InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Freak Out ❯ Relcamation ( Chapter 4 )

 

Chapter 4: Reclamation

Setsuna felt shivers go down his spine as he looked at Kane. He felt uneasy, unsure if he should try to defend himself or attack. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke up. "Kane-Sakura, I know you're in there! Wake up before he takes total control!"

Her mouth smirked. "Silly cat; I've already gained full dominance, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!"

"Kane, I recommend you take over now!" Setsuna took his battle stance reluctantly. "I don't want to fight you."

She held Teretsu out to her side and dropped it. "I'll make it fair for you; no swords, just our bare hands." She smiled. "Though either way, you're going to die."

`Damn Nigiyaka to hell! I'll find a way to bring Kane back!' His eyes narrowed. `There's just gotta be a way!'

Noticing his off-guard position, she attacked before he could react. Charging forward, she tried to sharpen her claws on him like he was a scratching post, but he managed to dodge it at the last second. "Whoa!" He yelled, springing back.

"Hold still and you won't die so painfully!" Nigiyaka shouted through Kane's mouth.

He whipped around and grabbed hold of Kane's wrist when she lashed out again at him. Pulling her into his chest, he embraced her. "Break free of this demon, Kane! I know you can do it; you're not a weakling!"

"My control over her is eternal! Nothing can disintegrate my stronghold!" She swiped at his chest by spreading her arms out like an eagle with her claws outstretched at him. His clothing tattered and fell away, revealing his broad chest and shoulders; along with ten neatly cut incisions on his torso. Setsuna winced and knelt onto the ground.

`I have no choice but to fight her; there's no other way.' He closed his eyes in self-defeat. `I'm sorry, Kane-Sakura.' When he reopened his eyes, they were the color of fire; red hinted with flecks of yellow and orange. And then he charged.

***

"Mika! Mika, open your eyes!" The echoing continued in the wolf demoness's dreams. When she realized she was sleeping, she became aware of her well-being and pain on her shoulder and head. Squeezing her eyes before opening them, she saw Yuki and Michi once she had cleared her vision. "She's alive!" Michi squealed excitedly.

`There are two of them now? Oh man, I think I'm gonna be sick…' She rolled onto her side, away from the girls and hurled up her supper from the night before.

"Eww…Mika that's gross." Michi stated.

"Well sorry," Mika dry heaved before finishing her statement. "…like I could control it." She sat up and held her head. "What happened to us?"

"Thanks to you, Michi and I don't really have any substantial injuries. Luckily, all you really got was a concussion and a dislocated shoulder." Yuki commented.

"No wonder my shoulder's killing me." Mika rubbed it with her good arm, then decided against it when it still hurt like hell.

"Don't move it Mika! We haven't assessed it yet!" Michi pleaded. "It's still dislocated."

"Oh great." Mika stated, feeling nauseous again from her concussion. She lay back down and closed her eyes, willing the pain to subside and nausea to diminish. "So what do you have to do in order to fix it?"

Yuki gulped. "Pull on it until we feel the joint go back into the socket."

Mika grabbed her leather pouch and put it in her mouth. "Go aheah." She stated though the pouch. "His will keeph me frohm sscreaming."

Michi sat on top of Mika's chest as Yuki pulled with all her might on her left arm. Mika bit into the pouch so hard, her fang pierced it, and then she heard the snap! of getting her ball back into the socket. She screamed out bloody murder and let go of the pouch.

"Done." Yuki stated. "After a few hours, you should be able to move it freely without much trouble." Rubbing her ears, she added, "By that time, I'm sure we'll be able to hear again too."

Mika heaved into the brown grass and collapsed onto her stomach. "Where's everybody else?"

"Ori and Nakura are lying over there." Yuki pointed to them as they slept. "They're the worst out of all of us."

"How so?"

"Ori's been poisoned and Nakura's lost almost all of his strength." Michi stated sadly.

"How was he poisoned?" Mika finally sat up again.

Yuki stood and motioned for Myrako to join in the conversation. "Kane, her claws must've contained a lethal poison. That's the only thing we can think of."

"He's burning with a fever and his wound is bubbling with green puss. We're not sure how much longer…he'll…" Michi cut off and started crying.

Mika frowned. "And Setsuna?"

"Not here. He's probably still with Kane-Sakura. I imagine he's battling her right now." Yuki rubbed Michi's back for comfort and reassurance. "We still need to find her."

