InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Destinies Collide ❯ A Battle Begins ( Chapter 24 )

Ok, I finally put out another chapter even though I did not get as far as I wished to have gotten with this chapter. I hope I have gotten all of the spelling errors out of this, InusDemoness… and I know that I cut this a little close, but at least I got it out. Thank you for encouraging me.

 

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Destinies Collide

 

Chapter 24: A Battle Begins

 

It was dark and a bit chilly. Every so often, a slight breeze would blow from some unknown corner of the cramped hallway, creeping by the only two occupants of the enclosed space before wandering off to some other part of the hallway. Sango wrapped her arms around her torso when she shivered from the breeze as it past by. Why did she feel like they shouldn't be in this particular hallway? A sudden chill crept up her spine making her turn around to find its source. Nothing but darkness greeted her and she sighed as she spun back around to run right into Miroku's back making her fall backward.

 

To his credit, Miroku managed to grab her in one fluid move before she hit the ground, which was a feat in itself as he had been facing away from her when she made contact with his back. Not only did he grab her, but he also placed his right hand over her mouth to keep her silent while also ducking into a crouch placing the now frightened girl directly into his lap. Needless to say, Sango was a bit nervous by the action.

 

“… Mir…” the hand over her mouth tightened as he bent down and issued her one of those annoying `shh' noises to her ear. She struggled against his grasp, more than a little wary of the situation, but he refused to budge. The hand he had on her mouth was crushing her head to his chest, so she couldn't look at his face, besides even if she could look up at his face she doubted that she would be able to see anything as dark as it was in the enclosed space.

 

Her mind was whirling at the implications of her predicament. If Miroku tried to rape her, she doubted that anyone would hear her scream. Heck, she didn't even know where she was much less how she had gotten there. The only thing she really remembered was sitting in Miroku's room discussing the late King's riddle when Miroku said that he may have a clue that could help unravel the mystery. The next thing she knew, Miroku had insisted that he blindfold her saying that she was not allowed to know where the hidden entrance was to wherever it was that would help solve the riddle. She voiced her opinion about the blindfold, he waved his hands at her in some weird sort of way, and she instantly agreed with him. She still didn't know what kind of kooky spell he had weaved on her to make her agree, but that really didn't matter right now.

 

After the blindfold was in place, he took her hand and weaved her in and out of hallways and rooms, probably in a frantic attempt to disorient her, before stopping. She remembered hearing a sound distinctly like something sliding along the floor, but before she could think on the matter, he dragged forward. She had to admit that he was being extra careful with her. It would have been so easy for him to accidentally let her crash into him, or for him to trip suddenly just to let her fall on top of him, but he had done no such thing. He hadn't even tried to touch anything other than her hand until she crashed into his back, and that amazed her more than anything else. After he had dragged her into whatever place they were now invading, she heard the scrapping noise again, then he had freed her from the blindfold, not that it helped anything as it was as dark in the room as it had been when she had the blindfold on.

 

Her mind turned back to the present when the shiver from earlier decided to wreak havoc with her entire being making her clutch the forearm of the hand that was still plastered to her mouth. Her eyes widened as she stared down the hallway, but she still could not see anything. Miroku was beginning to scare her, he hadn't moved from his crouched position and it seemed as though he was holding her more tightly than he had been originally.

 

A noise glided down the empty hallway, bouncing off the walls as it traveled down through the long expanse of darkness that they had been wondering around in for what seemed like forever. At first the noise sounded like footsteps echoing through the hallway, but when the sound actually met their ears they found that it was actually a primal growl from some unknown beast. Miroku clutched Sango to his form protectively and the hand that still held his forearm seemed to grasp him more securely than before making him smirk.

 

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“How are you feeling?”

 

“A little tired, but that can be expected.”

 

“Are you telling me that it worked?”

 

A light smile worked its way onto her face. “I believe that it did.”

 

“It's only been just over a week since we rid that girl of the imbecile's child. Let's not jump to conclusions just yet.”

 

“All things considered, I do believe that I know my body very well by now…”

 

“All the same, we should give it a couple more weeks just to be sure. Just remember to be careful until we're sure.”

 

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“The first thing we need to discuss is the necklace,” Dem stated in a no nonsense voice.

 

“Necklace?” InuYasha asked as he glanced up at the full-blooded version of himself.

