InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Love's Lessons ❯ Love's Hardest Lesson ( Chapter 12 )

Final Chapter - Thanks to L.M. Frick for her help in betaing many of the chapters in this story. Also a huge thanks to Eternal Shade for giving me so many nice reviews *gives you big hug* Now on with the story!

 

Chapter 12: Love's Hardest Lesson

 

“Did you lay a false trail?” asked the captain guard to the snake demon.

 

“Yesss,” hissed the demon smiling. He was pleased that his lord had allowed him to return to the castle and was doing his best to please him so he wouldn't be banished again or worse. Since he had last seen the lord, Aku had gone quite mad as far as he could tell. He was actually more of a sadist than he had been before and everyone, even some of his long time guards, feared for their lives on a daily basis.

 

“Good, I'm returning to the castle with this bitch.” The captain had to knock Hissori out again and he was not pleased.

 

When she awoke and realized that she was on the back of a horse with him she had fought like a wildcat, punching, kicking, biting and scratching, trying anything to get away. Worse for his mood, she had almost succeeded. The guard had cut her arm to gain blood for the snake demon to lay down another trail leading away from the castle in case anyone was tracking them. He knew there were supposed to be two others with the girl but they were not there when he arrived at the village. He had bandaged the wound so her blood wouldn't drip on the ground giving away his ruse.

 

“Cloak yourself and go another way, you're still covered in her blood.” The captain then spurred his horse and galloped off to the castle looking at the girl with an evil grin. You're going to get yours bitch, you won't be fighting for much longer.

 

A half hour later Inuyasha and the gang hit the crossroads following the scent of horses and Hissori. The stopped quickly so Inuyasha could ascertain which direction they had gone in. “She must be hurt,” he said in agitation. “I can smell her blood.”

 

“Which way do we go Inuyasha?” Miroku kept thinking that this was taking way too long, they had to hurry.

 

“Left, the trail of blood is headed down this way.” The group took off again, unfortunately, going the wrong way.

 

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In the castle courtyard Hissori woke tied between two poles. She was immediately struck hard against the side of her face, blood spit from her mouth and her head rang. When she was able to focus again her lord was in front of her and the pitiless, crazy look in his eyes made her heart leap to her throat in terror.

 

“No one escapes me you whore!” he yelled out striking her in the nose and breaking it with his fist. “Let this be a lesson to you all, you can't run, I'll always find you.” He looked out over all his slaves and subjects as he took the large club being handed to him and then began to beat Hissori unmercifully with it.

 

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“Damn, I've lost the trail,” Inuyasha said panic beginning to creep into his voice. He realized that he couldn't smell the horse any longer, and hadn't in awhile, even though he could see and smell blood on the ground. “Fuck, we've been following a false trail,” he growled out angrily, suddenly realizing his mistake. They headed back to the crossroads to try again. This time Inuyasha smelled for the horse. He also caught a faint whiff of Hissori's blood. Knowing he had the right trail now, they hurried on.

 

When they arrived at the gates of the castle, Inuyasha had fear forming in the pit of his stomach. The closer they had came to the castle the stronger the scent of her blood had become. It smelled like a lot of blood to Inuyasha but he didn't tell his comrades this.

 

“Open the gates or we'll bust them down!” Miroku yelled furiously.

 

“Give us Hissori!” Kagome called out notching an arrow to her bow and aiming it at the guard.

 

Inuyasha, said nothing, he just drew Tetsusaiga and blasted the gate open, the guard just getting out of the way in time.

 

They were all shocked into silence and stillness when they entered the courtyard. The lord was holding a club coated in blood and pieces of flesh breathing hard, the sweat shining on his face. Hissori was still tied and the ropes were all that were holding her up. Inuyasha didn't know if she was alive or dead. She was coated in blood, he could see that her legs were broken by the way they hung at odd angles. Her head was down on her chest, eyes swollen closed.

 

“Hissori!” Miroku cried out, his voice sounding cracked and strangled. He then brought his eyes to bear on the one holding the club, and with more hate than he had ever felt before in his life, he unleashed his wind tunnel and sucked the man into it. When he closed the hole with his gauntlet, everyone ran out of the castle glad to be free of the wicked lord leaving Miroku and the rest with Hissori.

 

Miroku immediately broke down, falling on his knees to the ground with the realization of what he had just done. He had killed a human with his wind tunnel and he was shocked by the amount of hate he had felt and the amount of satisfaction he had gained when he had sucked him in. This knowledge of the evilness in his own heart would stay with Miroku for the rest of his life.

 

Inuyasha ran to help Sango and Kagome untie Hissori. She was breathing, but just barely, he could hear the blood crackling in her lungs as she tried to take in air. When he put his arms around her to lower her to the ground he felt the sickening way her ribs moved under his fingers. Inuyasha tried hard to hold back his sorrow and pain; he knew she wasn't going to live for much longer.

 

Miroku made it over to her side just as she opened one of her eyes to look up at him. When she saw him she tried to smile through the pain. Large tears were falling down Miroku's face as he looked at her taking her into his arms. “Be still Hissori, we'll help you get better,” but even as he said this he knew it wasn't going to happen.

 

Hissori looked around and when she saw Sango she tried to motion her over. She could barely move but they all got the drift and Inuyasha moved slightly to allow Sango to approach. Kagome fell into Inuyasha's arms, sobbing hysterically.

 

Sango was crying loudly. She had been angry and hurt when Miroku told them all of his plans to wed Hissori but now she felt ashamed of her jealousy. Hissori put out her hand to Sango and when she had it she looked to Miroku and grasped his hand. She placed their hands together and mouthed the words, “Be happy for me,” then the light went out of her eyes and her head dropped to the side.

 

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Years later when Miroku's and Sango's third child, and first daughter, was born and she looked up at them with her pretty blue eyes, both parents looked at each other, and smiling, said at the same time, “Hissori.”

 

THE END