InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Devour Prometheus ❯ Sunrise ( Chapter 12 )

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

 

 

Chapter Twelve: Sunrise

 

 

The guards' hurried steps softened as they met the stairs and they began to stealthily slip up them. Reflecting slivers of lamplight, their short swords were drawn to compliment the closeness of the indoors. They steadily climbed up in a single file, their watchful eyes flitting over every dark corner as they searched for glowing red or a flash of silver.

 

Holding up a fist, the first man suddenly stopped and his attentive soldiers instantly heeded his command. Sight focused on the gaping doorway midway along the hall, he watched it for a long while. Silence passed uneventfully as they waited and then Daisuke motioned to the warriors at his back to be ready. Quietly, they again approached.

 

At the entryway, he paused again, surveying the room cautiously. Other than spilled medicine and fragments of pottery scattered on the floor, nothing seemed out of place. Then his eyes narrowed when he spotted the unconscious figure of a woman. Draped on her back across a table, he could see her face and at once recognized the captured priestess from the road. Lord Jianyu had said that she was struck down when she killed Lady Kioshi, but if she were dead, what was she doing here? With a shake of his head, he warily began to walk toward her. Seeking answers was not his profession and the merchant had given him only one order. Leave no intruder alive.

 

His polished sword gliding into position, he arrived at the miko's side with the tip of his blade slightly lowered, ready to thrust through her heart to end her life. Motionless, she laid before him and he questioned whether stabbing her was necessary. Then unexpectedly, her closed eyes fluttered open, startling him. Her eyes dull and red, she stared blankly up at him and an incoherent word slipped from her lips.

 

“What?” he whispered, unsure if he should just finish her or let her speak her final thoughts.

 

“Sesshoumaru,” she mumbled again.

 

“Who?” he asked and then a terrifying realization chilled him through. Her eyes were not in fact looking at him, but above him. Swallowing down, he slowly turned around and looked up. Claws dug into the ceiling to suspend him, the youkai lord glared back down at him with blood red eyes and Daisuke knew his last memory had come to pass.

 

Shavings of wood falling, Sesshoumaru released his grip and dropped. Quickly, the warrior swung his sword at him in a rising arc, but his fast reflexes were outmatched as the swifter demon landed on him. Crushing him in the sickening snap of bones, the daiyoukai crouched nimbly on the mangled body that still struggled beneath him. Then in one swift motion, he ripped away the sword still in Daisuke's hand stabbed him through the spine, ending his fight.

 

Finished, his gleaming eyes rose to the stunned men still at the doorway and he slowly stood up. As he stared at them, a sinister smirk grew to kink his lips and then with slow, deliberate steps; he left the twitching corpse of their commander behind.

 

Coarse, yet shrill, several yelled their battle cries as he approached, their voices wavering with fear. Their rallying reaching a pitch, they hastily plunged forward, their swords brandished out front as they ran. The sharp blades though met only an afterimage of blood and silver. His wrist breaking, the outermost warrior then screamed in agony as the youkai lord appeared beside him, grabbing his arm. The demon swiftly twisted his aim toward his comrades and the guard impaled the one beside him through the abdomen. Consumed by their terror, the panicked men turned and stabbed him through, his desperate cries gurgling as he died. With a kick, the daiyoukai then sent the limp warrior into the others. Onto the floor, they tumbled onto one another, shrieking and flailing wildly as their swords cut lethally into their fellow man.

 

Leaving them to finish each other off, the demon lord turned to face the rest, his body hunched and his eyes on fire. A growl grew into a snarl and the staggered guards stumbled back. Then, he lunged into them. Flashes of pain seared his arms and chest as their swords sliced into him, but Sesshoumaru ignored the cuts, focusing instead on his nails ripping through their flimsy clothing to the vulnerable flesh beneath. Through their soft bellies, he tore, blood gushing from wounds only to turn into slurry as volatile acid poured from his claws. The poison swiftly dissolved their innards, the choking odor harsh in the stuffy air. Bubbling black with only their limbs and heads left unscathed, soon jumbles of corroding corpses littered the doorway and out into the hall.