 

“Don't tell me you forgot already?” Hum asked as he shook his head and plopped down on the ground crossing his legs Indian style.

 

“Look, the girl is bound to us… bound to you… whatever, anyway she has that necklace that gives that idiotic wolf power over her,” Dem growled out holding onto his anger by a mere thread.

 

“Yeah, I know that…”

 

“Well, then you should know that you have the power to override that spell,” Hum stated.

 

It was silent for a moment as this information registered in InuYasha's head. Hadn't he heard that somewhere before? “Wait a minute; don't tell me that you two are working with those two voices that like to play games with me?” InuYasha looked between the two men looking for any hint of recognition from the two.

 

“Oh no… we decided to help you on our own. Although those thr… uh, two have their own motives for helping you,” Hum said as he shrugged his shoulders.

 

“Why would Sesshomaru's unborn pups want to help me? It makes no sense.”

 

“First off, they are not Sesshomaru's unborn pups, which I believe they told you the last time they spoke to you. You just refuse to listen to them,” Dem stated.

 

“All I can say is that they wish to help you, but unfortunately they can not reveal too much to you or it will upset the balance of… well everything,” Hum explained.

 

“Ok, then who the hell are they? Obviously, you two know who they are, so tell me!”

 

“This is getting us no where fast,” Hum stated under his breath as Dem declared, “It doesn't matter who they are! What matters is getting rid of that stupid spell.”

 

“But I don't know how to do that!” InuYasha yelled directly at Dem.

 

“You stubborn ass, if you would just listen then we would tell you how to do it,” Dem yelled back.

 

InuYasha leaned back as Dem glared at him with eyes that were suddenly glowing with more intensity then a few minutes ago when the pain had coursed through his being. “… How?...”

 

Hum shook his head again, “It's so simple that I think you just might try to pulverize something when we tell you.”

 

“Huh, the idiot may try to kill us if we tell him,” Dem still held InuYasha's gaze with a deadly one of his own.

 

“He can't do that, you know. We're a part of him…”

 

“Doesn't matter…”

 

“Will you two shut up and tell me already?” InuYasha growled out, his eyes still locked onto Dem's.

 

“Ah well, no way to avoid it. Once Kouga activates the spell, you have about a three second window in which you have to accomplish three things; first you have make sure that she does not hit the ground, second you have to grab hold of her necklace, it has to be in your hand, it can't be simply touching you, and lastly you have to utter your own word while simultaneous thinking of what affects your word would have on her,” Hum stated matter-of-factly.

 

InuYasha spun around to pin Hum with a fierce glare, but the human didn't seem to notice or care. “You call that easy? I have a three second window in which to do all that? That's impossible. And what do you mean by `thinking of what affects your word would have on her'?”

 

“Actually, he said that you have about a three second window, which means that you could have less, or more, time than that, but you can't rely on that. It would be best to accomplish all of this as fast as you possibly can. What he meant is that you have the choice as to how your word will affect her. Whereas Kouga's word slams her to the ground, your word could do whatever you want it to, just use your imagination,” Dem explained.

 

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“How is he?”

 

“He's still sleeping.”

 

“Huh, pathetic half breed…”

 

A slap vibrated around the room making Sesshomaru's head turn with the force of the slap. His hand immediately rose to his pulsing flesh as his half brother's mother pinned him with an angry stare making him take a step back in retreat.

 

“How dare you speak that way of your brother? You may not love him, and you may not like him, but for goodness sakes, you will respect him while you are within my presence.”

 

He stared back at her with a defiant gleam in his eyes. She seemed to ignore it as she stared back at him for another moment before moving back to InuYasha's side. Sesshomaru watched as the older woman reached out and smoothed a hand down the side of InuYasha's face. He could never understand why his father had kept that woman around. She was everything that he and his father were not. She was kind, and passionate… she was just like Rin. That last thought entered his head without him really thinking about it. He fell to his knees as that thought took hold of his entire being and seemed to distill upon him the knowledge that his late father could never seem to get through his thick skull.

 

“Sesshomaru?” The Queen's voice drifted across the room, but did not manage to break him out of his reprieve.

 

Thoughts of a time long since past entered his head; he could do nothing to stop them.

