InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Devour Prometheus ❯ Sacrifice ( Chapter 10 )

Disclaimer: These characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi and other associated companies.

 

 

Chapter Ten: Sacrifice

 

 

It was quiet.

 

Reaching out with red fingers, the growing pool of blood surrounding the boulder trickled across the hard floor, creeping steadily toward the motionless priestess. Soaking through her clothes, it soon touched her skin. But, despite the clinging dampness, she sat unaware of it, lost to numbness as she stared blankly at the ointment smeared on her fingers. The salve was warm and her cheek remembered resting against his broad back as the endless blur of trees raced by. It glittered faintly and her eyes remembered his golden ones glimmering at sunset after the rain. It tingled as she rubbed it between her fingers and her lips remembered his mouth pressed softly against hers when he kissed her for the first time.

 

Inuyasha was gone and all that was left of him was on her hands and in her memories. Their quest for the Shikon no Tama shards, the betrayal and acceptance of Kikyo, the final battle with Naraku and the years of waiting to return. All of the triumphs and all of the loss. All of what they had endured. All of it gone in one night.

 

A shuddering sigh left her, her first breath in what felt like an eternity. Moving of their own accord, her hands found the loosened bandage and began to unravel it the rest of the way. If tears slipped down her face, she didn't know it and soon the wadded strip of fabric was cradled against her chest. What ointment that still clung to her ankle and foot was quickly wiped up and added to the tangled clump. Then she delicately tucked it into her sleeve. She needed something to bury if there was nothing else to find.

 

A jumble of thumps resonating beyond the door, Kagome turned her head slightly at the sounds of several footsteps approaching. With the threat of being discovered looming, she felt strangely immune to any concern. There was nothing they could do to her now that would hurt more than what had already been done. Then without her consent, her trembling legs began to move, lifting her wilted body up and carrying her to safety behind the huge boulder. Onto the floor, she collapsed and her head lolled back to settle against the rough stone.

 

With a soft scrape, the door glided open and two silhouettes filled the entrance. Tall and heavy beside the slight frame of the imperial miko, Jianyu stood next to Kioshi. At their backs were several guards with one of them carrying a ceramic, cooking pot. Their critical eyes scanned the room, particularly the dangerous daiyoukai that hung lifelessly in the center of it.

 

“Hmm,” the merchant hummed his disappointment as he stared at the limp demon. “And I had high hopes.”

 

Catching Kioshi's sight, he casually nodded toward Sesshoumaru and she returned the gesture in acknowledgement before cautiously walking forward. Moving silently, she crossed the space swiftly until she was a few steps away. Her hand dipping into her sleeve, she retrieved a long needle, the bells on its end jingling as she held it out readily. Then she slowly crossed the puddle of spilled blood.

 

His head hanging, the youkai lord's down-turned face lay hidden under long, sticky tendrils of hair. The miko came close to him with the needle she gripped hovering over the old wound in his side. Bowing carefully under his chin, she tentatively pressed her ear against his chest and tried to listen to his heart over the thunderous beating of her own drumming in her throat. Weak, but steady, she nearly missed his faint beat. With a satisfied nod, she quickly stepped back and turned to face Jianyu.

 

“It lives,” she called out, “But barely.”

 

The merchant nodded.

 

Returning her attention to the daiyoukai, she noticed fresh rivulets of newly shed blood. Up his torso, she traced them until she met a deeply embedded needle. Clumped at the skin, only the tiny bells were visible with the rest of it driven through flesh and bone. Looking about briefly, she found another that had been pushed in the same fashion and a grimace frowned her features beneath the placid expression of her mask.

 

“It's been tortured,” Kioshi remarked. “That would explain the flare of youki I sensed earlier.”

 

From the daiyoukai's body to the blood at her feet, she continued to inspect for clues when her sharp eyes caught a telling trail of red smears. Easily footprints, the soggy tracks were dragged along the wood, leading away toward the back of the room and swiftly out of sight. Slender and shoeless, she knew of only one who could have left them and her gaze returned to the bowed head of the youkai lord. So vigorously had the other priestess fought to claim it. How hard she had fought to protect it. And now, she presses needles into its defenseless body until it nearly dies. Had she heeded their reasoning and decided to join them? Or was this her own sense of justice wishing to punish the demon for the evils it had committed?

 

Keen to demand answers for her perplexity, the imperial miko took a step toward the rear of the room.

 

“Lady Kioshi,” Jianyu spoke up and she stopped instantly at the sound of her name. “Let our trespasser be.”

 

“Jianyu-sama, she--”

 

“There is nothing to fear from a coward who stabs a beast that cannot fight back. Leave her be and examine its wound.”

 

“As you wish, my lord.”

 

With only one exit, she knew that a time to question the priestess would come soon enough and she dutifully turned to face the daiyoukai again. Surrounded by the viscous ooze of clotting blood, the long gash gaped open and as she peered inside, a gasp escaped her. Purple in tone and firm in texture, a new, regenerated liver lay where only dark emptiness had hung before.

