InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ EQUILIBRIUM: Crescent of Light ❯ The Lost Warrior ( Chapter 6 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

To all those who said they missed InuYasha's testosterone, I have one thing to say to you... "Keh!"

Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Thriller / Romance / Fantasy / Hentai / Adventure / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 08.29.2008 | Pages: 4 | Words: 8.6K | Visits: 376 | Status: Work In Progress

Chapter Six

THE LOST WARRIOR

*Warning:

Language, violence, and gore.

***

The sun was shining fully now. The blades of bloodstained grass shone like that of a sword under the scorching heat of morning light. It was almost as if the grass itself had slain these red-eyed monsters.

Sesshoumaru looked around the clearing with a look that was somewhere between amusement and contempt. He could tell who had killed who simply by looking at the wounds. The wide, jagged lacerations upon the stomachs were the signature mark of Sango's victims. Sango had always had the tendency to overdo it, making the clean up job rather messy. On the other hand, it was somewhat entertaining to see such bloodthirsty monsters taken down by a mere Human — a woman nonetheless.

And speaking of reckless fighters…

It was the last scent he expected to smell on his morning walk. Ten years had gone by and InuYasha' absence had more of an impact on him than he ever thought it would — and more than he was willing to admit.

Sesshoumaru grinned fully this time. It wasn't likely that InuYasha would be happy to see him; quite the opposite really. But he didn't mind, it'd been a while since he'd had a good fight. Granted; he may have to take on Sango as well because of his untimely bath, but not taking one was quite literally committing suicide in his case. InuYasha wasn't one to actually aim to kill an ally, but that didn't mean he couldn't be provoked.

A throaty groan ripped him from his thoughts. The dregs of water that were still stubbornly clinging to his shoulder-length, gray hair misted around his body like an aura as he spun his head quickly towards the source of the sound. His body followed the motion of his head and twin arms crossed to grasp the two Dao swords strapped to either hip.

One of the Carthrids grasped his head and blinked stupidly, it obviously had no idea what was going on. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes and released both hands from the twin hilts. A slight frown played upon his majestic features as he walked towards the creature carefully. It wasn't in the nature of a Carthrid to take the time to gather its surroundings. The minute it sensed an unfamiliar or startling presence it was compelled to attack. They were killers, deadly fodder in the lines of battle, trained — or engineered — to feel no pain, fear no fear, and fight until to the death.

He strode gracefully towards the dazed beast, wary of each and every move he made. Carthrids were like wild animals and everyone knew that an injured wild animal is one of the most dangerous things in the world.

“You…” he said quietly.

He got no response.

“You!” he said, louder this time, pleased to see the Carthrid give a startled jump about five feet in the air before turning to face him.

“State your name, filth,” Sesshoumaru hissed.

He tried to make his voice as menacing as possible when he spoke and was satisfied with the results. The Carthrid shook in fear, the final traces of red from the sunrise, outlined Sesshoumaru's body, making it look as though he had a blood red aura.

“Lu-Lucious,” he stuttered.

This Carthrid knew his own name. This one wasn't yet fully unstable. Now that was something you didn't see every day.

He narrowed his eyes. “Get up, Lucious.”

The Carthrid stood on shaky knees. The light of the man he had once been shined beneath his eyes. There was hope for this Carthrid yet, however remote. The Canan drew to his full height, glaring at the smaller Carthrid.

“Do you enjoy your claws, Lucious?”

The Carthrid looked confused at this question and didn't answer. He was still shaking and Sesshoumaru frowned again. Yes, this one hadn't succumbed to whatever darkness that made these creatures, not yet at least.

“I will give you a choice, Lucious,” he said as he withdrew a small, curved dagger from his pale robe. “Either you surrender your claws and live, or you surrender your life and die.”

He looked at the red-eyed beast with indifferent eyes that promised to make good on his threat, awaiting his answer.

It was a simple proposition, one that was easy to understand and was free of any loopholes. It was a fair, honest deal, one that any sane man would jump at without hesitation, but perhaps that was the point.

Carthrids relied on their claws a lot more than they actually needed to. All Pathric claws were retractable, seeing as they were so long, but either the Carthrids had forgotten how to do it, or they just didn't want to. They killed, ate, slept and drank with their three inch claws out all day and all night. Only a handful of times had Sesshoumaru seen a Carthrid without claws drawn and it was only because they had been cut off. Without the claws, the Carthrids died within a few short weeks from either starvation or murder by their cannibalistic comrades.