Mika nodded. "We'll leave Nakura and Ori here since they'd only slow us down. Have Myrako stay here."

Yuki nodded and took the young girl aside to instruct her on bandage care.

"Aren't you worried about Nakura? I thought…" BASH!! "Itai! What the hell was that for?!" Michi stated, rubbing the lump on her head.

Mika stood. "You should learn when to shut up!"

"I'm all set to go." Yuki stated. "Even though we need to find Kane and Setsuna with the utmost urgency, I think we should take it slow."

"You're right." Mika stated, leaning against Michi momentarily. "My head still hurts and my shoulder is killing me."

"There's no time to waste! Let's go!" Michi stated as the injured little group started towards the east.

***

He stumbled back, deep crimson blood dripping from his bare arm. `I can't take much more of this.' The white-haired Neko thought while a drop of warm blood trickled down his temple from his head wound. He was bleeding everywhere and he was running out of strength.

Kane, on the other hand, hadn't been touched. Her stoic face revealed no intent on stopping and still held the desire to kill as when they had first started. "Had enough yet, Setsuna?"

He cringed at her monotonous tone. `It's hopeless; she's been completely taken over.' He fell to his knees.

She laughed evilly. "How does it feel, knowing that soon you will be killed by your own true love's hands?"

Setsuna gripped his newly acquired pendant as he hid his eyes behind his bangs. `Kane, I'm sorry I couldn't…'

Suddenly, her eyes flashed with hidden emotion. "Set…su…na…"She managed to stutter.

His head snapped up as she started shuddering, her hands slowly moving to embrace herself. "Kane, is that…?"

"Run…away!" She slowly fought to the surface of her mind. "Nigi…yaka…is…"

"Iie! I can't leave you!" He got up and limped over to her. As she crouched, he put his hands on her shoulders and sat in front of her. "Fight it Kane!"

"I…can't hold…it…" Her eyes were brimming with tears as she spoke. "All…strength…is being…used…now!" The blank stare flashed briefly in her eyes, telling him that she couldn't hold on much longer.

From within Kane's mind, a demanding voice spoke out. `Give yourself up. You can't win.'

`I must win! Setsuna needs me to stay here!' Kane reasoned in her head, but Nigiyaka was too strong.

"Don't give in! Kane, I beg of you, just keep trying!" He shook her slightly, his own tears welling in his eyes.

She went slack; her shoulders hunched over and she relaxed against his touch. Her head lifted to reveal her once again stoic face with tears sitting unshed on her eyelashes, making them glimmer in the dim sunlight. `Damn! I've lost my control again! Setsuna, please run away!' Her mouth smiled. "Fool, you'll pay dearly for that little bit of control." Kane's talons elongated as she thrust them forward into Setsuna's abdomen.

He pulled away, holding the place she'd stabbed him. "Kane, I know you're still in there." Setsuna said sadly. "Please, don't let yourself go so easily."

"I'm no longer Kane-Sakura," Nigiyaka looked through Kane's glazed over orbs and grabbed Teretsu again. "And I'm through playing fair."

`Run away!'

"Your time as my play thing is over." Kane brought her sword up over her head in preparation to do her Kireinagare.

`Run away, Setsuna!'

"Say good-bye to your beloved!" Then, in one fluid motion, she brought Teretsu down and cut into the ground. White flames raced after Setsuna as he kneeled on the ground.

`RUN!!'

He didn't escape; instead he remained in his position and accepted the attack head on, with pride. The deadened trees fell around him as he was cut and slashed by the sharp river of diamonds.

At that same moment, Nigiyaka let go of his spell on Kane and her eyes returned to normal. She dropped her sword, shaking in fear as the dust cleared to reveal Setsuna's mangled body beneath a tree. "Se-Setsuna?" She whispered. She looked at her claws that were covered in his blood, then at her untransformed sword. She looked at him again and shakily walked over to him.

Her breathing was uneven and her eyes stung as she started to cry. "No, no, no! Setsuna, please open your eyes!" She sobbed as she dropped to her knees and crawled the rest of the way over to him. Lying on her stomach beside him, she wiped some of the blood from his head wound with her kimono sleeve. "Please, don't leave me here!" She let the torrent of tears free. "Setsuna, wake up! Say something! Just don't die on me! You're stronger than that, I know you are!"

A man approached from the brush. "Kane-Sakura, what is this that you have done?" Koya asked.

