InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Dumb Luck ❯ Wild Night – Part 3 ( Chapter 9 )

Disclaimer- I do not own InuYasha or any of the original characters; they are the property of the brilliant Rumiko Takahashi. This story is an individual creation for personal and shared enjoyment of true InuYasha fans that I hope is up to the quality of the real series. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

Thanks to-InuKagLover and LadyOrion for your reviews. I really enjoyedgetting them.

Chapter Nine: Wild Night - Part 3

The gusting wind blows Kikyo's unbound hair over her shoulder as she passes easily through the Monk's warding, detracting nothing from her regal bearing. The pale Miko's dark eyes sweep the candlelit cave, passing indifferently over the girl with her sleeping charges and stopping on InuYasha's masked face.

She walks forward and the unsteady hanyou pushes himself to his feet, leaning heavily against the wall, "Kikyo, why…?"

She halts in front of him, glancing at the slight tremble of the hand braced on the cave wall before meeting his intense stare. "Probably the same reason you're here."

Feeling forgotten, Kagome blinks up at them and makes the connection, "The Shikon Shard." She refuses to flinch when Kikyo's dark gaze falls on her, "The creature that attacked the village has a Shard."

Kikyo's expression remains impassive as she stares at her incarnation from the future and corrects her, "Two Shards."

InuYasha's eyes widen and Kikyo looks at him once more for a long moment before stepping around him towards the back of the cave. He puts out a restraining hand, "Kikyo, wait."

She half-turns back to face him, "I can assume your friends have gone after the beast?" Kikyo raises a single eyebrow and he releases her. She looks from one to the other, "They will find it difficult to defeat. It can move very fast despite its size."

InuYasha flexes his hand, "I'll go with you."

Kikyo looks pointedly at the girl sitting on the dirt floor burdened with two defenseless youkai sleeping unnaturally on her lap then back to his visibly shaky hand.

He clenches it into a tight fist under her knowing perusal and she continues to gaze at him until he looks up, returning her stare. After a few tense-filled moments, she turns and walks into the darkness without him.

Kagome watches him plop back down, catching a glimpse of the despondent look in his eyes before they're hidden behind his wild hair. Seeing his ears flattened against his head causes her to bite her lip. `He needs to go…' she feels the sour ache of jealousy and pushes her own selfish feelings aside. `There must be a way…' She frowns, knowing he won't leave her unprotected, and looks around the cave, thinking furiously. Her eyes land on her yellow backpack and she grabs it, pulling it to her. "Ah!"

InuYasha hears the clatter of things hitting the dirt and turns to see her shaking the up-ended pack; its contents scattered on the ground. He frowns in confusion, "What are you doing?"

"I have an idea." Kagome gives the pack a few more good shakes to make sure it's empty before setting it down and propping it upright, widening the mouth as far as it will go. She gently lifts Shippo from her lap and lays him inside the bag, placing the tiny Kirara into the snug canvas nest too. Pulling on the strings until the opening is mostly closed and tying it, she leaves the flap loose and carefully slips the straps over her shoulders.

InuYasha's eyes are wide as the girl stands up, grabs a candle from its niche and gives him a determined smile. "Let's go, InuYasha."

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The natural passage that slopes faithfully downwards is rough and often narrow in spots, catching at the Monk's robes. `At least there are no side tunnels to get lost in…so far.' He yanks the material free again and tries to stay close behind Sango. The beam of light from the metal cylinder is reflected off the damp walls making their cramped journey easier.

But the shifting shadows are misleading and he trips, bumping hard into the young woman's back and causing her to drop the flashlight. All three hit the uneven floor - there is the sound of breaking glass and it goes dark.

"Houshi-sama…?"

"Sango?"

"Get - oof - off of me!" Her hiss carries a warning, "And that had better be your staff!" She sighs as the offending object is removed. "Never mind; I don't want to know." She pushes up from the floor and crawls forward to search for Kagome's flashlight. Her hand locates the cold metal instrument and she flicks the switch back and forth. Nothing. She slumps with another sigh, "Now what do we do?" The blackness is smothering and she puts a hand on the wall to stand.