He felt the slightest twinge of remorse for this hopeless abomination. If he took this Carthrid's claws, it would surely suffer the same fate. However, in the end, it might make all the difference. This Carthrid, while not sane, still had a bit of who it once was deep inside. He saw the remorse in its eyes for the things it had done, and this gift of partial sanity may be able to make up for its past evils. Without his claws, the chances of it murdering anyone were quite slim and perhaps it could turn its life around in the few remaining weeks that it would have left to live. Perhaps it would then be worthy of escaping the cursed label of `it' and in the moment of death, receive the title of `he.'

However, the Carthrid didn't take kindly at all to the proposal. Its eyes grew an even more violent shade of red, revealing its sharp teeth and curling the split and chapped lips into a ferocious snarl as it growled rancorously. The insanity and instability he was sure he had shown earlier when they had attacked the camp had resurfaced and Sesshoumaru merely raised an eyebrow as deadly three inch claws flexed before his eyes.

“Too bad,” he muttered.

Before the Carthrid could make a move, Sesshoumaru grabbed its wrist and twisted it to the side ruthlessly. A spine-chilling crack filled his ears and the Carthrid opened his mouth to scream. But what came out was not the sound of unbearable pain but the scarlet proof of lethal injury. Red eyes glimpsed down to find the sharp dagger that would have taken his claws buried deep inside his stomach.

The Carthrid dropped to the forest floor to join his companions and Sesshoumaru couldn't help but feel regret at what had to be done as he wrenched the dagger out of its stomach.

This, he thought, was what the world had become, just an endless bloodbath that always resulted in death. He knew what was at stake, he knew that this killing was justified but that didn't mean it did not disappoint him when this happened.

So many people had tried to change these Carthrids, tried to find hope for the pitiful souls that knew nothing but to kill anything that breathed. None were ever successful and it wasn't long before people stopped trying. Most had given up the fight altogether and chose to live in the more remote areas of the world, away from the violence and bloodshed.

Sesshoumaru personally thought of these people as fools. They wouldn't be able to hide in the mountains and forests forever. Eventually, they would be found by the Pathric Alliance, and when they were there would be little chance of their surviving.

Some even outright betrayed the Canad Union and gave their complete loyalty to the Alliance. Each time another legion joined the ranks of the Pathrans, the number of Carthrids seemed to increase drastically. Coincidence? Sesshoumaru thought not.

The more Carthrids there were, the more misery they caused. The more misery that was caused the more betrayals there were and the more betrayal there was, the more Carthrids there were. It was just an endless cycle of suffering, like the four legs of a rogue horse, pushing a powerful creature no one could stop. If only one were able to immobilize one of the legs. Perhaps then, this beast could be stopped and the war could be won and peace could be restored.

But time, Sesshoumaru knew, was quickly running out. He knew that if people had stopped trying, it would only be a matter of time before they stopped caring.

e(o)e

Seeing the eagle fiercely defending the girl beside him, that was weird. Witnessing a pack of Carthrids being brought to their knees by a mere scream, that was unheard of.

But this… this was bordering lunacy. Never, in his life had he expected this. To see her… exactly like he remembered… like no time had passed…. it was too much, too good to be true… and yet too horrible to be true at the same time.

InuYasha took a wary step backwards. His silver eyes reflected complete disbelief and shock as they stared at the old woman he had once considered the equivalent of an Aunt. “You…” he whispered, “you're not real.”

Kaéde frowned before drawing back a long, black sleeve and stepping forward to make up the distance InuYasha had put between them. She outstretched her hand with a fairly solemn visage. “Take my hand InuYasha,” she said gently. “Touch me, know that I am real.”

InuYasha shook his head. “No.”

And then another voice was heard. The sound of it made his heart stop even more so than with Kaéde — whom he still did not believe was real.

“Kaéde, did you find her? I am going to kill Sesshoumaru when I see him. Is Kagome alright —?”

Long brown hair swished out of the thicket and even though Sango had finished speaking, it was as though she had been cut off as she too, stared at the Canan.

The silence was even thicker than before. The silent whisper of the wind lifted the hair of all four occupants, no one knowing quite what to say. Max simply looked at each person in turn, not knowing why they were all simply staring at each other.

InuYasha' face was now impassive, but his eyes screamed of immense overload of emotions. He now knew for a fact that this was a dream. What were the odds of them both finding them here? Hell, what were the odds that they were still alive? He knew the answer perfectly and he repeated it over and over in his head like a sacred mantra.

Impossible!

The old woman stepped closer. “You've been greatly missed at home, InuYasha,” she said in the same gentle tone as before. “Even now, after all these years have passed people still grieve over your loss. Some” — she gestured towards the immobile Sango — “more than others.”

