InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ How Do We Learn to Love the Ones We Hate? ❯ What Do You Mean ‘No’? ( Chapter 20 )

Disclaimer: I own absolutely no characters created by Rumiko Takahashi; as much as I wish I was brilliant enough to come up with these characters, but I did not. This goes for everything but the ideas. A lot are spin-offs of different ideas in the story, but others are completely off the charts for weirdness and/or are not related to Takahashi's work at all.

 

What Do You Mean `No'?

 

Miroku removed his hand the second she had stopped screaming and looked at it, in a painful way that made Sango really worry. “That was my wind tunnel.” He said quietly. “It's a passage way to a fourth dimension, where nothing can return, or survive, once sucked there. It was give to my grandfather by Naraku, an was passed to my father, and now to me.”

 

“Naraku?! Why didn't you get rid of him earlier?!”

 

“When Kikyo kidnapped us. Kikyo knew just a little too much about it, and when I questioned her about it, she revealed that her father was the one who cursed my family. It really is a curse, it is directly connected to me, if it's fire, it will burn me to death, if it's poison, I'll most likely be poisoned to death if the poison is strong enough.”

 

“Directly connected?” Sango repeated, looking around as Ginkotsu's clanking grew closer.

 

“It killed my grandfather,” Miroku continued, “and father by sucking them into their own wind tunnel when it grew to big, and broke free of their hands. It will take me next, that's why I asked you to bear my child when I first met you. If I am killed before I can kill Naraku, then my son can continue the battle.”

 

“Don't say that!” Sango wailed, clutching his shocked shoulders.

 

“We will kill him, because if you can't, then I will die with you to save Kohaku!” she yelled, leaving no room for negotiation.

 

That's right, her brother. Miroku thought grimly. “Then we must kill him, because I cannot let you die.” He old her firmly, grasping the hand on his shoulder.

 

“Monk…” Sango said quietly, mostly in shock.

 

“Look out!” he yelled suddenly, throwing her back out of the way before ripping open his wind tunnel again. He managed to drag the cannonballs into the wind tunnel before closing it again. Sango prepared her boomerang bone as Ginkotsu smashed through the trees.

 

“Let me finish him!” Miroku called. “Wind tunnel!” he yelled again, tearing off the beads around the cloth.

 

Ginkotsu released a few more arms from beneath metal plates of armor and lodged them in the ground, but the wind was going to be too strong.

 

Sango almost cried in happiness. This monster was one step closer to killing Naraku.

 

“GGH, HEH, HEH!” Ginkotsu laughed suddenly, firing something red, and fiery hot, with smoke that made it almost impossible for Sango to see.

 

Poisoned fire! She realized in horror. He heard Miroku saying his weaknesses and… oh no.

 

“Monk! Close your wind tunnel!” she screamed, but he was unable to hear her over the roar of the cannons and the wind tunnel, and was unable to see the fire because of the endless wall of trees being sucked into his hand that were creating a barrier for Ginkotsu.

 

“MIROKU!” she screamed, lunging for him.

 

Sango gasped, skidding to a stop as something flew out of the trees and smashed directly into Miroku, knocking him out of the way milliseconds before he was going to be burnt to nothing but a black and toxic hunk of carbon. She allowed herself to breath, and forced the hand shaking on her Hiraikotsu to stop trembling before looking over to see just what had hit the monk.

 

Half of a body.

 

“Ha!” Koga laughed, leaping out of the trees next, bound head to toe in iron cords. “Your snake-sword could never hope to match my speed, you stupid human---whoops!” he leapt into the air, sailing over the stream of fire that had been aimed for his back until it dispersed, and landed on the charred ground, whirling to laugh at his opponent.

 

“You thought that weak fire could stop me?” he laughed. “You can't even come close to hitting me.”

 

Sango choked out a gargled sound before stumbling over to Miroku, taking care to avoid the line of fire Koga was in.

 

“GRRHHH!” Ginkotsu aimed his cannons at Koga's back and firing. Koga laughed, leaping over the twin cannonballs as they smashed through the trees.

 

Sango swallowed and lifted the still-remaining half of what used to be Jakotsu off of Miroku before kneeling beside him. “Monk?” she whispered cautiously.