The rings on the staff chime softly, seeming loud in the close confines of the tunnel. "I'm sorry, Sango." He blinks and frowns, "Wait…" his eyes adjust slowly to the darkness, "is that light?"

A faint greenish light is slowly making itself known, barely tingeing the craggy surface of the walls from around a curve up ahead. Sango hangs the useless flashlight on her belt and they walk carefully forward. The welcome light steadily grows the closer they come to its source, the greenish tint deepening as well.

After one last sharp bend, the passage ends high on the wall of a huge underground cavern filled with the conical shapes of stone reaching upwards toward similar counterparts that hang from the shadowed ceiling. The sound of dripping water is louder here but is accompanied by a grating noise from the shifting of the massively long worm curled around a glowing pile of spheres as it raises its head. This is the source of the green light; thousands of-

"-Eggs!" Sango swiftly crouches behind a craggy protrusion, pulling the Monk down next to her and whispers in his ear, "Those are eggs!"

He peeks around their rocky shield and his eyes widen, "So many." He turns to her and frowns at his right hand, "If only there wasn't a Shard to worry about."

She wraps her free hand around his right with a nod, "We can do it without your Kazaana."

"It won't be as easy as you think Taijiya."

They both turn to look behind them in surprise at that softly spoken comment. Miroku is the first to speak, "Kikyo-sama! What are you-?"

Kikyo's expressionless eyes capture his and his voice stills. She looks back to Sango, "The creature has two Shards and is wickedly swift," a glance towards the cavern then back at her audience of two, "It can sense vibrations better than most can see." She draws an arrow and nocks it, "It escaped me once." Her voice turns hard as she addresses Sango directly, "It already knows we're here…so what are you waiting for Taijiya?" She quirks an eyebrow derisively, "Afraid?"

Sango stands in affront, gripping the straps of her boomerang tightly, and turns her back on the disdainful Miko. "That thing can't dodge all three of us," she gives a determined look over her shoulder, "so shoot your arrows…we'll do our part." She leaps over the edge to slide down the uneven slope, "Houshi-sama!"

Miroku spares Kikyo only a frowning glance while reaching into his robes for the paper strips he carries before following the dark-clad woman already halfway to the cavern floor.

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Kagome shields her eyes from the direct candle flame and looks back at the stubborn hanyou following her, too proud to accept help from her and using the damp tunnel walls to stay upright. `He's always pushing himself.' His breathing is loud and she continues forward before he can give her another glare for stopping. The moisture weighing down the air visibly coats the rough walls, reflecting the dancing light in her hands and she steps carefully over the twisting shadows having tripped a few times already. The invisible tug of the Shards grows stronger with each step, pulsing and distracting, creating worry for their friends ahead of them. It would be easier to concentrate on her footing if she could block it out but that wasn't really an option. She sighs and tries to keep her divided attention in balance.

Distant crashes and shouts slowly supplant the faint sound of dripping water, urging them to move quicker through the twisting passage. They finally reach the opening, stumbling through and looking down at the chaos of battle on the cavern's floor. Kagome gasps at the size of their foe and InuYasha braces himself on the craggy outcropping to catch his breath.

Hiraikotsu is deflected off of the deceptively hard side of the worm, leaving only a shallow gash, as it writhes in pain from the stinging ofudas clinging to it. Miroku dashes in close, dodging the thrusting tail tipped with a sharp stinger, and whacks it away with his staff. A blazing arrow slams into the worm, burying itself deep into supple flesh and burning a disappointedly small portion of purplish hide.

Kikyo is standing on a lower ledge with a clear view of the cavern and draws another arrow. She pulls back on the string and aims past the young woman who catches the giant boomerang. "How strong is this thing? I--" her eyes widen in surprise and she turns, "-what?"

Sango grits her teeth and heaves Hiraikotsu back into the air - straight at the ceiling, "Dodge this!" The boomerang slices through the cluster of stalactites over the worm. They come crashing down, showering the creature with the pointed missiles. She catches the weapon upon its return with a feral grin, not seeing the Monk running towards her.

