, bringing with it unlimited endurance. the kumo, about to attack, thought better of it and fled. He disappeared like a shadow into the night. The blue-eyed assassin desperately attempted to follow, but tripped over Jakotsu's corpse and fell onto his lover's ice-cold chest. Seeing that Naraku had escaped him, Bankotsu burst into tears. Sesshoumaru felt sick as he watched the murderer crying out in despair over his partner's mangled body. Before he loved Rin the boy probably wouldn't have cared, but now....now he felt as if he might cry himself.
~~***~~***~~***~~
Mr. NoTaisho glared fixedly at the man sitting just ten feet away. "Where is my son, Setsuna?"
Takemaru smiled grimly. Naraku had failed to recapture the boy. This shocked him because Akuma never failed, but that was unimportant. As long as NoTaisho at least believed he had Sesshoumaru in his possession all should go his way. Still, the loss of Jakotsu and Bankotsu had been a heavy blow. They may not have been loyal, but they were useful.
~*~...it doesn't matter...either way unlimited power will be ours...~*~
The ningen flinched at Sou'unga's inhuman voice. He valued the sword's power, but sometimes it was just...creapy.
"Did you hear me Takemaru? Where the HELL is my son?"
Forcing a cocky grin, Takemaru replied. "All in good time my friend, all in good time. But first, did you bring the swords?"
With an irritated grunt the inu youkai pulled forth two katanas. One was thin and tapered with a mahogany colored hilt. The other, though of similar design, was dull and covered with nicks. It appeared completely worthless. Setsuna's eyes glinted almost madly as he gazed upon the twin blades. "You've done well, NoTaisho. Now bring them to me, and I will set both Ms. Mikoyami and your son free."
The inu sneered in disdain. "Do you really think I trust you that much? Show me that they are unharmed then I will give you the swords."
Takemaru had been waiting for this. "Very well. Bring forth the girl." Two guards appeared out of nowhere, Rin held securely between them. She was bound and gagged. Around the girls neck was a chain that held a small key. It wasn't fancy. In fact it resembled a key belonging to a car or perhaps a mailbox. Mr. NoTaisho narrowed his eyes.
"Where is Sesshoumaru?"
Rin made a small noise in the back of her throat, but because of the gag was kept mostly silent. Setsuna grinned like a cat. "Did you really think I would risk letting your son out of his cell? Pitiful as he is the boy is still a demon. But not to worry. That key will free him." Still smiling he shoved the girl towards his adversary. "There is an old building at the end of this street. Go there. The key will open all it's door. Sesshoumaru will be waiting there."
The inu looked as if he were about to protest, but before he could get a word out both Takemaru and his men disappeared into the gathering darkness. He looked down at the human, Rin. She'd passed out. Gently lifting her in his arms, the old youkai walked down the street as Setsuna had instructed. In the depths of his heart the man knew this was a trap, one that he most likely would not escape. Still, he had to save his son. Fingering the key as if for good luck NoTaisho turned towards the towering warehouse looming above him like the shadow of a slumbering giant.
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It's horrid I know.
TOT
Chapter 10- Ode to the Impure Martyr
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Was this what it was like to die? No welcoming cries of long dead loved ones. No flashing of life before his eyes. Just silence.....and a night that stretched on for eternity....
Sesshoumaru fought hard. He fought as if the whole world were falling and he alone could hold it up. Naraku may have been dragging him into darkness, but under no circumstances would the inu go down without a fight. He simply had too much at stake, too much to lose, but most of all Sesshoumaru had too much to live for. He had Rin, and though at times it seemed questionable, he had his family. He would fend off death until the very bowels of Hell came forth to grab him.
Grunting at the sheer will to live that his young victim possessed, Naraku tightened his bone-shattering grip on the white-haired teen. It was perhaps the most irritating yet strangely fascinating thing he had ever seen. The kumo could feel Sesshoumaru's body giving in, but his soul.....his soul only seemed to become more vibrant as the seconds crawled by. It was enigmatic, simply impossible to explain.
"What's the matter Akuma? Can't you even manage to kill a helpless puppy?"
Naraku looked up just in time to see the assassin, Bankotsu, barreling towards him. With a gravity-defying leap, the mortal bravely slammed into his demonic opponent. There was a nasty crunching sound as his foot made contact with the kumo's head then, from the depths of Naraku's chest, came an enraged snarl.
