InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Demon Nature ❯ Demon Nature Chapter 25 The Hunter and the Game ( Chapter 25 )

Demon Nature Chapter 25

The Inu Yasha characters are not mine folks!!! ^_^

Sesshoumaru landed softly outside of Nishi's hut, wishing he could stop breathing for the time he'd be here. Jaken looked up at him, anticipation on his face.

"Are we going to kill her Master?" the little toad asked, mouth open and panting, hoping that his Master would let him have some fun for a change. Sesshoumaru didn't answer. Instead he levitated a little over the ground to avoid some of the more noxious things in the yard, creating enough of a cloud for Jaken to join him on. Once that was done, they stayed put, just outside the yard itself while Sesshoumaru called to Nishi.

When she didn't come out he whipped a stream of energy towards the hut, setting it afire. Jaken was leaping up and down in joy, and was rewarded to see Nishi come flying out of the door, patting her garments so that the little fires would go out.

"Hello Nishi."

"Sesshoumaru!!"

"Surprised? Why Nishi? I do come and visit you from time to time."

Some people, when faced with death, accept it and stand taller than they ever did in life to face it. Nishi, knowing that no matter what she said, Sesshoumaru would kill her for taking sides in his little war, decided that she would not beg, would not ask for mercy.

"You haven't been her for ages Sesshoumaru. Why today?"

Staying on his cloud, he circled her, his eyes flat, emotionless.

"Nishi, I sent you somewhere to do something. Instead, you got involved in something you shouldn't have. You've caused me complications I don't need."

"It was something to do."

Sesshoumaru stood looking at her.

"It would be easy to kill you Nishi, and normally I would. But I don't want to do that. I want you to live a while, knowing how it feels to be shunned and hated…"

"You don't scare me Sesshoumaru. You take such pleasure in killing, why deny yourself? Do it."

Sesshoumaru said nothing, looking intently at Nishi, who was standing tall in the filth of her yard, her once beautiful hair dirty and uncombed, her body in need of a bath. If it even occurred to him that he had something to do with her present state, he didn't let on.

"Bind her Jaken," he said, finally deciding what her fate would be.

"Yes Master," Jaken chortled, binding the witch's wrists with bands of energy which he used to lead her out of her yard.

"She is now yours to do with as you wish Jaken."

Terror registered on Nishi's face, and she stared in disbelief at Sesshoumaru.

"Jaken needs to do some things, he likes to try out spells, and I think he'll be happy having something live to work with."

"Sesshoumaru…"

"Don't bring her to the lair Jaken. And make sure those who, enjoy such things, are involved."

Sesshoumaru could feel the excitement in Jaken, it was almost sexual, and he gave the little toad a terse smile before taking off and heading back to his lair. The stirring of things beneath him, those whom Jaken had summoned to help him in his work, was just so much background noise to him. He hated betrayal, and the fate of Nishi would deter anyone from doing anything other than what he said for a while anyway.

He turned his thoughts to home, and to spending the afternoon with Rin. He wondered what she had in mind to do today as he flew, and almost missed the trap, the net of energy built by a group of priests to catch him. Now he could hear their chanting, and came to a halt, looking at the glowing mesh in front of him. They had surrounded the mountain with it, making it almost impossible to get home. He stood watching as it grew, and knew he had to make a move or it would be too late, he would be trapped…

Pain seared through his body, and he began to transform, needing to be in demon form to fight whatever it was they were doing. He hadn't touched the damn mesh…With a roar he plunged downward, heading toward where he sensed the humans, the blood roaring in his ears. Something was on his leg…shit, they had snared him. He'd played right into their trap. He had to get away…he smelled blood, and realized that something had pierced his side, and that it was slowly paralyzing him. Magic. Similar to what had bound Inu Yasha to the tree for fifty years. Who would've told them he was vulnerable to that sort of thing…his mind was getting fuzzy, slowing down, and he roared his anger and frustration.

Pain began anew as another…what, arrow? Spear? What had they shot him with now?

What would happen to Rin?

He had done his best to protect her, to keep her safe from harm and now, captured, he would probably be killed, no tree binding for him. What if the humans got to Rin, what would they do to her? He couldn't let that happen, they would torture her the way they would a demon, feeling that she, through mating with him, had somehow become demon herself.

He was getting weak, and he felt his mind shutting down. He had to do something to keep himself focused, something that would keep him from passing out. He could hear the chanting clearly now, and he focused on Rin, on her smile, on how she looked in the morning when she woke up, about how she loved him despite what he was. Something was tugging his leg, and he was almost too weak to resist, but he strove to soar up, away from the death waiting for him below. The chanting seemed to penetrate his being, and he wondered why he was fighting anymore. All he need do is close his eyes, and he would sleep…

Again he made an attempt to go higher, knowing that once he was high enough, he'd be able to break free…but even to the humans below it was obvious that he was considerably weaker, that the struggle was now mostly reflex action. The great white mane of hair was now streaked with blood, and the demons paws were limp, its mouth slack. The poison from its fangs was still strong, and they tried to maneuver out of the way of the deadly liquid.