 

“Son, I know you do not understand this now, but one day you will. Human's are not the bad people that demons once thought they were.”

 

“That's easy for you to say, dad, since you dumped my mother for one!”

 

“Sesshomaru, I did not dump your mother. She ran out on us. You were too young to remember.”

 

“I don't believe you!”

 

“And I'm not going to try to make you believe me. You will see the truth for yourself one day, and until that day comes, I will keep trying to convince you.”

 

“…Why is the winch pregnant, dad? Why did you do that to a human?”

 

Sesshomaru's head turned with the force of the slap that he did not see coming. Instantly raising a hand to his bruised flesh, his eyes shot up to meet his fathers.

 

“You will never speak that way of her again. I know she is not your mother, and neither of us expect you to call her as such, but we do expect you to respect her. In a couple of months, you will have a sibling that will look up to you. I trust that you will show him or her that same respect.”

 

“I can not respect a half breed.”

 

This time Sesshomaru expected the slap that he received, but he did not expect the words that followed.

 

“One day you will know what it is like to love a human. When that day comes I pray that you will understand how I feel. And when you get that human pregnant, I hope that you will not shun your offspring, as they will be `half breeds' as well.”

 

He blinked twice to clear his head of the flashback. How was it that his father had known, over fifteen years ago, that his son would fall in love with a human? It just didn't seem plausible. A hand gripped his shoulder, shaking him slightly. His eyes focused on the only mother he had ever known. She looked concerned, and he could only wonder why until he realized that he must have blanked out again.

 

He shook his head intending on telling her not to worry, but then an overwhelming since of urgency broke through his being. It was a sickening feeling, the way the pain was overlapped by a tingling sensation that worked its way from the tip of his toes to the top of his head and even seemed to spread out to the ends of his hair. He was still staring at his half mother, but not really seeing her.

 

“…Rin…” he gasped out just before he clasped his hands around his mother's waist and buried his head in her chest.

 

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The idiot was back. She thought he had his fill of her earlier that day, but it seemed as if she was wrong. He seemed unnaturally delighted as though something had happened that she had no knowledge of. Not that she cared, the only thing she wanted was to be out of this hellhole and back in the arms of her mate, but then again she wasn't sure if she wanted that either. She watched as her capture stocked towards her in what could only be described as a conniving sort of way. Was he really ready for another round so soon after finishing with her the last time? She guessed he was, but she knew she wasn't ready for him.

 

He kept waltzing in her direction, and had she looked at his hands, she would have noticed a syringe filled with an eerie glowing pink liquid. As it was, she did not see the needle until he was bending down in front of her, grabbing her left arm and twisting it so that her shoulder was in his direct line of sight. She grunted in pain, but he ignored her and instead plunged the needle deep into her shoulder making her grunt louder. She still refused to scream and it pissed him off more than he wished to admit. However, she would soon bend to his will, so he would refrain from taking his frustrations out on her this time.

 

He left the room as quickly as he came, she noticed. He hadn't even bothered to have his way with her, which puzzled her more than anything else. She had been convinced that he was only after her for pleasure and pain. He hadn't even bothered to slap her for not screaming when he plunged the syringe into her shoulder. What type of vile liquid did he inject in her this time? She could only wonder. In the vast amount of time that she had spent cooped up in this murky cell, he had introduced her body to no less than four different colored liquids. All the liquids had produced varying degrees of symptoms within her body and she had no doubt that this one would do the same thing.

 

A soft pain erupted in her abdomen lasting a few seconds before dieing away to nothingness. The feeling was oddly familiar, but she thought nothing of it until the pain returned with a little more intensity than the first time and lasted a bit longer. This time her thoughts instantly turned to that specific time of the month when her body shed the blood it had stored for a baby. She could slap herself, if her arms weren't pinned above her head. How could she be so stupid? They had taken her baby away from her, so the blood in her womb was no longer needed. Why hadn't she thought of that before? She knew the answer to that question. She figured that she had already shed the blood since she had been sitting in a huge puddle of it just after they had taken the baby.

 

Another cramp spread out in her abdomen, but this time it was accompanied by a sharp stabbing pain that seemed to center directly on her womb. She buckled under the intensity of the pain wanting nothing more than to wrap her arms around her stomach and cry, but knowing that there was nothing she could do. With each cramp the pain became more unbearable till she could no longer feel the cramps through the pain. Something warm rushed from her body making her turn her eyes to the floor in front of her. The sight of a growing stream of blood caused tears to trickle down her cheeks. Instinctively, she closed her eyes letting one thought consume her entire being.

