InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Malice ❯ Unrelentingly Evil ( Chapter 35 )

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

Chapter 35: Unrelentingly Evil

Sesshoumaru sat, back against a large boulder, and contemplated the information that he had obtained earlier from the miko, while the rest of the group slept.

Even the ookami slept - the only other still awake was his brother - and the only reason for that was his restless energy from denying his needs.

He shuddered, internally, at the thought of what his brother was dealing with - having to resume the hunt for the spider the morning after his mating. That left his instincts in an uproar, not having been able to complete his bonding.

As he had told the wolf before, Inuyasha would survive, but still... he would not be able to relax much for some time to come.

"What're you thinkin' about, Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha, himself leaned against a boulder next to his mate, flicked a golden glance at his half-brother. "I can tell it's something unpleasant."

The inu Lord sent a look of disbelief his brother's way. "What about any of this is pleasant, Inuyasha?"

With a disgruntled expression, Inuyasha huffed. "Welcome to it, Sesshoumaru. Life's a bitch. Deal with it."

"Hn. Life is indeed a 'bitch', as you put it, however, this situation we find ourselves in needs must be 'dealt' with in a most particular manner - or none of us will continue to be around to deal with life."

Inuyasha sighed, looking down, he ran a clawed hand through his mate's hair. She was really worried about the Obake.

And rightfully so.

Even he had heard of that legendary creature - legendary because of its horrific nature. The Obake took victims in the same way Naraku had taken and stolen the youki of other youkai. The difference was that Naraku took in the demonic elements of his victims, while releasing the spirit - meaning that the youkai that he took into himself died, leaving behind only their power.

The being left behind was still only Naraku.

However, the Obake was different.

While he also took in his victims, human and youkai, he didn't just take in their power - he took in everything, assimilating that being entirely into himself. In that way, he was truly a composite - and every time he took in some new creature, he took on some of their traits, as well as their memories... and whatever evil nature they might have embodied.

This made the Obake truly the most dangerous of predators - and the most evil.

"Oi, Sesshoumaru," he almost whispered, "have you ever heard of a way to defeat the Obake?"

Sesshoumaru looked back over at his brother, studying him for a moment, then shook his head. "I know nothing with any certainty, Inuyasha. The Obake was sealed here long before even my birth. And he was only sealed. I remember father telling me of it."

Inuyasha was rather unpleasantly surprised at that. "You mean this thing is that old?"

"Hai. It has been at least five hundred years that the beast has been sealed here. At the time it was done, many of the most powerful of those wielding reiki gathered together to attempt to defeat him - but they were only able to seal him. Even then, the Obake was old..." he trailed off.

Inuyasha's ears flattened to his head. Fuck! I don't want my mate anywhere near this thing! "You said you didn't know of a way to beat him 'with any certainty'. What'd ya mean by that?"

Sesshoumaru tilted his head back against the boulder he was leaned against and stared into the darkness above. He will not like what I have to say...

"It is said that only pure love can defeat the Obake, Inuyasha - because it is the antithesis of all that he is." He stopped there, not wanting to go any further down that path; none of them needed an enraged, ferally protective Inuyasha losing control of his blood.

Although... with both I, and Inuyasha, and two powerful miko and a monk, I suppose we have more of a chance of destroying the Obake than anyone else has had.

Inuyasha was no fool, and he picked up on what his brother was not saying very easily... and his blood ran cold, then hot.

"You'd better not be talking about what I think you're talking about, Sesshoumaru," he growled warningly.

The elder Inu didn't respond to that, his attention arrested by his sudden remembrance of something the miko had said earlier - and he frowned.

"Perhaps we should speak to your mate when she awakens. If you remember, when we were speaking about it earlier," he ignored the scowl on his brother's face, "she said, 'the description of the creature from myths I've heard in my own time'... meaning she has some knowledge of it. It would be prudent to go over everything any of us may know about this opponent, would it not?"

Scowl deepening, Inuyasha finally huffed out an agreement. Folding his hands into his sleeves, he looked back down at his mate.

"Fine. But don't get any funny ideas, Sesshoumaru..." he broke off as Kagome whimpered in her sleep, then flopped onto her back as her eyes opened and she looked around.

"Oi, wench," he asked softly, concern obvious in his voice, "what's wrong?"