"It is struggling," one of the priests said.

"Yes. It's will to live is strong. But once it is in our control…"

"We must kill it."

"Of course, and we will. It is just that I want to see the most powerful demon in Japan before we destroy it."

The novice backed down, knowing the others felt the same way his Master did. Sesshoumaru was a legend, something that had never been trapped or seen in human form by men such as them. Their temple would be famous throughout the country as the ones who had defeated the Demon Lord of the West. Sesshoumaru couldn't fight anymore, his body was heavy, and his energy was too low to maintain demon form. The humans below watched as the demon changed into a thin, badly wounded human seeming man. Smiles broke out among those who were not chanting, and the ones who were doubled their efforts as slowly, the human form of the demon Sesshoumaru descended to earth shrouded in a web of energy.

Rin was anxious. Sesshoumaru should be here, should be on his way home, and she told herself she was being foolish. But the feeling would not go away, and the more she tried to push the feeling away the stronger it got. What if a demon army had ambushed him? Strong as he was he couldn't fight them all, and they would defeat him. And she would be alone again…

She gathered herself and headed for where her children were studying, breaking all protocol and walking into the room. The teacher had never seen her in the flesh, and he gasped, bowing down to her. She barely acknowledged him.

"Children, go and find your father. Something is wrong."

Without a word the children took to the air, Taisho's face grim, and Sakura's simply angry.

"What the…"

"What is this??!!" Sakura screamed, pulling her brother back before he charged into the net in his attempt to shred the offending energy. They sniffed the air, hanging in place.

"Father always tells us to wait, to see what it is you're up against and not go charging in…"

"I know, but I agree with mother," Taisho said harshly. "Something has happened to father. We don't have time to waste."

Shifting form, he shot down, and Sakura followed him, staying in human form, wanting to be able to see…

"NOOOO!!!!!!!" she screamed as she saw her father's body, bloody and torn, on the ground, the energy net holding him still. Taisho saw the source of the net, the group of human men and women who were standing apart from the men surrounding their father's body, and he headed directly at them, rage in his red eyes. Sakura was right behind him, hoping they were in time, that they would be able to stop them from destroying their father. Taisho grabbed the first two humans in his mouth, decapitating them, their blood spewing over his fur. Dropping their limp bodies he was on to the next group, alternating between decapitation and incineration. Sakura headed for the group that surrounded her father's prone body, and released her poison fog. One looked up, and she saw the pure terror take over his expression as he began to run. In demon form she couldn't concentrate on him, and she continued her attack on the humans around her father. They would die, and she wanted to make it as painful as possible. The net began to fade, and with a triumphant roar the two demons headed for their father's body.

The net began to waver, to lose its brilliance, and the novice turned to see what was happening, why the monks and priest's power was fading…two huge demons, canines, had released a green cloud, and one by one the monks were losing strength. The two demons now shot into the air where they twisted and turned heading earthward, poison from their fangs incinerating the group of men who were now screaming in agony. As one they turned and began to decimate the monks and priests who had been so deep in trance the rending of the spell had destroyed their minds, making them unable to run. The novice hid in the bushes watching the destruction, as the two demons tore the humans who had tried to contain the demon to shreds. It was as if killing were not enough, that the demons were in a frenzy, intent on totally destroying anything human in their path. Someone squatted next to him, and he saw his master, badly burned but still alive.

"Master…"

"We must leave this place before they find us."

"Master, your hands, your hair…"

"I have my life. Remember this young one. Remember what the nature of a demon is, and that the more human it appears, the more dangerous it is. Come, while they are distracted by our brother's misery."

The moved slowly, hoping that by being upwind the dogs wouldn't catch their scent, and that the wind would stay their friend. They found a small group of hunters who had sensed the trouble in the air and were hiding.

"My Master is in need of attention. Do you have a temple nearby, a miko who can help us?"

"Come. The demons are restless," the leader of the hunters said gravely. They prepared a crude litter for the head priest, and carried him back to their settlement, sending someone ahead to get help for the now delirious priest. The wind shifted, and the stench of death overpowered the camp.

"We can't stay here. The Demons will find us…"

"I will make us invisible to them for a time…"

"The Demon Lord will not be fooled again novice. We must move."

They did, and stopped only after fording a small river, hoping to throw the dogs off their scent. With no visible pursuit, they stopped for the night, joined by a miko who had brought healing leaves and strong potions to ease the pain of the priest. They were on the move again before light, afraid to be caught in the open, arriving at their small village in the early afternoon. The local priests listened in silence as the novice told them what had happened.