 

“It worked, Jianyu-sama. The liver has grown back,” she said with nearly breathless astonishment, “You have your Prometheus.”

 

Still crumpled where she fell, the foreign name penetrated Kagome's ears when every other word sounded as vague as thunder rumbling in the distance. Trudging through her wallow of despair and hopelessness, it began to consume her thoughts. He has his Prometheus? What did Kioshi mean by that? Then her ears heard everything as she feebly roused herself to listen.

 

“Amazing,” the merchant answered and then eagerly walked forward, wanting to see it for himself. Wrinkling his nose in disgust, his silk slippers paused just before the border of spilt blood. “After all of our searching, we have finally found one strong enough to endure. How does the organ appear?”

 

“Healthy. It should yield quite a bit, perhaps enough for an entire village.”

 

“And the demon?”

 

Raising a few fingers toward the open entrance, Kioshi stole the attention of one of the guards and he quickly joined her side.

 

“Lift its head,” she ordered and the man grabbed Sesshoumaru by his bangs and drew his head up. After unraveling the bandages from her hand, the imperial priestess brushed her fingers over his cheek and hovered them in front of his slightly open mouth, noting the coolness of his clammy skin and the shallowness of his rare breaths. “Not well. It may not survive much longer if the strength of its youki continues to deteriorate.”

 

“I see,” he replied pensively and then his eyes brightened, “What has become of its companions? Were there any of adequate strength that accompanied it? Ones that could replace it should it not survive?”

 

With his question, an unexpected glimmer pierced her dark reality and Kagome strained to hear every word. Then as quickly as her hope had sparked, Kioshi's answer squelched it.

 

“None survived. Its two-headed mount was too bestial to be used in this fashion, so it has already been butchered and ground up. The smaller youkai died in the field from the ambush. We have its body, but there is not much of it to be of use. Drying it will be the best option.”

 

“And the abomination?”

 

Stiffening at the sound of the slur, Kagome's jaw clenched. Buried beneath the numbness deep within her heart, a flicker of anger began to burn.

 

“It seemed strong at first,” Kioshi explained, “It did, after all, survive our initial assault in the field. From its appearance, I would say it was most likely related to this one, possibly an offspring.”

 

“Hmm.”

 

“Being a half-breed however, its diminished aura was considerably less potent than that of a full-blooded demon. Between the blood loss and the youki-routing needles, it succumbed not long after we removed its liver and a portion of its stomach.”

 

“Pity.”

 

“Hardly, my lord. While it is a great deal more effective than one expects with its diluted, demonic blood, its organs will only heal minor injuries such as bruises or shallow cuts. It would be a waste to process.”

 

“Then we shall have to rely on this one,” Jianyu sighed, slightly frustrated. “Too many have died in the hunts recently and with demons growing scarcer, it seems that soon only the truly dangerous ones will remain. We need a Prometheus. We need this Prometheus.”

 

“A youkai from which we can harvest an unlimited supply of organs,” the imperial priestess replied. “One that could make enough medicine so that we would never have to hunt again.”

 

Jianyu nodded.

 

“But until now, they have all died for one reason or another,” he went on, “It seems though that if we can preserve its aura, it could survive the wounds and continue to grow what we need.”

 

Anticipating his line of thought, Kioshi gave an abrupt wave toward the guard carrying the cooking pot.

 

“What is that?” the merchant asked as the man strode by, his steps swift but careful so as not to spill.

 

“Our assurance that it will survive, my lord,” she explained, “I have already taken measures after noting how the others have perished. We must replenish its youki if it is to live and to do that we must feed it.”

 

“Feed it what?”

 

“What we cannot use. Demons consume each other as much as humans, so why not feed it the youkai that we won't make into medicine.”

 

`Youkai they won't make into medicine,' Kagome mouthed soundlessly, her eyes widening in horror and a sickening knot began to twist in her belly. They wouldn't, would they? They knew they were related, didn't they? They knew it.

 

“It would at the very least be worth the try to see if it works,” Kioshi finished.

 

“Very well,” he replied.

 

Nodding once as Jianyu gave his permission, the imperial miko quickly turned toward the guard still suspending Sesshoumaru's head by his bangs. Catching her glance, the man pitched the daiyoukai's head back further and brought his other hand up to pull down on his chin. His mouth parted wide enough, the waiting guard removed the lid on the pot. With wisps of steam escaping, a red-brown broth cooled inside the container.

 

“Go ahead,” she ordered the guard and he stepped forward, lifting the pot to the youkai lord's lips.

 

“No,” Kagome whispered softly, her hands clutching the sides of her head with her digging nails ripping out a few strands of her hair. “They're brothers. You can't do that. You can't.”