 

He groaned, trying to lift his head. Halfway up, his muscles gave out and he flopped back to the ground.

 

“What…?” he asked weakly.

 

“Koga knocked one of the band of seven into you.” She whispered, her hands fluttering over him, trying to decide what she should do.

 

A blood curtling scream shattered the night air, and all movement ceased for a miniscule second.

 

Rin! Sango gasped, her hand moving to smother her mouth.

 

“We need to get you back to the castle!” Sango whirled back to Miroku, her hands wedging themselves under his arms and hoisting him up.

 

“No point.” Miroku laughed weakly.

 

“What do you mean?!” Sango shrieked, shaking him roughly. “Don't talk like that! You're going to be fine!”

 

Miroku shook his head and held up his hand, where a sickening burn mark traced up his flesh to his elbow. “I didn't close it in time.”

 

“N-No! There must be an antidote!” she floundered, pulling him onto her back.

 

“Don't waist your strength Lady Sango.” He smiled. “I'm not worth it.”

 

“I told you to stop talking like that!” Sango barked, yanking him farther onto her back.

 

Meanwhile

 

“Oh my!” Kasumi gasped as Ayame dragged Rin into the palace (or what was left of it) and Kagome pulled Shippo in behind them.

 

Rin cried out again, her claws accidentally tearing through Ayame's flesh as they flew to her stomach.

 

“It's the baby!” Kagome cried. “And Shippo's really bad, someone get me some blankets!” she screamed frantically.

 

“Rin, come on,” Ayame pulled her forward, “we need to get you to a bed, someone get some hot water and cloths, and a knife just incase we need to take it out!”

 

“No!” Rin gasped, shaking her head. “No, I'm not doing this!”

 

“Too late Rin, the baby is coming!” Ayame pulled her harshly towards her room.

 

“NO!” Rin barked, her breath escaping her lungs in a painful-sounding rush. “There will be no birth, there will be no baby! I. Am. Not. Doing. This.” She growled, her fangs poking out over her lips.

 

“What do you mean `no'?!” Ayame barked in Rin's ear.

 

“Rin---” Kagome began, passing Shippo off to Ranma and Ryoga as Mousse tried to carry a flower pot into the kitchen.

 

“I can't do this without him.” Rin pleaded, tears nearly brimming over her red eyes as she looked up at Kagome. “He's my fiancé, you of all people should know how I feel!” she begged.

 

“I can't.” she repeated, shaking her head, her neck going limp as her head dipped down. “Not without him. I need to know if he's ok before I do this.” She whispered.

 

Kagome opened and closed her mouth futilely, looking back over at Shippo. The huge gashes, the huge loss of blood, the broken bones, the unconsciousness, the stakes were so high…

 

She turned to Rin and nodded firmly. “Fine.” She whispered.

 

Beside her, Ayame's looked like she was about to kill Kagome for agreeing.

 

Meanwhile, Elsewhere

 

Inuyasha jumped over Bankotsu's enormous halberd, taking a swing at his head before leaping back.

 

“You know…” Bankotsu mused, “Kagome's got a nice face, don't you think?”

 

Inuyasha snarled, holding up the Tetsusaiga in a threat for Bankotsu to shut up.

 

“And a nice body, I should know.”

 

“Shut up.” Inuyasha warned through his teeth.

 

“It's too bad the real Kagome was in some other world instead of with me, but Fukuhon is very good at mimicking appearances, so I knew what you would have had to look forward to after a wedding.”

 

“Shut up!” Inuyasha lunged, his sword crashing against Banryu in a shower of sparks.

 

“Want to make a bet?” Bankotsu offered suddenly.

 

“The winner—and survivor—of this fight will take Kagome.” He smiled sinisterly.

 

“What?” Inuyasha barked, landing and slashing again, a blow that was easily blocked by Bankotsu. “She'd never go over to you!”

 

“Nothing a little hypnotizing can't help with.” Bankotsu shrugged, hefting Banryu over his shoulder. “My mother specializes in it. She'll wipe you from Kagome's mind and replace you with me, all without breaking a sweat.”

 

“No fucking way.” Inuyasha growled, spreading his feet into a fighting stance.