 

Heavy breaths heaving his chest, Sesshoumaru stood amid them, his body painted red with chunks of flesh still clinging to his twitching muscles. Bright and green, his aura sizzled on his dyed skin and what gashes he had healed up. Then he was gone. Down the stairs, he went, his purposeful steps making no sound. There was no need for haste. There was nowhere they could run that he could not find them. This hunt he would savor and from their deaths he would take the greatest pleasure. Especially his.

 

Across the first floor, he walked, his burgeoning youki blowing out the lamps and fracturing the statues as he passed. Ahead, the heavy doors leading out were sealed. Beyond them, the daiyoukai heard orders being yelled and the sounds of dozens of racing heartbeats pumping like a thundershower on a roof. An army waited for a demon and a demon they would get.

 

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A loud bang met the door and black cracks fanned out over the carved mural on its surface. Quaking where they stood, legions of warriors waited with the whites of their eyes bright through the holes of their masks. Flinching as another bang sounded, those in front fidgeted nervously, prisoners of their heroism by the men pressing behind them. Then splinters of wood flew as the door exploded.

 

Brightened by the darkness behind them, fiery eyes glowed and slowly grew. Torrents of youki whipped at the warriors, pulling hard at their bodies and drowning out the commands of their leaders. Then a figure drenched in blood leapt out of the shadowed entrance. Morphing in midair, he swelled in size and shape. Red fur coated his body as it stretched and filled out and his face grew long with a maw lined with sharp teeth. Sliding across the gravel, an enormous dog landed behind the sea of warriors.

 

As tall as the pagoda itself, the canine growled viciously at the shivering masses before its paws, acid dripping down from its jaws. The poison splashed on the ground, soaking the line of men closest to him. Dissolving in a hiss of green smoke, they melted into puddles of liquefied flesh and bone. A growl rumbled from the giant beast and the earth shuddered with it. Shaken loose from the vibration, tiles slid off the eaves of the buildings, shattering on the ground with ringing clatters. Mesmerized by fear, the masks of a hundred warriors stared up at the daiyoukai and the rage flaring around him. Then with an ear shattering bark, the daiyoukai leapt forward.

 

Like ragged dolls, guards flew from the force of Sesshoumaru's impact while others were crushed under his paws. Reaching down into the swarm, he snapped up a few, their screams silenced with the crunch of his jaws. Dead, he swallowed them down, feeling his power strengthening with every gulp. Resembling tiny needles, desperate men quickly stabbed through his thick fur to prick his flesh with those more daring attempting to climb his legs to reach somewhere vital to attack. Deftly, he kicked out, tossing them away and then leaned down to gorge on more.

 

With lethal grace, the daiyoukai continued to dance among them, snatching mouthfuls to devour while he crushed the rest. Their numbers rapidly dwindling, the remaining warriors began to scatter. Refusing to spare a single life, Sesshoumaru ran them down, taking special care to rip them apart slowly for their cowardice. A few hid in the seeming safety of the surrounding buildings, but crumbling plaster and thatched roofs proved just as deadly as poisoned jaws when the daiyoukai trampled the flimsy structures.

 

Soon, only one remained, the one he wanted most, but Jianyu was nowhere to be found. Senses heightened from feeding, the youkai lord lifted his gore-crusted head up and scented the air. Smelling of expensive oils and perfume, the merchant's odor was not far.

 

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Panting heavily, Jianyu dabbed his forehead with a swatch of silk, soaking up the sweat that beaded there. Ahead of him was the torii gate and even as he stood above it by way of the steps, it was no less impressive in size and height. Turning to the side, the merchant stared back up at the crest of the stairs he had come down. The terrified screams of dying men had ended and now the graying night was empty but for an eerie, unnatural silence. Even with his ample legion, an assured victory was lost and at the hands of none other than a fragile priestess. He cursed faintly under his breath. Years of work were gone and his carefully crafted kingdom had come crumbling down all in one evening. Now he stood at the brink of escape and his slippered feet refused to move.