"It's not my fault," She said in a raspy voice. "Nigiyaka took control of me and…"

"You let him get the better of you. It's your fault you fell for his tricks and allowed him to give you your blood back." He walked behind her, a bow and arrow drawn on her. "The only way to get rid of his curse is to kill you, so now…"

Weakened and in a state of utter shock, Kane couldn't fight back as Nigiyaka took over again. Her eyes glazed over and she slowly stood. "I'm not through with my host though." She replied unvaryingly. Kane suddenly whirled around at the speed of lightning and did a flip over Koya. He shot his arrow at her, but missed on account of her agility. She picked up her sword once again, letting it transform.

Koya grimaced when he realized the truth. "So, that was your intent; to give her freedom enough to mourn over my younger brother's death and then kill everything else through her?"

She smirked. "I had to let her suffer enough so I wouldn't have a struggle with her mind like before. She's too weak to stave me off now and feels utterly alone because her friends and lover are dead."

"You bastard! Seize your control over her now! You've got your freedom, now free her!" Koya ordered.

"I can't do that; she's all mine now!" She raised her sword for another attack, but a voice stopped her.

"Kane, please. I know…you're in there; I just heard your real voice."

`Setsuna.' Even though she was under Nigiyaka's control, tears flowed from her eyes freely at the sound of his voice. Turning harshly, she faced him with shimmering eyes.

He pushed the tree off of his lower half with his good arm. "Listen to me. Try to get control again." He winced as he stood.

"You; how did you survive that blast?" Kane's unchanging voice asked as more tears fell down her cheeks and her eyes narrowed in anger.

Setsuna smiled. "I have a strong will to live." He started explaining. "You see, I told myself that I'd only die protecting Kane, and dying fighting her was never an option. I can't allow her to stay this way."

Koya redrew his bow and arrow. "It's too late for her, Setsuna. Now she must…"

Setsuna glared at his brother. "I won't let you hurt her!"

Within Kane's mind, a battle for control ensued. `Give me back my body!' Kane yelled in her mind. In reaction, her eyes widened suddenly and she shuddered. Her hands went to cover her dog-ears from the noise within her head and she crouched onto the forest floor. "Shut up you stupid…hanyou!"

The cat demons looked over at her. "I will…not…I want…my body…no…you can't! Damn…wench…shut up…you…bastard!" She appeared to be having an argument with herself when she was really trying to win back her freedom.

"She's fighting it!" Setsuna limped over to her and then embraced her as she continued to argue with herself. "Push him away from you! Get yourself back!"

"Set…suna…stupid…cat…he's not…stupid…I'll de…story…that's what…you…I will…win!" Setsuna was pushed away from Kane as she stood. Her ears were flat against her head as she took one shaky hand and started to cut off her own air supply by squeezing her neck with her hand. "Give…up now…never…I'd rather…good, I'll…do…it for…in your…dreams!" Her claws dug into her throat and she screamed like a dog in agony.

"Oh Kami, Kane!" Setsuna exclaimed, trying to get up. But Koya held him back with his foot.

"There's nothing you can do to help; it's all up to her and how badly she wishes to have her body back." Koya said softly.

`I must overcome Nigiyaka's spell!' Kane struggled to pull her hand away with her other hand. Soon, she gained control back of her other hand and pulled it away from her throat. `I...did it…' She thought happily. She looked over at Setsuna with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face. She then closed her eyes and collapsed onto the ground from fatigue.

"Kane…" Setsuna thrust his brother's foot out of his way and crawled over to Kane's still body. His hand touched her face gently and he moved some stray hairs from her forehead. "Kane, are you okay?"

Koya approached him. "She may be free for now, but Nigiyaka still has…"

"Shut up, Koya; just shut the hell up!" Setsuna implied harshly. "She's already been though enough today and I don't need her to hear your bull shit."

Koya was unhurt by his younger brother's remarks. "I recommend you destroy Nigiyaka while his hold on her is weak. If you truly love her, you'll do that and get her back full control." Koya started walking away.

"And how do I do that?" Setsuna asked sadly. "How do I kill him while Kane's still got full use of her body?"

"Only she can destroy this horrible monster." His older brother answered. "Once she awakes, Nigiyaka may be able to take control again. Suppressing it might be easier, but she will weaken as time goes on. This was the exact reason Nigiyaka had to be sealed in that tree."

"What didn't that priestess have that Kane does? She's only a hanyou as am I." Setsuna said, picking up Kane's limp body.

