InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Love, Interrupted ❯ Chapter 45 ( Chapter 45 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Inuyasha skidded to a halt at the sight in front of him. Corpses. Corpses were scattered throughout the field,
"This isn't from the war." commented Miroku, as Kirara landed beside Inuyasha and Kagome,
"No ... this is far too bloody for samurai." agreed Inuyasha, "And it's not just human blood ... I smell inu and wolf blood mixed in."
"Wolf?" queried Kagome, "Not Kouga?" she asked, her voice tinged with worry.
Inuyasha didn't answer. He just started walking into the battlefield,
"Hey ya mangy wolf ... you're there aren't ya?" he called out into the mass of bodies.
"It's Inuyasha!" came two voices.
"Ginta. Hakkaku. You all right." said a relieved Kagome, "Where's Kouga?"
"He's here." called Ginta, but his voice wasn't cheerful.
The group ran over to where Ginta and Hakkaku lay injured,
"Here, let me help you." offered Kagome.
"No. Help Kouga, please. He's hurt really bad." said Hakkaku.
Kagome looked around. Behind Ginta and Hakkaku lay a badly injured Kouga. Kagome gasped at the sight,
"Kouga!" she cried out, running to his side and kneeling. Inuyasha and the others joined her,
"Ka - gome." whispered Kouga, as he took her hand, "You came."
"Kouga what happened here?" asked Inuyasha, ignoring Kouga's sign of affection on his mate.
"A band of demons we didn't recognize along with some strange coyote like animals just overran the earth." rushed Ginta.
"The demons were huge and fast and totally outta control." finished Hakkaku.
"They didn't care who they slaughtered - they just killed and killed - over and over." added Ginta.
"Ryouya hasn't put up an illusion yet ... I wonder if he's going to." wondered Miroku.
"Wh - who exactly is this ... Ryouya?" stammered Kouga, "What ... does ... he want with the Northern and Eastern Lands?"
"Northern?" queried Sango, "He's attacked the northern lands as well?"
"Yes." said Ginta, "Our brethren from the north escaped down here to the east ..."
"Only to be murdered here." finished Hakkaku.
Kagome looked worriedly at Kouga, "Ayame?" she asked, afraid of the answer.
Kouga closed his eyes and shook his head, "She didn't make it." he whispered, turning his head to the side.
Kagome's eyes filled with tears, "I'm sorry, Kouga." she whispered to the wolf demon.
"Ginta. Hakkaku. You two are injured. Get on Kirara's back. Kouga, let me lift you up." offered Inuyasha.
"WHAT?" asked Kouga, in a stronger voice.
"This is no place for an injured wolf ... or injured anybody. We're taking you back to the village that we are staying at. The drunken monk ain't worth much, but he seems to have some sorta protection spell over that village." acknowledged the half-demon.
"So you noticed that, did you, Inuyasha?" asked Miroku.
"Yea, I knew something was up. That village is far too quiet ... especially being right on the border between the eastern and the western lands. Ryouya didn't attack there ... and I noticed that Sesshoumaru seemed uneasy being in the village. That's why he was always sitting on that rock right on the village's edge." agreed Inuyasha.
"So you really do have a brain, Inuyasha?" commented Shippou.
"WHY YOU!" snarled Inuyasha, earning him a warning,
"I - nu - ya - sha." from Kagome.
Inuyasha growled at Shippou, "If it weren't for this damn subjugation necklace, you'd be clobbered, Shippou."
"So you can teach an old dog new tricks." said Shippou, crossing his arms over his chest.
"SHIPPOU!" screamed Inuyasha, bonking the kitsune on the head,
"OW! KAGOME!" cried Shippou.
Kagome shook her head, "I'm sorry Shippou. I side with Inuyasha on this one. You could have left well enough alone when I scolded him the first time but, no, you had to push. Inuyasha had every right to go after you. Sorry, my friend." she smiled as Shippou grunted and grumbled his dissatisfaction at her lack of cooperation.
"There see ..." said Inuyasha, cockily.
"Don't you push too, Inuyasha!" Kagome chided him gently.