 

“Sesshomaru….”

 

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“Let me get this straight. The monk has him bound for the moment and he's unconscious?”

 

“That is correct. I doubt that he will be moving any time soon.”

 

“I would not underestimate him. Do not drop your guard.”

 

“He will not get the best of me!”

 

“Your cockiness will get you killed one day. Now tell me about the older prince.”

 

“Huh, he's just as bad. The idiot fainted a couple of hours ago and when the family doctors tried to move him, his eyes flashed red scaring them half to death. It was really very funny to watch them scurry out of the room like he had some sort of terrible disease they were trying to get away from.”

 

“Great, then my plan is working splendidly. Now keep your watch over both brothers and don't forget to check in regularly. It has been a while since your last report and I will not tolerate tardiness again.”

 

“I understand.”

 

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“Kouga, you don't think that this whole thing is just one big set up, do you?”

 

They had returned to the spot where Kagome's blood had first entered their delicate noses. Kouga was at one end of the massive clearing on his hands and knees and could not be seen through the tall grass that surrounded the area. Hakkaku was on the other end of the clearing standing looking out over the area in search of his leader.

 

“Did you forget that we have very sensitive noses and that we would be able to smell the deceit a mile away?”

 

“Well, no, but they did manage to get us off the path…”

 

“Have you found anything useful or are you just going to stand there and talk my ear off?”

 

Hakkaku blanched at those words and instantly dropped through the grass to his knees. They had been through this entire area more than a dozen times already and had found nothing more than the smell of Kagome's blood to verify that she was ever there in the first place. He was now surveying the area just to the right of where Kagome's scent seemed to stop. He sighed as he allowed his eyes to slowly travel up the nearest blades of grass. He wondered how long Kouga would make them study this area before he gave up and went running back through the trees after a phantom Kagome.

 

Something glistening near the top of one of the blades of grass caught his attention, so he moved to take a closer look at the blade. Shifting closer, he grabbed the blade of grass and brought it closer to his face. An over whelming sense of dread drifted over his entire being just as Kagome's scent wafted over all of his senses. There was no doubt in his mind that he was staring at Kagome's blood. He allowed his gaze to look beyond the blade of grass and into a small clearing. The grass in this particular area seemed to have been trampled on as if someone had been lying in the area. A dark spot in the center of the clearing caught his attention next, but before he moved he decided to let Kouga know about his discovery.

 

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“What if I accidentally put some kind of stupid thing on the necklace? Do I have to repeat the process?” InuYasha dropped down on the ground, crossing his legs and arms in the process.

 

“It won't work the same way twice, which basically means that if you screw things up the first time, you will have to figure out another way to reverse it,” Dem stated matter-of-factly.

 

“Look, it's very simple, when you are about to override the spell make sure there is nothing, and I mean nothing, in your head but what you want the spell to do. Whatever you are thinking when you redo the spell will be what the necklace will pick up on, and will become what it will make her do,” Hum explained.

 

“Hence, if you are thinking about how much you wish to kill Kouga, the necklace will probably kill Kagome, so you better be extra careful when you do this. Now there is one other matter that we need to discuss,” Dem advised.

 

“You know, you're making me not want to try to do anything with that necklace…” InuYasha pulled his knees up to his chest and buried his head in his thighs. Just the implications that his mere thoughts could cause Kagome harm made him sick to his stomach. How could they possibly expect him to attempt to break the spell on the necklace knowing that his thoughts could screw everything up?

 

“Don't worry about it so much. When the time comes, you will do the right thing. Now about the matter of you being unable to feel Kagome,” Hum said while casting a sideways glance at Dem.

 

The full-blooded demon looked at the human out of the corner of his eyes before taking over the explanation. “This is going to be a little more difficult to do. Plus this requires a little more time than the first one.” Dem cleared his throat as if it had suddenly become dry. “The obvious answer would be to mark her as your own, however that will not help against the monks spell. Actually, the original spell that Miroku had placed on the girl has slowly shifted and weaved itself into a more intricate spell that not even Miroku could break if he wanted to. I dare say that Kagome is just as powerful as we are, if not more so.”