 

Beyond the magic-imbued arch were those they had yet to catch. The forests teemed with angry demons, all waiting to exact revenge for their brethren that had fallen to the warriors' swords and needles. Wise and patient, they hid from the hunting parties and the dangerous monks and priestesses that accompanied them. The shrine itself was the perfect sanctuary. The barrier originating from the gate hid the base from all who ventured near, preventing ambushes and allowing them to relax and brew their medicines without constant fear. Their refuge however was now being destroyed by their greatest terror and he had a decision. Hide here within the confines of the barrier or venture out into the forest and hope that he could survive long enough to reach help. Neither bode well for him and he sucked in his breath as he summoned his courage. He had survived worse odds when he had traveled the seas. He would not die here, not when there was so much more to do.

 

A sharp pain struck his knee and Jianyu yelped as he collapsed onto the corners of concrete beneath him. Blood seeped through his expensive robe, flowering into bright designs on the white silk as it trickled down his leg. Towering beside him, he spied tones of red and silver and a ragged sigh left him.

 

“Ancient beasts have no place in this world anymore, Prometheus,” the merchant growled, his voice raspy with pain. “The gods have condemned you and it is only a matter of time before you fall like the others.”

 

“Perhaps, we are condemned,” Sesshoumaru answered coolly and then stepped down the stairs toward the arch. Stopping beside one of its large, red poles, he placed his hands on the old timber of the gate and pushed. The wood creaked and whined in protest as it cracked and then finally it fell, breaking away from it foundation to leave a splintered stump. The weight too great for the adjacent support, the other side rapidly gave in and the gate collapsed with a loud bang. Flickering brilliantly for a moment, the magic emanating from it dissolved and a gust of wind rushed up the stairs. Leaves and twigs fluttered past and the demon lord turned on his heel, his amber eyes gleaming as he looked down on the crumpled merchant. “Perhaps, the gods hate us and they intend our demise. But, you are no god and your demise shall come before mine.”

 

Up the stairs, the daiyoukai approached, his steps slow and deliberate. Pleas of mercy and curses of hate pressed at his lips, but Jianyu bit his tongue to keep his silence, believing that neither would make any difference to a beast. He could not let it have the satisfaction. He was better than it, even in death. Body trembling with fear he could not hide; he closed his eyes and waited.

 

Silence.

 

Licking his lips, time bloated as he sat, expecting a sharp pain and the oblivion that would follow it. Instead, the wind blew with bits of debris brushing against him. Hesitantly, he peeked out from his closed lids and found nothing but the rustling forest. The demon lord was gone. His breath left him with a shuddering sigh and a delirious smile broadened on the merchant's face. Had the creature spared him? The notion of compassion from a youkai seemed too farfetched for his mind to comprehend and he sat stunned for a few moments.

 

Then his relieved grin faded as he spied a pair red lights glowing from the trees. Burning eyes, they glared at him and then another set appeared. Then before him, a litter of color spread along the edge of the woods with twisted growls and yips drowning the quiet.

 

“No,” he whispered as black shapes slithered out onto the road, creeping toward him. “No, no, no! NO!”

 

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Stirring with a groan, Kagome slowly woke from an exhausting sleep. Her back and shoulder throbbing, she winced as she sat up, her fingers fumbling stupidly as she slipped them beneath her coat to touch the bandages wound tightly around her chest. Her mind lingered in a haze, the dim, amber light sharp through her cracked eyelids. Gradually, her sight adjusted, seeing blurry, unfamiliar crates and bottles in the strange room. Then a startled gasp escaped her. The menacing daiyoukai stood a few steps away, his intense eyes staring at her.

 

Despite being clothed neatly in his silk, armor and swords, his blood-dyed skin and sticky tendrils of hair brought the harrowing events of the night roiling to the forefront of her mind. Nausea overwhelmed her and the room began to spin. Swiftly, her hand found her forehead and she cradled it gently. The ruthless hunters and their divine purpose, Inuyasha's death and the feel of the needle piercing through Kioshi's heart all churned together until hopelessness corroded her stomach. Then amid all of the pain and confusion, there was the youkai lord, bringing reason with his cruelty. Neither evil nor good, he offered her a path that divided no one, but by life or death. She had chosen it, embraced it and she had hoped as death haunted her that she would soon pay for it.

 

“Why am I alive?” she asked, her voice soft and fearless.

 

He remained silent.

 

“Why did you save me? I should be dead and I know they didn't dress my wounds. You swore to kill me.”

 

“I had questions,” he finally answered.

 

“Questions?”

 

He nodded faintly in reply.