Kagome sees the second worm-youkai, even larger than the first and with two more Shards glowing in its back, as it bursts through an unseen opening below her perch at the same time that Miroku sees it. The creature hones in on the Taijiya as she catches Hiraikotsu and jerks forward to strike. She gasps as the Monk furiously races the beast for the heedless young woman.

"SANGO!!"

Sango begins to turn her head in response to Miroku's cry when she is slammed hard from behind and thrown forward, tumbling uncontrollably over the rough surface from the force of the blow with her boomerang bouncing alongside.

"MIROKU!!" InuYasha, adrenaline and anger burning away any lingering haze, draws Tessaiga and leaps down onto the second worm. "DAMN YOU!!"

Sango twists to sit up, looking back at the second worm with its head planted on the spot she had just been and scrambles to her feet. She sees the boomerang out of the corner of her eye and grabs it just as InuYasha buries his sword into the thing's back. She raises her weapon and steps back, glancing around quickly, "Houshi-sama?" She looks at the sluggish movements of the first worm then back at the new threat. No familiar figure in purple and black.

Three quick, successive arrows fly over her head to impact into the first worm, ending its frantic throes. She looks up at the Miko and feels little gratitude for her proficiency before turning back to the battle between the enraged hanyou and worm-youkai with a concerned frown for the missing Monk. "Houshi-sama!?" She feels a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach and a strangling in her throat, reducing her voice to a whisper, "Houshi-sama…?" She continues to back away from the fight, looking left and right. "…No…" she grits her teeth and shakes her head in denial, raising her weapon. `Damn you…' She blinks back tears and heaves the boomerang at the worm's head. `Damn you Houshi!'

InuYasha yanks his sword loose and jumps upward to attack closer to the worm's head. The creature twists out of the boomerang's path and slams into the descending hanyou, knocking him head over heels to crash through a stand of stalagmites. He lurches out of the rubble and runs forward. Two arrows fly past him towards the worm but only one hits the twisting form. He skids to a stop and swings Tessaiga, screaming furiously, "Kaze no Kizu!!" The sword's magic is released, rushing toward the youkai, tearing across the distance and over the beast's mottled hide. The worm gurgles and writhes in agony, its spiked tail thrashing and crushing more stalagmites into dust. The bombardment of energy slowly dissipates but the worm still lives.

InuYasha grips Tessaiga with both hands and rushes forward, eyes blazing gold in determination over the mask. Two more arrows follow him in and Hiraikotsu makes a dent in the creature's head. He parries the vicious thrust of the worm's tail, twisting his blade and slicing through it, removing the deadly stinger and, spinning about, he buries the blade deep. He rips it upward with a shout, tearing a long gash in the creature's side. He leaps back to avoid the spew of gore and changes direction, heading for the creature's head. Hiraikotsu thuds and sticks in the beast's hide that sprouts another blazing arrow. InuYasha flings himself forward and swings mightily, Tessaiga biting deep and almost severing the worm in half. The creature gives one last raspy gurgle and grows still.

InuYasha steps back, holding Tessaiga ready and breathing deeply. When there is no movement he lowers the tip and hangs his head, "…Shit..."

From her place above, Kagome watches Sango step forward to yank the boomerang free and blinks back tears. `Miroku-sama...' The image of the Monk disappearing into the worm's mouth still burns in her mind. She drops to her knees on the rough ground, grief at the loss of her friend overwhelming her. A moment later, the scrape of a footfall reaches her ears and she looks up at the approaching Miko.

Kikyo stops on the ledge outside the opening of the passageway and silently looks down with agonizing intensity at her young incarnation kneeling at her feet for a few seconds before turning away.

"Kikyo?" Shocked out of her own grief by the similar emotion blazing from the other woman, Kagome wipes her eyes and stands, "You're leaving? Don't you want to see-?"

Kikyo hesitates and, without looking at the young girl, says in an emotionless voice, "I'm through here." A quick glance of dark eyes in a pale face over a proud shoulder, "I'll leave the Shards to you." She walks through the black opening and her voice softly echoes from the darkness, "For now."

Kagome frowns in confusion, `…for now?' She stares at the dark opening for a few seconds before turning to make her way carefully down to the cavern floor where her remaining friends wait.

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