"NINGEN! YOU AND YOUR FILTHY WHORE HAVE BETRAYED US FOR THE LAST TIME!" Releasing his grip on Sesshoumaru, the kumo sent all eight of his spindley tentacles straight towards Bankotsu's heart. With a cry of alarm, the attacking human lept backwards. Just a second sooner and he would have been too late. With a rumbling crack, the apendages impaled the wall where he had stood moments before. Diving behind a group of distraught and paniced club-goers, Bankotsu waited to see what Naraku would do next. True, he was in danger, but at the same time the ningen hadn't felt so alive. He was going to get back at Naraku. He and Jakotsu would finally break free.
Despite himself, the kumo was getting nervous. They may have been mere humans, but he knew Bankotsu and his lover to be dangerous all the same. And if Sesshoumaru ever managed to scrape himself up off the floor it would be three to one. At that moment however the younger youkai was still regaining his breath. Crawling away from Naraku, he massaged his throat vigorously.
"Damn him." Jakotsu seemed to come out of nowhere, holding a switchblade in one hand, a broken bottle in the other. "You bastard. I WILL kill you!" Nearly stumbling over Sesshoumaru in the process he lunged at the dark-haired kumo. Naraku hissed in pain as the serated glass tore into his left shoulder.
"BITCH!" With a snarl that would have put wolves to shame the youkai struck back, sending the red-lipped assassin sailing over the counter until he hit the storage shelves, shattering the bottles of wine and other spirits into thousands of pieces. Jakotsu stood for a moment, wide-eyed and bloody, but then, with an agonizing slowness, he began to sway slightly and slumped to the floor with a small thud. The silence of the now almost empty club only added to the ethereal sense of surprise that flitted across Jakotsu's face. It was the glass. The glass shards were embedded in his head, his back, the gentle curve of his spine. It hurt but in a detatched sort of way, as if the pain belonged to his body, but his mind was somewhere else. Jakotsu sighed lightly. 'Is this my fate? To be killed by tiny pricks of glass?'
"Iie." He refused to die like this. The kumo would pay. "YOU CANNOT KILL ME NARAKU!" Ignoring the pain coursing through his body Jakotsu struggled to his feet. Naraku had by now advanced upon him. The ningen braced himself for the next attack, but instead heard the kumo utter another snarl of pain.
"Damn you Bankotsu!" Lashing out with one of his tentacles, the black-haired youkai pinned his other opponent against the far wall. "Lay down and die like the mortal you are."
Bankotsu laughed, his eyes sparkling with the lust of battle. "Even demons can die Naraku!" And with a wild, almost demented cackle he broke free and lunged at the kumo with nothing but his bare fists. "Do...you...know...why I...will win?" the assassin managed to choke out as he dodged past what seemed like millions of spider's legs. "Because I AM mortal...and because....of this....I value every second I have left....with what I love most." Bankotsu murmured the last bit so no one else could hear, and he chanced a fleeting look over to Jakotsu, who stood still with shock amongst the shattered glass.
As the demon and ningen fought, Sesshoumaru had finally managed to regain his feet. Everything hurt, but the inu's body was becoming used to that. He leaned against the bar counter, watching the battle with a vague, almost childish sort of wonder. His oxygen-starved mind saw the two warriors as blurs of color, one as black as night, the other blue like the ocean waves in a silk painting. They bounced ecstatically about the dance floor, serpent and falcon sparring for dominance.
But the dragon was winning. Despite his efforts Bankotsu was reminded again and again that he was only mortal. Eventually his time would run out. Naraku was faster, stronger, and far too powerful for him to ever hope to defeat. In the beginning he had hoped to kill the kumo, but then he had counted on Jakotsu and Sesshoumaru to remain uninjured. Bankotsu had one option remaining. He had to hold out, hold out just long enough for his lover and the pup to escape. It was a frightening prospect. The ningen had fought many battles, but never before had he actually felt the presense of his own death surrouding him. 'I...I'm going to die....' For the first time in his life Bankotsu was afraid.
Naraku's eyes glowed a deep red as several more tentacles erupted from his spine. Some of them had already been severed by the powerful human, but there were plenty more where that came from. With a derisive snort the kumo sent the new appendages soaring towards Bankotsu who was trying valiantly to fend them off with a broken bar stool.
"Idiot! Did you think for one minute that I would actually allow you to win?"