 

Tipping the pot slightly, the guard poured the thin soup into Sesshoumaru's mouth. Overflowing at first, the liquid trickled out of the corners of his mouth and drizzled down his chin. The daiyoukai coughed as it gushed down his throat and he pulled feebly on his ropes as he attempted to resist it.

 

The weak sounds of his struggle thundered in her ears and when she thought she hadn't the strength to stand, Kagome found herself on her feet. And when she thought she hadn't the will to fight, she found her voice.

 

“No!” she yelled shakily, startling the guards from their purpose, causing some of the broth to be lost to the floor. “You can't do this to them! They don't deserve it!”

 

“If you object Lady Kagome, then come out and speak with us,” Jianyu offered aloud as he silently signaled the guards to leave the demon's feeding for later.

 

Hesitantly, she appeared, her body trembling more than her voice. She crossed her arms, hoping to soothe it and to rally her nerves. They had to stop. This wasn't right. None of it was.

 

“You have to stop. They don't deserve this.”

 

“Who are they?”

 

“They were brothers and because of them, many human lives have been saved. This is wrong! They deserve better!”

 

“And now many more lives will be saved for their sacrifice.”

 

“What right do you have to make them sacrifices?!”

 

“What right do you have to eat fish from the sea or a hare in the field?” he countered vehemently, tiring of her persisting lack of respect. “They are demons, beasts forsaken by the gods. If you could save a man's life at the expense of a hare's, would you not kill it? If you could save a village at the expense of a youkai's life, would you not slay it? What if it did not even need to die?”

 

“This isn't life. This is torture. This is inhumane. Demons have feelings. They have family.”

 

“And a fish does not know joy when it discovers a drowning cricket or fear when the hook sinks into its mouth? The hare does not have a mother and father or brothers and sisters when it is born? An unfettered existence you must have lived, Lady Kagome and one you shall no longer keep. There is no place for conflicted priestesses in our ranks.” Waving a hand toward the guards, the swift men then swooped down on her, grabbing her wrists before she could twist away. “However, it is a pity. Your talents would have been greatly appreciated by us and by the gods.”

 

“Jianyu-sama.”

 

“Yes, Lady Kioshi?” he answered, smoothing away any stray hairs that had loosened from his tight braid.

 

“I believe it has absorbed enough to survive,” she coldly informed him, glancing at Kagome as she spoke, her eyes bereft of all feeling except pity. “Shall we remove it again or shall we aim for another organ?”

 

“If you believe it will not perish as a result, then you are welcome to take what suits you.”

 

“It will not,” she replied assuredly and her hand slipped to the narrow, black sash at her waist. The dark color of its handle and sheath concealing it, her hand found the hilt of her tanto and she pulled it free from its saya. The polished blade glinted amber in the lamplight and the imperial priestess turned to face Sesshoumaru.

 

`Be willing to kill youkai and humans alike or vow to never kill another demon again,' the daiyoukai rasped painfully in Kagome's memory. `Hold everyone to your human standards or none at all.'

 

Kioshi stepped toward him, the dagger expertly held as her sight focused on the open wound and the choice of organs she intended to remove.

 

`I can't choose between humans and youkai. Not after what they've done to Inuyasha. Not after what they're going to do to you. Both sides are capable of extraordinary kindness and extraordinary cruelty. And neither is better or worse than the other.'

 

Distracted by a twisted fascination with what will happen to the demon, the guards' grip loosened on the forgotten miko in their hands.

 

`But they're not the only choice, are they? There is one more I can make.'

 

Yanking hard, Kagome broke away from their hold and sprinted forward.

 

`There is one more.'

 

Sharp and searing, overwhelming pain pierced through Kioshi and her readied blade fell from her hand. Shock blending with agony, her shaky fingers found the culprit, the thin, bloodied point of a needle protruding through her chest, one that had once been in the daiyoukai. Then with staggering steps, she turned to find Kagome's ashen face and surprised stare matching her disbelief. The imperial priestess' astonishment swiftly melted away and for a brief moment the calm look of a woman who could only expect betrayal filled her eyes. Then with the galloping approach of death dulling them, she collapsed lifelessly in a heap of crumpled, black clothing.

 

Swiftly crouching, Kagome scooped up the dropped knife and slid it under one of Sesshoumaru's binds. Drawing it hard and quick against the rope, she severed it and went for the next. Again she slashed, uncaring as she nicked his flesh in her haste. She cut several more when a hot, burning pain found her shoulder and another struck her deep in her back. The taste of metal flavored her tongue and she felt her strength drain. Dizzy and lightheaded, coughs wet with blood racked her struggling breaths and despite her desperation to stand, she fell down into the puddle on the floor.

 

The knots unraveling from her efforts, the rope securing the youkai lord to the boulder began to give and he slid down the rock before falling free to the ground beside her. With a heavy thump, he struck, his placid, blood-spattered face facing hers. As her vision darkened and unintelligible curses and shouts flooded her ears, she whispered to him.

 

“Get up, Sesshoumaru. You're free. You're free.”