 

“What are you trying to say?” InuYasha's head shot up pinning Dem with a puzzled look.

 

“He's saying that Kagome's own power has taken Miroku's original spell and weaved it into something that no one has ever seen before. You know those two voices that are trying to help you? Well they are currently trying to figure out a way around that spell, but they have come up against blocks every time they think they have gotten somewhere. She has no conscience knowledge that she is working the spell into a sort of protective barrier,” Hum answered.

 

“But wouldn't that mean that Kouga would not have been able to touch her?”

 

“Not necessarily. The spell is constantly changing; even now while we are talking it is changing into something more difficult and possibly dangerous. The results of this are unimaginable and the implications are endless. We can only hope that this does not result in her death. That is why you need to take control over it,” Hum stated.

 

“Take control over it? How can I do that? It may reject me.”

 

“That it may, but we have to take that chance. The only way we can be sure is if you try. You'll have to take it slow, approach her slowly, let your aura enter hers little by little until her aura accepts yours fully, and only then will you be able to touch her. From there you will have to change the spell into something that would work with both of your souls. Undoubtedly, she will have to help you twist the spell, but I don't believe she will mind it,” Dem said trying to give the half demon a hint with the last sentence he spoke, his eyebrows raising in suggestion toward InuYasha, but the half demon did not understand the reference.

 

Hum shook his head as he shifted his gaze between the two. “Let's just say that it will be a truly pleasurable experience that you will love to experience.”

 

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Kaede wandered into the room holding her visitor and guest. The visitor was standing just to the left side of the door, arms crossed over her chest looking more than a little dumbfounded.

 

“What's the matter?” Kaede inquired.

 

“There is some sort of spell covering the stupid bitch. I can't go anywhere near her without being knocked flat on my back.”

 

“Huh, that's odd. I sensed no such spell either today.” Kaede moved cautiously away from the door toward the young woman.

 

Kagome was still sound asleep by the looks of it, lying on her stomach, her head turned away from her late night visitors. As soon as Kaede got four steps from the door a pressure knocked into her being and threatened to throw her into the wall behind her, but the older woman managed to take a step back in retreat which affectively stopped the pressure almost immediately. Kaede turned her attention to her companion for a moment, but the other woman just looked back with an `I told you so' look dancing across her face.

 

“I think I can break the spell, but I'm not sure if it will be permanent or not,” Kaede stated while turning back to stare at Kagome's figure.

 

“It doesn't matter as long as we get her.”

 

Kaede only nodded her acknowledgement before twisting around to stare at the young woman once again. Bringing her hands in front of her body, she clasped her fingers together extending her index fingers toward the ceiling. Closing her eyes, she began chanting some almost indecipherable words while the other woman just looked on from her position at the back of the room. Several seconds went by before any evidence that the chanting was doing anything erupted in the small enclosure. Various lights spread out from Kaede's body reaching out to all points in the room but mainly focused on the still sleeping girl. The woman at the door watched as a battle of sorts played out before her eyes.

 

A deep red hue emerged from Kagome's body and collided with the multicolored being emitted from Kaede. Both sets of energies seemed to manifest themselves into what looked like bodies. As soon as the formation was complete the two entities collided with each other, bouncing back as soon as they made contact only to bang back together again. This went on for several minutes until what looked like a lightning bolt erupted from the darker of the two entities striking the other entity directly in the center of its… well, where a chest would have been if they were real people. The lighter entity retaliated sending bright colored lights out at the darker entity as the battle raged on.

 

Kaede plastered her eyes closed; Kagome's aura was proving to be more difficult to penetrate than she had originally thought. It had actually surprised her when the younger girl's energy struck back at her in defense of its master. Never before had she witnessed anything remotely similar to this particular experience, but that didn't mean that she would give up hope.

 

The fight raged for a good thirty minutes, Kagura guessed as she watched from her position against the back wall, before the multicolored entity finally began to overtake the darker entity. She smirked as the two beings collided yet again only to depart a fraction of a second later. All the entities were doing was bouncing off one another and shooting varying degrees of lights at one another, but Kagura knew that there was much more going on beneath the surface. She stifled a yawn as the battle continued; it looked like the darker energy was growing smaller the longer the battle raged on.