The ningen screamed in pain as one of the tentacles struck him from behind, spraying its toxic miasma all over his bleeding frame. He stumbled to his knees, tried to get up, and failed. 'That's it. It's over.' Bankotsu locked eyes with Naraku willed his legs once more to move. Nothing. The poison had seeped into his blood, momentarily paralyzing the human.
"Now, you will DIE!" With a hidious laugh the kumo advanced. Bankotsu felt like a fly. He couldn't move. The spider was drawing closer. Still, he kept Naraku's gaze. His end would be gallant. He would not scream, and he'd keep his eyes open and clear.
"You're wrong Naraku. Tonight is your night."
It was Jakotsu who uttered these words, but at the same time it wasn't. Never before had the free-spirited human's voice been so serious. Never before had it been so shadowed with death. Behind the veil of blood that clouded his vision Bankotsu watched as his lover appeared behind Akuma. He moved quickly, though to the other ningen he appeared to merely drift along. Jakotsu drew back his fist. In it was clutched that same broken bottle, dripping with blood. It gleamed dully, casting his face and that of Naraku in a shadow of sanguine decadence. Moments later Bankotsu heard a strange tinkling sound. The bottle had connected with the side of the kumo's head, shattering as tiny fangs of glass attacked his flesh. Dark, brackish blood spewed from his face as Naraku lurched around to meet Jakotsu.
"Slut! Can't you just accept your fate? Roll over and die!"
Shichinintai laughed. "Oh you know me, Naraku. I'm persistent. Some would even go far as to say irritating." The man's voice held laughter, but his eyes reflected nothing but hate. Sesshoumaru had never seen him like this before. Jakotsu was in a killing mood. Lives would end tonight. Massacre dwelt within his gaze. The inu was astounded by this. The ningen had always been the joking one. Never before had he dropped this facade. Was this Jakotsu's true nature? Or was it only brought out when the one he loved was in danger? Sesshoumaru felt a reluctant respect growing within him. Perhaps he had misjudged Shichinintai Jakotsu.
With another wild chuckle Jakotsu brought out his switchblade, still covered with blood from one of his previous attacks, and dropped into a crouch. Slowly he circled Naraku, who, knowing the knife's 'special' abilities, kept a close guard.
"What will you do, Shichinintai? Use that little toy on me?"
Jakotsu's smile only widened. "This isn't exactly a toy, kumo. You should understand that by now. I may not have demon blood on my side, but then I'm talented enough not to rely on petty magic." Not waiting for a reply he flicked out the blade. Like a snake it seemed to arc across the sky, and for a moment Sesshoumaru wondered if Jakotsu had actually thrown his weapon. Then he saw that what he'd mistaken for a single razor moving through air was actually dozens of incredibly thin ones latched together by miniscule rivets. Steel lightening lashed out, and it was all Naraku could do to dodge its platinum fangs.
"That's right, Naraku! Keep running! Then when you slip I can cut you down!" There was a maniacal gleam in Jakotsu's eyes. His knives spun every which way, once in a while finding their mark and earning a muffled grunt from the bloodied kumo. For once it was Naraku being attacked. His powers were weakened from loss of blood, and for a moment it looked as if Shichinintai might win after all. But like his lover, Jakotsu was only human. He too had lost blood, and had little energy left with which to wield his weapon. Bankotsu saw this and struggled to his feet. 'I can't let him die!' The kumo also sensed this and began carefully closing in on his opponent. Bankotsu gave a startled cry and lunged forward on unsteady feet.
"Jakotsu! Look out! He's..."
There was a nasty squelching sound as Naraku's tentacles dodged past the wirring blades and struck the Bankotsu's partner through the chest. The ningen's serpent came to a tangled halt. His eyes were impossibly wide. He looked down at the festering apendage that pierced his flesh then raised his gaze, not to his murderer, but to the one he loved.
"Bankotsu, I..." His strength failed then, and Jakotsu slumped over dead. The red-lipped assassin had been killed, not just by Naraku but by his own, warped sense of pride, of bloodlust, but mostly of love. A murderer's love is strange, strange but no less beautiful than that of a saint, for love is a light that beautifies everything. At that moment, though his soul had fled and his body was covered in blood, Shichinintai Jakotsu seemed an angel. The three remaining, Naraku included, watched in morbid amazement as his body seemed to glow for a moment then fade back into a waxen corpse. Only then did Bankotsu scream.