She looked at him for a moment, almost as though she didn't even see him, then shook her head and blinked. "Nightmares, I guess," she whispered.

"Keh." He reached over and ran a hand through her hair, sweeping it back from her face. "Can't say I'm surprised, really - this place is even givin' me the creeps."

Kagome just cocked a brow at him as she sat up, a little surprised that he'd even admitted something like that - especially with his brother sitting right there.

But then again...

None of them had ever come up against something like the Obake.

Even Sesshoumaru looked concerned, and that was really saying something.

She pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them, laying her chin on her knees, and her gaze went hazy as she lost herself in her thoughts. After a few minutes, she sighed, and asked, "So... do we have any idea how to go about facing this?"

Before Sesshoumaru could answer, his brother shot him a dark look, then said, "The Ice Lord here thinks we should all discuss it - says we need to talk about everything any of us might know about the Obake. Then maybe... we can figure somethin' out."

Kagome nodded slowly, eyes dark, distant. "Makes sense, I guess."

"This opponent is not one that we want to go against without a plan - a way to defeat him already spoken of and acknowledged amongst us." Sesshoumaru didn't even look at them as he spoke.

All this talk of something so dangerous was making him antsy, and with a low growl, Inuyasha reached over and scooped his mate into his arms, settling her in between his legs as he wrapped himself protectively around her.

"Keh. We need to come up with something quick, then... 'cause I ain't letting Kagome anywhere near the bastard, and that's final. Whatever we're gonna do... she'll have to be able to participate from a distance."

Sesshoumaru looked over at that declaration, but stopped what he was about to say at the look on his brother's face.

His eyes were already red-rimmed, and his crests were writhing into existence on his cheeks even as he watched.

He defeated Ryukotsusei, whom father could only seal, even without his youkai blood being in control - and he only gets more powerful and dangerous when his youkai comes out.

I wonder how dangerous he would be...

While protecting his mate?

Back in Kagome's era, violet eyes blinked slowly as they stared into the well, worry clear within them - as well as helplessness.

I hope they remember the notes that I gave them on Naraku... and realize in time that those same weaknesses are now the Obake's.

With one final glance into the depths of the well, those same violet eyes turned to look towards the doors into the mini-shrine, and the man they belonged to climbed the steps, and left the small building. Climbing down the steps of the Sunset Shrine, he headed for a small, unassuming car.

Once the he reached it, he got into the driver's seat, and leaning over, picked up a small brochure...

With clenched fists, he stared at the map on the inside of the pamphlet, then put it down, and drove off, heading for the caves represented by the map.

It's time... he was uncomfortably aware of what was happening in those same caves - five hundred years in the past. With the information he had given to the miko, and her hanyou mate, he had fulfilled one part of the duty laid down on his family by their most revered ancestor...

But that left his other duty, and it was now time to fulfill that one, as well.

He would spend the next week at the small shrine near the caves, praying for the victory of the group now fighting for their lives...

And the lives of every person born in the five hundred years since.

Because time was not constant - and even though he was living a life free of the Obake, and Naraku, at this point, now that the original wrinkle in time was reaching it's connecting points, the present, and the past that had birthed it, could very well be changed, if the ones now descending into the darkness of the caves in that distant past lost.

Half an hour later, the young man crawled from his car, and adjusting his monk's robes, entered the shrine, knelt before the statue of the Buddha...

And began praying as if his life depended on it.

Because it did.

Crouched in the middle of the huge web that his last meal had created, Obake slowly took in the changes that had come upon him as his body integrated the former spider hanyou. Eyes flashing, Obake grinned to himself as he searched his latest victim's memories... he was well pleased at some of what he was finding.

The spider had been a very evil being.

He especially liked the memories of the rape of the human miko... and as he realized that she was one of those here in the caves, he felt a hunger within himself to take her flesh again.

Perhaps he would not kill her... after all, there were other uses for a female of her caliber. And as Naraku was now part of him, his obsessions were now the Obake's as well.

But then he began to come to some of the other memories... memories of the things that the hanyou that claimed that miko as a mate had done to him - the horrors of what had happened began to overtake his mind somewhat.

It wasn't as severe as what Naraku himself had suffered through - after all, he was a composite, with countless other lives and experiences catalogued within his mind, and in that way, what had happened to the spider was easier to hide from.

He could maintain a certain distance from it, as Naraku had not been able to do. It was like a vivid, but second-hand, experience.