InuYasha said nothing, only stared. His fists were clenched and his chest heaved with ragged breaths. How was it that he could kill anything with just a flick of his claws, how could he not flinch in the face of death itself but the mere sight of the reminders of his past life was enough to bring him to his knees? Fleetingly, he wondered how he was still standing.

“Some have cursed and damned you,” Kaéde continued, “but most have honored your memory like they would a hero.”

He knew this was a dream, knew that it couldn't be real but he couldn't help himself. He had to ask.

“My family?” he croaked. “My father? Evelynn? Are they —?”

Kaéde nodded. “Your father and sister are living safely within the walls of Exitrius, just as you left them. Your mother…” The old woman trailed off.

InuYasha shook his head. “No… that's… impossible. I saw the city… it was burning.”

His voice was getting louder. The emotions were starting to take hold and his body shook with violent passion threatening to blow with every sound uttered. “I saw it lying in ruins!” he screamed. “I could smell the scent of death, it was everywhere! I heard their screams; I can still hear them when I sleep, every single Goddamn night!”

Kaéde stood in her usual calm stance, listening to him scream his remorse to her, taking his anger and absorbing it. Her posture gave her more height than she really had. The walking stick wasn't leaned upon like a support, but was a symbol of power and wisdom. He felt unjustified rage welling up inside of him at the sight of such a posture, one that he remembered so well. His anger got him nowhere as she stood there and listened calmly; taking the violent tirade and returning it with only peace. How could he keep yelling if she did nothing to react to him?

His mind was running out of explanations and it angered InuYasha even more. If this was real… if this wasn't a dream… then he had abandoned them in an even worse way than he thought he had already done.

“Yes,” said Kaéde coolly, “the city was burning on that tragic night and it did sustain heavy damages. But the funny thing about fire, InuYasha, is that it can be put out. Even more curious still, buildings can be repaired rather easily. The city has been fully restored and is exactly the same as you remember.”

But InuYasha wasn't shaken from his resolution of denial, he couldn't accept it, he had walked away far too long ago to try and get it back.

“I saw the bodies lying in the roads, I smelled death in the air, they overran the city and I know that… I know that, dammit! How could you —?”

But he didn't have a chance to finish. His speech was cutoff quite abruptly by a fist planted hard against his jaw. He fell to the ground in his surprise and felt body on top of him as his jaw throbbed in pain.

“How could we?” Sango hissed before aiming another punch at his face, ignoring Kagome's gasp and Kaéde's protests. “How could you?”

InuYasha could do nothing but stare at her. Each punch that landed on him was just another blow to his already guilty conscious. He deserved it after all, didn't he?

The girl that he had saved was pleading for Sango to stop. “He saved my life, Sango! Please stop it!” Kaéde was trying to pull Sango off of him as she scorned, “Now really!” But Sango threw the old woman off and continued her beating.

“How could you leave us when we needed you the most? You were like a brother to me!” She was crying now. The tears slid off of her face as she sunk her fist into his stomach, pain and hurt evident in her eyes as she choked back the sobs. “Do you have any idea how much I cried? Do you know what it's like to lose two brothers at once? DO YOU?!”

At this, InuYasha knew he could have argued, but he didn't. She had stayed and endured the pain, whereas he had run away. Even though it was too painful to admit, he knew that she was right. Her question echoed in his head again and again in tempo with each battering blow to his body.

How could he?

And suddenly the blows stopped. InuYasha tried to sit up but was stopped by an almost violent embrace from Sango. He felt the tears from her eyes hit the crook of his neck and he found that the blows of salty water against his skin hurt far worse than any blow from her fist.

“Why?” she sobbed. “I thought you were dead; why did you leave?”

InuYasha squeezed her shoulder gently and Sango's gaze rose to meet his. It was then, that he knew this was not a dream. As hard and traumatic as it was to accept, he owed it to her and Kaéde to acknowledge their presence as real. He owed them that at the very least.

“I'm sorry,” he whispered. “It's just…”

He closed his eyes and thought of a way to say why he had done what he had done. But there was no excuse, no easy way out and so he sighed heavily. Everything was moving too fast and he wasn't even sure if his mind truly comprehended what was happening. If it truly had, then he was sure that he would be close to tears himself. He opened his eyes to look at the tear-stained face of one of his dearest friends.

“I deserved every blow you dealt me,” he said quietly.

And with that, he gently pushed her off of him and stood up. He looked from Kaéde, to Sango, and back, taking a deep breath.