Inuyasha stared at Kagome, a look of fear on his face, before recovering and leaning down to assist the wolf, "C'mon. We're going."
"Going where, Inuyasha." came a voice from behind him.
Inuyasha turned and located the owner of the voice and growled deeply,
"Genichi." commented Kagome.
"HMPH! Growling. Just what I would expect from an ANIMAL. And you are still alive, my dear Kagome. I thought the guard killed you and your three disgusting offspring."
"Well, as you can see, she's very much alive, as well as my 'disgusting' offspring." Inuyasha snarled, "You ordered her killed, you bastard?"
"HA. No, not me, my father did. But, I can see the guard will have to pay for failing my father's direct orders!" he stated firmly, raising his sword, "Fight me, you disgusting excuse for a creature. I will kill you and that woman!"
"HOLD IT!" said Miroku, "We're all on the same side here ... our enemy is Ryouya ... the demon that did all of this. Why can't we join forces and fight this threat together?"
"I will be the one to overcome this wicked demon that has plagued our land. Not some filthy half-breed, a useless monk, a fucked up demon slayer and a priestess whore. You will bow before me ... the new daimyo of Musashi!"
"Daimyo? Your father is dead?" asked Kagome.
Genichi grew angrier, "He was murdered by the demons. I WILL AVENGE HIS DEATH .... STARTING WITH YOU PEOPLE!" he charged at Inuyasha, his blade at the ready,
"GET BACK YOU GUYS!" screamed Inuyasha, as he unsheathed Tessaiga.
The two swords clanged together and they held them there ... each pushing against the other,
"My fight ain't with you, Genichi, even though you tried to have Kagome murdered. I only want to fight Ryouya." Inuyasha told his opponent.
"Yea, well my fight is with any demon who desecrates these lands, half-breed. You shall be one of many who have died at my sword." spat Genichi, as he pulled his sword away and slashed at Inuyasha, causing Inuyasha to flip out of the way.
"DAMMIT! Don't make me fight you, Genichi!" urged Inuyasha, but his plea fell on deaf ears as Genichi continued to charge at him, taking precise aim each time, forcing Inuyasha to flee and dodge and making him unable to retaliate.
The fight continued one - sided, with Genichi aiming his attacks with precision each time and Inuyasha being forced to run away,
"This isn't any fun, half-demon, come on, attack already! Stop fleeing!" taunted Genichi.
Inuyasha continued to run, flip and dodge until he made a fatal mistake ... he fell on a corpse and lost his balance. Genichi was on top of him in mere nano-seconds ... his sword at Inuyasha's throat,
"HAHAHAHA. I won, half-demon. You don't live up to your reputation! Now, all the world will know that I, Genichi of Musashi, defeated the half - bre ..."
Inuyasha's eyes widened as he saw the sword protrude through Genichi's stomach. Inuyasha scrambled out from underneath his captor and got to his feet as Genichi fell to the ground,
"Wh ... wh ... what happened?" Genichi cried out weakly, as he keeled over, dead.
"Goddamn bastard was too cocky for his own good." said Kouga, breathing heavily from the strain of his injuries, as he pulled his sword from Genichi's back.
"Kouga." said Kagome, running over to him, "You shouldn't be moving with your wounds ...but, thank you, for saving Inuyasha's life." she said, softly.
"HMPH! I didn't do it for him. I did it for you, Kagome. I know I can never have you, now. But, I also know that if that filthy mutt were to die, you'd be extremely unhappy. I couldn't bear to see you upset." Kouga said, looking deep into her eyes.
"I've never seen you use that sword at your hip before, wolf. Good timing, though, I have to admit, as well, as I guess, my gratitude." said Inuyasha.
"This old thing?" said Kouga, lifting up the sword, "I got it from a samurai I slaughtered years ago. Kept it as a memento. I just thought it would be prophetic to use it now. Well, anyway, I gotta get going."
"Wait, Kouga," said Kagome, "Aren't you coming back to the village with us?"
"Naaaah. I know a place I can go to recuperate. I don't want to be in no human village. I'm sure I'll see you on the battlefield. Hey mutt ... you take good care of my Kagome now, ya hear? Bye, Kagome." Kouga said, as he took off running, albeit slower than normal.