Still, the Obake could feel certain mind-sets taking hold within him - accompanied by certain fears, and for the first time, he began to wonder if he shouldn't have just killed the spider, rather than integrate him.

So... I have gained this weakness, this fear... a fear of violation.

And yet...

Naraku might be part of the Obake, but the Obake was not Naraku, and as other parts of him opened within his mind, he realized that he would definitely enjoy violating the priestess...

This fear - it is only a weakness if someone were going to attempt to force themselves on me. None of those here in the caves with me will do such a thing.

However...

Certain other fears began to manifest themselves within him, and one in particular would be the most dangerous - the fear of being controlled.

The spider had been fanatically frightened of someone other than him having any control over him, and that was a fear that echoed strongly in all parts of the Obake. And with the group that was hunting him, that was certainly something that could happen.

Normally, the Obake didn't need to plan anything. He had fear as his greatest weapon, and with that weapon, very few had any chance to get away from him.

But these people - they were dangerous.

Like the group of reiki-wielders that had originally sealed him here so long ago, this group could not be taken lightly.

He would have to have a plan.

This could very well be his downfall - if that group had anyone that was a master tactician, he was in even more trouble. Since he didn't usually have to plan his attacks, it was a skill that he'd never really developed.

Settling himself more firmly into his web, he considered Naraku's memories of his enemies, and studied the aura's of those within his domain. While the group was still quite distant from his current position, he could still feel them at the edges of his awareness, and it was enough to tell him who was down here with him in his own version of hell.

First, and foremost, the hanyou - an Inu, his memories told him. Strong, with a will of adamant and a sword that had more tricks than he himself did, the inu was dangerous... probably one of the most dangerous opponents he'd ever faced. He frowned, as he realized that Naraku's memories of the feel of the hanyou's youki was off - he was much more powerful, for some reason, than the spider remembered.

Now why is that, I wonder?

Then there was his half-brother... the inu Lord of the West, Sesshoumaru. He was right up there at the top as well - no one knew for sure the extent of the Lord's power - because he'd never had to use it. And his sword could destroy spirits, while granting life back to those who'd lost it.

That was definitely a very bad thing.

There were several smaller, less powerful youkai auras, as well... a wolf prince and his pack-mates. No danger from them, really, they were simply fodder, and he could pretty much ignore them.

A monk with strong reiki and combat skills, and his woman, the taijiya. Dangerous in their own rights, but alone against him, wouldn't stand much of a chance.

Interesting... a miko, but one that was not alive. Powerful, beautiful - and dead. Naraku's downfall, truly. He chuckled. She was a danger, too.

Last, but definitely not least... the other miko. The one whose aura, for some reason, was an exact, though inverted, match for the inu-hanyou. The one that Naraku wanted with all he had.

The one with the power to end him.

He hissed to himself as he finally took note of the purity of her aura - there as almost no taint within her at all. In all his centuries of life, he'd never come across a human that was that pure - if she were any purer, she'd be one of the kami themselves.

Muscles clenching and twitching in sudden apprehension, he skittered around the web, wondering what he should do. There was only so far he could go - this was a confrontation that he could not avoid - because the miko had already sensed him. She knew he was there.

But I cannot fight her...

One of the others could, though... if he could possess one of the weaker ones minds, he could turn and simply kill her.

Betrayal from within, he mused. It is probably my best chance...

If he'd been paying more attention to Naraku's memories, though, he'd have noticed that with this group, betrayal had never worked too well. The only ones to succumb to such tactics had been the hanyou, and the older miko... and neither were going to fall for such tricks again.

Nevertheless... Obake had not gotten to where he was now by being stupid. He was completely, unrelentingly evil, and he would use any and every opportunity to torture, kill, and destroy those he came across. It was what he lived for...

One way or another, this battle would be one for the ages...

Because neither side was going to go down easily.

It was, ironically, very possible that they would all die down here, and Obake found himself in agreement with one of Naraku's beliefs.

If he went down in the end, it wouldn't matter - as long as he took all his enemies with him.

Malice.

A/N: Hope everyone enjoys the discussion of Obake's evil mind... I wanted a nice little snapshot of how he's thinking - and just how parts of Naraku still live on within him.

And has anyone guessed the identity of the man back in Kagome's time yet? C'mon, it's easy...

Amber