Their alive.

Reality then, dealt its crippling blow and it nearly brought him back down to the forest floor. This… this was real. Sango, Kaéde… they were alive and according to them, so was his father and sister. How many other people had he abandoned? How many people had survived the attack? How many had died?

But the seemingly endless questions in his mind were cut short by that girl's — the one he had saved — voice.

“Excuse me?” she said shakily. “I'm… I'm sorry to interrupt but what… what's going on?”

InuYasha stared at her. What was her name again? Kagome, wasn't it? He was sure it was. He noticed, for the first time, that her scent carried a slight undertone of pollution and chemicals he could not identify. This, Kagome, was apparently from Pangaea, the modernist part of the world. With another sniff, he realized that that part of her scent was fading, the pollution and chemicals were being purified by the clean air of this world. Just how long had she been here?

“InuYasha,” said Kaéde, “is an old friend that we have dearly missed for a little over three years.”

The old woman stepped closer to him, the top of her head barely reaching his chin. “I must say,” she said, craning her neck so as to look him in the eye, “despite you living as an outlaw, you haven't changed much.”

InuYasha crossed his arms defiantly. “Keeping health is easy when you've got nearby villages to trade with. I give `em food, they give me cleaning supplies.”

“I'm sure it is,” said the old woman. “Now let us depart and make for this village, you speak of, before more Carthrids show up. I'm sure some of us are rather anxious to escape the hardships of outdoor camping.”

The old woman gestured to Kagome, who nodded vigorously. Sango wiped a few stray tears from her eyes and shook her head with consent as well and soon the three were on their way towards the campsite.

It was an awkward trek through the woods, what does one say to people you haven't seen in ten years, only to happen upon them in the forest? So far, no one quite had the guts to provide the answer.

As they drew nearer to the campsite, InuYasha caught the scent of another former accomplice. This one, however, pissed him off more than it surprised him.

An audible growl echoed within the confinements of his chest. “You didn't tell me that he was here,” he said irately to the old woman.

“You didn't ask,” she replied.

And then, InuYasha caught the smell of fresh cleansing herbs intertwined with his scent. The growl erupted louder and his fists clenched as he stole a quick glance at Kagome, remembering how she had nearly died. He came to a sudden realization.

You have GOT to be kidding me.

He rushed into the clearing, trying to ignore the sickening smell of blood, with his claws ready for a fight. He quickly spotted him, lifting a carcass and throwing it towards the small pile he had created.

“Fine time to take a bath, dipshit!” he yelled.

Sesshoumaru didn't show any surprise or even special attention towards his childhood rival. He merely picking up the next body and threw it onto the growing pile of corpses. “Hello to you too, InuYasha,” he said dryly.

Kaéde stepped forward, looking around the clearing quickly. “I see that you killed the unconscious one, Sesshoumaru,” she said, obviously trying to divert the conversation.

Sesshoumaru nodded but InuYasha was having none of it. He pushed past the old woman and drew close to the regal Canan, standing almost nose to nose.

“Forget that,” he snapped, his silver eyes reflected not anger but rather extreme annoyance. He jabbed a clawed finger roughly against his chest, punctuating every word with a persuasive poke. “I want to know what hell you were doing taking a bath!”

He was a bit shorter than Sesshoumaru, but much more muscular and so he tensed his body, trying to make up for his height disadvantage by playing up his robustness. Sesshoumaru didn't seem to be intimidated by his showcase of strength.

“I suspected that three years as an outcast would render you uninformed, not unintelligent, InuYasha. Have the forests of the world rendered you so dense that you forget what a bath is for?” He sniffed the air only to wrinkle it in disgust. “Judging by your scent I would say exactly that.”

InuYasha glared. “Stop trying to change the subject you narcissistic bastard! Just because you —”

He was cut-off by a sharp blow to the head via Kaéde's walking stick. He was about to complain until the old woman turned and wiped a rather smug look off of Sesshoumaru's face with the same treatment.

“Cease this nonsense!” she snapped. “As you two bicker amongst yourselves like children, a whole legion of Carthrids could be on their way to kill us all!”

“Oh, man,” came Sango's voice. “It was just starting to get interesting too!”

InuYasha turned around to look at his old friend and was relieved to find that she wasn't crying anymore. The playful grin that he remembered so well played at the corner of her lips and he couldn't help but grin himself, the annoyance he felt towards Sesshoumaru dissipating. Things were going to be okay between them, he sensed.

His peripheral vision caught sight of that girl, Kagome. He frowned, not from anger or disappointment but from confusion.