"We better catch up to him." said Ginta.
"Yea, even injured, he's fast." agreed Hakkaku, as the two wolf demons headed off behind their master.
Kagome went up to Inuyasha and hugged him, "I'm glad your safe." she whispered, as he kissed the top of her head.
"We still need to hunt down Ryouya." said Miroku.
Inuyasha turned towards the east shore and sniffed,
"All I smell are those hyena things." he said, "And strange demons ... I guess they're the demons from the continent."
"Could Ryouya be hiding someplace behind an illusion, then?" asked Sango.
"Probably." agreed Kagome.
"Let's follow the scent of the hyenas and the demons ... I'm sure we'll come across Ryouya." said Inuyasha.
"Simple-minded as always." commented Shippou, sarcastically.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY, RUNT?" yelled Inuyasha, "Simple-minded, huh? You got a better plan? If so, let's here it. If not, shut up and fall in line!"
Shippou hopped up onto Miroku's shoulders and shied away from Inuyasha,
"Shippou, stop egging Inuyasha on." said Miroku.
"Fine. We're going." said Inuyasha, turning around and resheathing Tessaiga before crossing his arms over chest and walking away. Kagome fell into step beside him as Sango, carrying Kirara, and Miroku, carrying Shippou, fell into step behind them.
-------------------------------------------------
Sesshoumaru walked a steady pace with Anzu at his side. Jaken and Ah-Un walked behind. The quiet was deafening to Jaken, who now realized how accustomed to Rin and Kohaku's banter he had become,
'Why did m'lord insist I come?' he thought, 'What possible good can I do, now that he has Anzu beside him to serve him.'
Sesshoumaru stopped,
"M ... m'lord?" questioned Jaken.
"Who are you?" questioned Sesshoumaru to the air.
"A - huh?" queried Jaken, 'Has m'lord gone mad, talking to the air?' he thought.
"What do you want?" Anzu asked into the empty space.
"So you know I am here, do you?" said a sultry, feminine voice.
Sesshoumaru placed his right hand on the hilt of Bakusaiga,
"Tsk. Tsk. You do not need to draw your sword. I did not come here to fight." said the voice.
Out of nowhere, a tall, graceful, slender, nubian beauty appeared in front of them,
"Whoa ... " said Jaken, at her mysterious appearance.
"I am Cleopatra, I am a demoness from the continent of Africa, from a region known as Niger." she informed them.
"To be from another continent, you speak our native tongue well." said Anzu.
"I am versed in all known languages." she advised them.
"What is it you want?" asked Sesshoumaru, more irritated than interested.
"I may have the answers you seek." she said, coyly.
"The answers we seek?" he responded.
"How do you know our questions?" asked Anzu.
"Because I know Bbwaddene." she said, in a husky, sexy voice.
---------------------------------------------------------------- -------
Inuyasha and the group found themselves following the scent of the demons and hyenas all the way to the sea,
"Dammit. The sea air knocks out the smell of the hyenas and demons. I don't know which way they went." he cursed.
"Unless they crossed the sea." suggested Shippou.
"I doubt it." said Miroku, "They probably went either up or down the coastline."
"Gee, ya think?" mocked Inuyasha, "Considering that we didn't run into them and we don't think hyenas can swim that far." he said, motioning out towards the open ocean, which Kagome had informed them before stretched thousands of miles.
"So what do we do know?" said Miroku, ignoring his friend's pissed off attitude.
Inuyasha turned and looked around, scanning the horizon, looking for something, anything, to clue him in on what to do next. That's when he saw it ... or her,
'HUH?' he thought to himself.
He sniffed the air, deeply, and was struck by a familiar scent, 'No! It can't be.' he thought, 'Ryouya wouldn't ... would he? It must be an illusion ... but with scent?'
His mind raced as he stared at the figure walking towards them, her garb becoming clearer the closer it came. His friends noticed his preoccupation with the southern edge of the beach and turned to see what had his attention. They all gasped in wonder, fear and horror,
"That's just wrong." said Kagome, as she watched the figure approach, "Ryouya will pay for this treachery!" she promised.