 

“It doesn't matter anyway, if I win, and you die, consequently my mother will do it anyway.”

 

“Then shut up and fight!” Inuyasha shot forward, and Bankotsu brought Banryu in front of him.

 

“Bring it on!” he yelled, charging Inuyasha.

 

Meanwhile, Back at the Castle

 

“He's really bad!” Ukyo yelled, her hands fluttering uselessly over Shippo's unconscious and slashed up form on the kitchen table. This demon was straight from a horror movie. “And I don't know what to do! I've never done medical stuff before.”

 

“Stupid spatula-girl move!” Shampoo shoved her out of the way. “Shampoo can help more than you ever could!”

 

“That would make a cat laugh!” Ukyo elbowed her harshly back.

 

“STOP FIGHTING OVER HIM!” Kagome screamed in their ears, loud enough for everyone in the castle to hear. “He's dying from loss of blood while you two idiots fight over him like vultures!! Rin is about to die along with her baby in the next room, and if he dies, it's your head!” she shrieked, brandishing her finger hugely at the door. “Just try me and see if I'm kidding, I'm taking after my mother here, who threatened to kill one of my best friends, and my longest standing friend that's still alive! Her threat was nowhere near just an empty threat, and I dare you to test me and see if mine is! I don't know either of you, and when I become queen, execution decisions will be part of my job, so this could be extra practice, because I wont have any regrets, because I don't know you!!” she screeched before storming out of the door, slamming it so hard the table shook.

 

Ukyo and Shampoo glanced at each other once before lunging for Shippo, using the sewing needles Kasumi had brought them to start to stitch up his wounds.

 

At the Front of the Castle

 

Sango stumbled breathlessly through the door, Miroku draped over her back.

 

“I need help!” she screamed.

 

“Sango?” Ayame came racing around the corner; she paused before taking Miroku from her friend.

 

“Wait here.” She ordered her friend, dashing off down the hallway.

 

Sango tried to keep her breathing even, but it wasn't much use. Trying was taking up too much of her energy. Her vision went blurry and she dropped to her knees, her arms trembling as they held her up off the ground.

 

What is this? It hurts, like how finding out that Kohaku could be killed was painful. Miroku… damn it! If I'd seen that coming from the trees, if I'd just paid more attention…

 

It's tight in my chest, it's hard to breathe.

 

Why? Why is it so hard? If I can't even protect the monk from getting hurt, then how am I going to save Kohaku?

 

Why… does it hurt so much?

 

She bit her lip, trying to ignore the liquid diamonds that sprinkled the stone floor beneath her eyes.

 

Kohaku, how can I help you?

 

Meanwhile, in a Far Off Mountain

 

Kohaku looked up in surprise, he was positive he'd heard Sango's voice.

 

“What is it?” a figure asked from the shadows. It was a small, but firm voice, the voice of a child, but still deadly and sinister.

 

Kohaku shook his head, and looked back out over the mountain from the balcony he was chained to.

 

“Hakudoshi.”

 

Said boy turned to the new voice, even smaller than his and a girl, completely white except her midnight eyes stepped into the house, a small baby in her arms.

 

“Father, he wants you to see him.” Kanna whispered, her eyes looking at nothing in particular.

 

Hakudoshi nodded before looking back to Kohaku. “Call someone to watch him.” he ordered.

 

“Kagura?” Kanna asked quietly.

 

Hakudoshi paused. “No, call Uncle Muso. And find Juromaru and Kageromaru for me, they're going to be happy with what I have to tell them.” He smirked and continued towards the door.

 

“Hakudoshi.”

 

He looked back over his shoulder at her, his hand on the doorframe. She was holding her mirror in one hand, the baby balanced in the other as the mirror glowed.

 

“This is who father wants you to fight.” She murmured, and Inuyasha faded into view, covered in blood, and facing off with Bankotsu.

 

“…Father doesn't think Bankotsu will be able to handle him, huh?” Hakudoshi chuckled, Kanna shook her head slowly.

 

Kohaku's brow furrowed. They aren't even worried about their own family? They're monsters! He's suspecting his brother will die and he's only looking forward to a fight… Sango, be careful.