He smiled. "She doesn't know it, but your hanyou maiden carries a special kind of power that will be awakened over time." Koya paused. "The legend goes on to say that should this hanyou maiden come to be, she will defeat him with the voice of ancient time's old song. If she is truly meant to defeat him, the song will suddenly appear before her eyes like a vision and she'll sing it without fear."

"How do you know she carries this power?" Setsuna asked.

"Her voice is light and carries power, even inside her mind. That was how she overcame her opponent." He turned back towards Setsuna.

"I see." Setsuna had noticed that when she sang, he often felt entranced by her voice. `Perhaps he's right.'

"When the time comes, her voice will find the legendary song of old and when she sings the first note, Nigiyaka won't have a chance."

"So it's all up to her?"

"Others may help her get there and try to weaken him, but it is, in the end, her responsibility."

Setsuna still felt unsure. "What should I tell her?"

"Tell her nothing!" Koya exclaimed suddenly. "If you hint towards her that her voice is the key, Nigiyaka will take her over again to keep her from singing!"

"Then how will she know?!"

Koya frowned. "The legend never said how she'll know; it just said that she'll know when the time is right." He began to walk away from them. "I recommend you get going as soon as possible. Nigiyaka only grows stronger as the forest dies."

Setsuna looked on as he left, and then glanced down at Kane. Her brow was sweaty from her body's hard work of trying to destroy him and getting control back. He saw the wound on her neck she had self-inflicted, but it had already clotted and seemed to be getting better. Her breathing was even, but when he placed his hand over her chest, he found her heart weak. "Come on Kane, you need to wake up." Her ears twitched in response to his voice, but her eyes remained closed. "I know you're in there, please open your eyes."

She groaned and turned her face towards his chest. "Setsuna?" Slowly, she opened her eyes and gazed up at him weakly. She smiled slightly, saying, "I did it."

He shook his head. "No, he's still got a hold on you; he's just not using it right now."

She frowned, touching her neck with her right hand. "I thought I'd defeated him." She winced when her finger ran over a puncture wound.

"Don't touch it!" He exclaimed, setting her down so he could tear off a piece of his pants to wrap around her neck. Seeing her in pain made him feel queasy; he couldn't stand it.

Kane's hand wandered to his head wound, and then traveled down to his chest, where ten scratches were neatly cut into his breasts and abs. She traced the holes where she had punctured him earlier. "I did that, didn't I?" Tears pooled in her eyes as she sat up to inspect the damage. "It was so horrible."

"Don't blame yourself…"

"Just watching myself go after everybody I loved made me tremble within my mind. And fighting back hurt so much, so much…" She sobbed, clutching his bruised and bloody torso like a needy infant. "When I'd almost gotten my body back that one time, to tell you to run, it took all of my strength to keep it." She stopped talking and just sobbed into his breast.

He didn't know what to do or say; he just sat there and hugged her as she cried. Ever so gently, he ran his fingers through her silken black hair, silently telling her it was okay. But Setsuna needed to stay on task or Nigiyaka would not only take Kane over again as time went on, but he would become too strong to defeat. "Kane, I know this sounds insensitive, but we need to get going."

She hiccupped and choked back a sob as some of the stray tears made their way down her cheeks. "What's going on?"

He swiped the tears gently away with one finger. "If we don't defeat Nigiyaka, he'll get you back. And," He stood, helping her up as he alighted himself. "The only way to break his spell is to kill him."

He was telling the truth. Already she could feel the pull of his control in her mind, but it was weak. Kane-Sakura wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and then said, "You're right. There's no time to waste." With courage, she stepped away from the setting sun, towards the east. Setsuna remained close, unsure of her.

`Let's hope she knows how to follow a gut feeling.' He then looked to the ground. `And let's pray she doesn't fall victim to that spell again. Once was enough.'

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

*Kireinagare- Replacement name for White Diamond Rainfall. I mad the mistake of not writing it down and kept the name of White Diamond Rainfall from the original transcript I've got written down on paper. It first appeared in the Chapter titled Kane-Sakura vs. Sesshomaru II. Now I have it written down and when I find the time, I'll edit all of it on a disk and replace the White Diamond Rainfall with Kireinagare.

The reason why I updated so fast was because school was cancelled today due to heavy snow fall from the storm last night. I've been typing almost non-stop for three hours and I've now completed the next chapter. Hope you enjoy this chapter!