"You wounded him?" one of them said, surprise in his voice.

"Yes sir," he bowed.

"The arrows struck true. He is gravely wounded, and the spells will kill him slowly and painfully."

"Better you had aimed to kill than to maim," the priest said. The novice looked at his Master, who looked away.

"But there is nothing we can do for now. You are welcome to stay until you can move."

The novice could hear the unspoken in the man's voice, the fact that he wanted them gone as soon as possible. Demons could heal rapidly, and he did not want them there when Sesshoumaru came looking for revenge.

Taisho descended to the lair, his unconscious father on his back. Rin stood watching, and for the first time both he and Sakura saw the strength of their mother, not the woman who waited hand and foot on their father. Kagome was standing next to her, and as one they moved forward, Kagome standing back to let Rin go to her mate. There were no tears, just steel in Rin's eyes and in the set of her jaw.

"Rin, let me remove the arrows," Kagome said gently, kneeling down beside Rin, who pushed her away.

"Don't touch him…"

"I have to remove the arrows, or he'll die Rin," Kagome said a little more forcefully. Rin shifted only enough to let Kagome touch the arrows, watching intently as Kagome gently removed first one, then the other. Inu Yasha was standing solemnly watching, surprised at the depth of emotion he felt seeing his brother so near death, recalling that he had put him there once before. Only now he was watching Rin, trying to hold it together, seeing that she remembered how the demon on the ground had found her, and brought her back to life, and how she had built her life around him, refusing to give in to the darkness, and actually trying to brighten Sesshoumaru's life. And he remembered seeing them together in Kagome's time, for a while just two people in love, seeing a future they could never have imagined, together. He remembered Sesshoumaru wanting her to have memories, happy times, that would accompany her while he was away. And now…just when it had seemed that things were going the way his brother wanted them to…Sesshoumaru deserved to be happy, to have some beauty in his life, the way he had with Kagome.

"Leave us," Rin said softly.

"Leave him with me."

Sakura opened her mouth to say something, and her mother looked up at her, eyes glazing.

"Sakura, he needs you to do what he can't right now, and you can't do it here. You, and Taisho, must go and make sure his plan succeeds. When you get back…"

Her voice broke, and Sakura understood, finally understood, her human mother, and felt no shame at the feelings welling up inside of her. Those feelings underlay her mother's strength, the strength that had made her able to be cursed among her own kind, to stand at the side of this demon that despite his nature had made a place for her in his heart.

"We will represent him well Mother," Taisho said as he bent over and kissed her on top of her head. Sakura followed suit.

"Inu Yasha…"

"Go. We'll take care of things here."

They bowed, and left without a look back.

"Rin…" Inu Yasha said, wanting to be able to do something, anything.

"I'll be okay. Just protect his home…"

Kagome placed her hand on Inu Yasha's arm, and he looked down at her, their eyes locking for what seemed forever. The high pitched shriek emitted by Sesshoumaru's sidekick as he barreled into the room shocked them out of their reverie.

"Master!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Jaken ran into the room, and Rin looked up, her eyes stopping him in his tracks.

"Leave us Jaken."

"I deserve to be here…"

"Leave me with him Jaken. I will care for him. Help Inu Yasha keep the glamour up."

Reluctantly Jaken turned away, looking back just before going out the door. Sesshoumaru lay on what had been white bedding, and Kagome told the servants to bring as much bed linen and as many sleeping mattes as they could and leave them so Rin could change things as they needed to be.

"Rin…"

Rin looked up, shocked at hearing her name spoken by Jaken.

"He will live Jaken. He will live."

Jaken nodded, and head bowed, walked out behind Inu Yasha and Kagome, who let the screens down gently.

Rin, finally alone with Sesshoumaru, put her head down and let the hot tears fall from her eyes, sobs wracking her body. Alone she could allow her fear to consume her, her fear that she would again be left alone to fend for herself in a hostile world. Sesshoumaru may be many things, he was a demon, and he never pretended to be anything else, but he had always been there for her, had seen to it that she was safe and warm, had food, and a warm place to sleep, things he didn't need to go on living.

Wiping her eyes as dry as she could, she pushed his hair back from his face, so delicate it was almost feminine, and ran her fingers gently over the marks on his face. Already the bleeding had slowed, and deciding he needed a fresh robe, she removed the soiled one, lifting him as gently as she could and placing his arms in the sleeves. Before closing it she changed the dressing on the two wounds, using the herbs Jaken had brought in for her. He was so still she was afraid, but she knew he was alive. She got up and moved the brazier closer to where he was laying, and shivered as she took off her blood stained outer kimono, throwing it in a heap into a corner. Pulling more covers over, she lay down next to him and placing her arm across his torso where he wasn't wounded she closed her eyes and fell immediately into deep, dreamless, exhausted sleep.