This girl had something strange about her. Her scent told him that she was from the modernist world, and yet he sensed something great within her. It wasn't her scent, or the way she stood, or even the fact that she was strikingly beautiful — he tried to ignore that thought — that made him think this. It was just a gut feeling he had, an instinctual sway of attention that screamed to him that this was no ordinary modernist, no ordinary Human.

Kaéde walked over to the horses that looked a bit shaken by the sequence of events so far. She started to untie them. “We must seek refuge, in the nearby village that InuYasha spoke of.” She turned to InuYasha. “You will lead us there, will you not?”

InuYasha hurriedly snapped his attention away from the girls. He snorted.

“Course I will,” he said. He jabbed a thumb at his rival, who was still slightly startled by Kaéde's assault to the back of his head. “I just don't want this pompous ass over here to get cold feet if we run into any trouble, God forbid he gets dirty.”

Sesshoumaru narrowed his green eyes, but otherwise ignored his taunt.

The horses were easily untied save for when the wolf got bored and decided to take a playful snip at one of their hooves. When everyone was on their horses except for InuYasha, he shook his head.

“No,” he said forcefully. “No way, I am not riding with him!” he gestured towards Sesshoumaru who stared indifferently back at him.

“The feeling is mutual.”

Kaéde groaned. “Fine, I don't have time for this! Sango, you ride with Sesshoumaru. InuYasha, you go with Kagome.” The old woman trotted off into the woods, apparently tired of all the bickering.

The seating changed and InuYasha looked down at the only person left on the ground. He reached out a hand. “Well?” he said expectantly.

Kagome seemingly snapped out of thought and looked at the outstretched hand in front of her blankly.

“It's just a hand,” said InuYasha. “It ain't gonna bite ya.”

For the first time, she looked at him without being flustered. “I know that, idiot. Can't you give a girl time to think after she almost died for the second time?”

InuYasha slightly recoiled and was taken aback. Until now, he had thought that she was the kind of girl who went a bit loopy after seeing violence or almost dying but this certainly made him reconsider. She was a lot tougher than he had previously thought.

Kagome grasped his hand and straddled the horse with a bit of difficulty. It was obvious that she didn't have much experience with horses. His eyes suddenly widened when his nose took in the smell of her hair. Being situated directly in front of him, his nose nearly touched the sweet smelling tresses. There was a hint of sweat and grime within but it wasn't enough to deter him away from the enticing fragrance of the thick, brown locks.

Her head turned to look at him and he found himself swimming in what seemed to be the ocean itself. “Hey, are we going or not?” she said, “Sango and Sesshoumaru already left.”

InuYasha widened his eyes and peered around the clearing. Sure enough, the only living thing left was that wolf that seemed to follow this girl everywhere.

He tried to play off his lack of attention with a grunt of denial and rapped the reins against the back of the horse, urging it to move. They set off after Kaéde, Sesshoumaru and Sango, the wolf trailing beside them as they worked their way through the dense wood.

InuYasha cast a wary eyeover the over the wolf that trotted along beside them. “This thing sure does like you,” he said.

She only nodded.

He shrugged indifferently. “Whatever,” he said, “as long as he doesn't cause trouble.”

This time, the young girl laughed out loud. “That probably depends on what you would consider trouble,” she said.

InuYasha nodded, only half-acknowledging what she said, the other half of him was listening to her laugh… She had a nice laugh.

~=~*~=~=~*~=~=~*~=~=~*~=~=~*~=~=~*~=~=~*~=~=~*~=~=~*~=~=~*~=~

Author's Notes

Again, I managed to screw up by being such a damn procrastinator. But this time I swear that damn writers block came back with a veangence.

So here we are, InuYasha and Kagome hit it off and as for Sesshoumaru… well not so much. Lol.

I must say I was surprised with how many people emailed and commented me, BEGGING to not let anything happen to Max. Hmmmm. I might consider your offer if I think the amount of reviews is mandatory.

LOL… I'm just kidding. Max is gonna be fine… for now.

And if your wondering what DAO swords are, they look like this… http://www.home.no/kennito/swordforum/niuwei02.jpg

Next chapter, Naraku and Rin make their entry.

NEXT CHAPTER: Embracing the Unembraceable

When all that was left but the broken…

Acknowledgements

~chanda~kokoronagomu~Liesie~Stinkypinker~Haksi~inu-babe~la dydeath31178~pokiepal~ ThisIsMeSmiling~Darago~Cowgirl 101~etherium~cyberlily~raiseyoureyes~ani_unfiltered

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