"BASTARD!" Blinded by a rush of oncoming tears the ningen lunged at Naraku. His plight was courageous but in vain. Though the kumo was injured, he was still in much better shape than the human. Jerking his tentacles from Jakotsu's mangled body he easily pinned the other killer to the ground. He bent over Bankotsu, maddening grin repainted on his lips.
"What were you going to do little ningen, kill me? I think not." Slowly Naraku wound his extra limbs around the blue-eyed man's body, fully intent on crushing the life out of him. For a moment Bankotsu struggled, but then lay still. Perhaps it would be better to die. At least he would be reunited with Jakotsu. But just as he was drifting off into the abyss, the assassin heard his enemy scream with rage.
"Brat! Stinking bitch! Get your filthy paws off me!" Sesshoumaru had regained his breath, and along with it his rage. He had seen Jakotsu die. Jakotsu had annoyed him, but he had also proven brave and worthy. As was Bankotsu. Neither deserved to be killed by such trash. Eyes glowing crimson, the inu buried his poisonous talons deep into Naraku's flesh.
Pulling away from Bankotsu, the kumo tried desperately to shake him off. Finally, with a snap of ripping tendons, Sesshoumaru was hurled backwards into the opposite wall. He whirled back around only to find the remaining ningen back on his feet. By all rights Bankotsu should have been dead, but his need for revenge had been restored, bringing with it unlimited endurance. the kumo, about to attack, thought better of it and fled. He disappeared like a shadow into the night. The blue-eyed assassin desperately attempted to follow, but tripped over Jakotsu's corpse and fell onto his lover's ice-cold chest. Seeing that Naraku had escaped him, Bankotsu burst into tears. Sesshoumaru felt sick as he watched the murderer crying out in despair over his partner's mangled body. Before he loved Rin the boy probably wouldn't have cared, but now....now he felt as if he might cry himself.
~~***~~***~~***~~
Mr. NoTaisho glared fixedly at the man sitting just ten feet away. "Where is my son, Setsuna?"
Takemaru smiled grimly. Naraku had failed to recapture the boy. This shocked him because Akuma never failed, but that was unimportant. As long as NoTaisho at least believed he had Sesshoumaru in his possession all should go his way. Still, the loss of Jakotsu and Bankotsu had been a heavy blow. They may not have been loyal, but they were useful.
~*~...it doesn't matter...either way unlimited power will be ours...~*~
The ningen flinched at Sou'unga's inhuman voice. He valued the sword's power, but sometimes it was just...creapy.
"Did you hear me Takemaru? Where the HELL is my son?"
Forcing a cocky grin, Takemaru replied. "All in good time my friend, all in good time. But first, did you bring the swords?"
With an irritated grunt the inu youkai pulled forth two katanas. One was thin and tapered with a mahogany colored hilt. The other, though of similar design, was dull and covered with nicks. It appeared completely worthless. Setsuna's eyes glinted almost madly as he gazed upon the twin blades. "You've done well, NoTaisho. Now bring them to me, and I will set both Ms. Mikoyami and your son free."
The inu sneered in disdain. "Do you really think I trust you that much? Show me that they are unharmed then I will give you the swords."
Takemaru had been waiting for this. "Very well. Bring forth the girl." Two guards appeared out of nowhere, Rin held securely between them. She was bound and gagged. Around the girls neck was a chain that held a small key. It wasn't fancy. In fact it resembled a key belonging to a car or perhaps a mailbox. Mr. NoTaisho narrowed his eyes.
"Where is Sesshoumaru?"
Rin made a small noise in the back of her throat, but because of the gag was kept mostly silent. Setsuna grinned like a cat. "Did you really think I would risk letting your son out of his cell? Pitiful as he is the boy is still a demon. But not to worry. That key will free him." Still smiling he shoved the girl towards his adversary. "There is an old building at the end of this street. Go there. The key will open all it's door. Sesshoumaru will be waiting there."
The inu looked as if he were about to protest, but before he could get a word out both Takemaru and his men disappeared into the gathering darkness. He looked down at the human, Rin. She'd passed out. Gently lifting her in his arms, the old youkai walked down the street as Setsuna had instructed. In the depths of his heart the man knew this was a trap, one that he most likely would not escape. Still, he had to save his son. Fingering the key as if for good luck NoTaisho turned towards the towering warehouse looming above him like the shadow of a slumbering giant.
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It's horrid I know.
TOT