 

“I don't understand.

 

“I swore to kill you,” he explained, “I am still tempted to do so. No other has been responsible for as much pain and humiliation as your ignorance and misguided justice has inflicted upon me. Your death seems required. Yet, even as this is certain, you freed me. Why?”

 

Speechless for a moment, Kagome sat on the table perplexed.

 

“Why?” she repeated.

 

“Yes, why free the one who has promised to kill you? You slew one of your own kind and severed my binds at the risk of your life so that I would have the opportunity to survive. Why do that?”

 

“Because, it was right.”

 

“Right?”

 

“You told me that there was no way to choose between demons and humans. That both are equally flawed and neither side is better than the other. The only way to choose without bias was to judge everyone equally. To be willing to save or kill someone no matter who or what they are.”

 

“And you killed.”

 

“She was going to cut out your liver again. They were going to use your body to harvest parts over and over. They even… they even fed you him, thinking it would keep you alive longer. I just couldn't let them do it anymore. No one deserves it, no matter the reason.”

 

“Hmm.”

 

“Are you satisfied? Are you going to kill me now?”

 

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed with her questions.

 

“I was ready to die then,” the priestess continued, her words pouring unchecked from her mouth. “I had hoped you would. I still am ready.”

 

A long silence passed as the demon lord examined the resolve behind her thinly veiled request. Then he snorted, reaching for the black-hilted dagger secured in his belt. He turned the sheathed blade over in his palm and then tossed it to her. She caught it easily and looked up at him.

 

“I am not a tool and enough have died by my hand tonight. If this world is unbearable, then make your own future, through death or life.”

 

Swallowing down, her eyes lowered to the weapon in her hands, torn again with indecision.

 

“The world however,” he spoke up, walking toward an oil lamp on the wall, “Needs wisdom and it would be a pity if the deaths this night were wasted with only one to remember them.”

 

“I didn't know it was him,” she blurted out. “On my foot, I didn't know.”

 

“I know that now.”

 

Then the daiyoukai yanked the fixture free and began to pour the oil over the nearest table. Considering the flickering flame for a moment, he set it to the spilt oil and the wood flared up in a blaze. With a swifter stride, he ripped out another lamp and set fire to another corner. Wordlessly, the priestess followed his example, slipping down from her table to pull lamps free. Together, they quickly doused the room with flames.

 

Filling up with choking smoke, the air grew gray and thick. Gorging blaze licked the ceiling as it swelled into a fiery torrent. Mesmerized by the voracious fire, she ignored the dry heat that baked her skin, absorbed instead by its loud, crackling chuckle. Then she felt a tug at her sleeve and she blinked back to reality.

 

“We must go,” Sesshoumaru advised, wooden beams creaking and bending above them. Kagome nodded and together they fled the room and down the steps.

 

Out into the yellow light of dawn, they escaped, turning around when they were a safe distance from the pagoda. Black smoke billowing out its windows and up through the roof, streams of tiles fell from the building, chiming as they struck the ground. Then with a loud whine, the eaves tumbled down and the roof caved in. Crashing and crumbling, the structure rapidly collapsed, the flames still brilliant as they slowly dissolved what remained into ash.

 

In silence, they watched the pyre burn until only delicate wisps of smoke remained among charred chunks of wood and clay. Behind them, the first peek of the sun rose above the horizon, burning away the dark night with the warmth of its light. Turning to the side, the priestess let its rays bathe her face and her hand slipped into her sleeve to feel for the oily bandage.

 

“I thought this night would never end,” she said aloud, squeezing the jumbled ribbon and thinking of firerat fur. “And I know I'll be grieving him for the rest of my life, but I think I'll remember this sunrise before anything else about this night. To fill in the hole he leaves with peace and hope.”

 

“Sunrise?” the youkai lord replied, the rare hint of sorrow coloring his voice, “When the sun touches the horizon, sunrise and sunset can often only be determined by direction. Is it in the east or is it in the west? Our world is changing. For you, for humanity, it may be the east, but for youkaikind, this sun only sets.”

 

Desperately, she wanted to object, to argue for the hope she needed to believe in. Instead, her words were lost and the demon stepped away, walking toward the sun, his once proud shoulders bowed.