InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ My Hatred, My Obsession ❯ The Edge of Paradice ( Chapter 6 )

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

By: raven91

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My Hatred, My Obsession

Chapter 6 - The Edge of Paradise

Why?

Why would she do something so…utterly…

Unselfish?

Why would she…no…howcould she forget - or perhaps ignore - what had happened between them that night?

She should have been glad at a chance for him to face danger or come in harm's way. She should have been running away from that same peril, should have followed the certain instinct of self-preservation that had kept her alive during their brutal meeting.

Yet here she was…

…holding onto him like she had in the water…

…as if he was her only lifeline to the living world; and as if she would be swept away by the harshness and reality of it if she did not crush him in her warm embrace.

Her eyes were closed, her face scrunched up in concentration, her limbs shaking from the obvious pain the enemy was causing her as they hit her barrier. She made no sound through it all, proving once again that even if the world was to turn against her, she would still stand, unwavering, facing death and malice if only to prove that she was strong enough to withstand any obstacle life would send her way.

For a while, he wasn't certain what to do. No one had touched him in such an intimate matter in hundreds of years - not since his mother's death - of that he was certain. He wasn't familiar with the sudden sensation of having a warm, soft, body pressing against his own, and even through the impenetrable metal of his armor - where her abdomen was pressed - it seemed that he could feel her fire. It was a tingling sensation, not unpleasant, but a bit…disturbing…

“Why can I not see them?” She looked up at him through bangs covered with light perspiration. Her eyes were once again those of a determined woman, hell-bent on getting her way no matter the circumstances. Her flushed cheeks, though, betrayed her. Was she embarrassed? He wanted to scoff at such a ridiculous possibility. Only a human female could think of something as preposterous as being embarrassed in a situation like this. But he decided to save his marvels until a later time - when they were not surrounded by invisible enemies.

“They have jewel shards, Sesshoumaru. I think…I'm not sure…but it seems that their bodies are not real.” He didn't know what to make of her gibberish, so he motioned for her to go on.

“I don't know…but I think that somehow, the jewel shards have created bodies for themselves…and that's why you can't see them.” Her theory, even if a bit ludicrous, was acceptable and logical. After all, hadn't Sou'nga done the same thing before? It would certainly explain why only she could see them, but why were they not attacking her as well?

“Put down your barrier, woman. It is a nuisance.” He thought he could sense her shock and then her disappointment and hurt, but had to admit that even though her shield had bought them some time, the barrier was only weakening her and stalling the inevitable. He put a hand on her chest and pushed her away with more force than he intended and she went flying, sprawling on the ground several feet away.

“What are you - Sesshoumaru you jackass!” He could not see them, but he could feel their movements, and that, at least, provided some leverage against the invisible pests. With a quick swipe of Tokijin's blade, he used his Ougi to attempt to push the enemy back. He felt the sword heating up, and as he usually did, felt the dark jaki of the blade prod his soul. The blue light of the attack was brighter than usual, and he felt his pupils shrinking to accommodate the sudden amount of the searing rays. But instead of accomplishing a momentary lapse in the battle, it seemed that he had only granted the beings more power. Instead of feeling their aura's recede into empty nothingness, they only pressed in on him even more, making the air hot and thick. For a moment, he felt discomfort, as if the oxygen had become like a thick syrup - he could not inhale it or let it escape. His vision blurred and he was forced to experience once again the “disturbing” sensation he had felt while hidden behind the woman's barrier.

It was as if…

……………. time was

slowing………………….

The battle resumed before he could completely shake off the unpleasant disruption, but not before he could curse himself for giving into such a weakness as discomfort. Barely blocking an attack from above, he felt something tearing through his arm and slashed at his attacker, but things were moving at a ridiculously fast pace, and he knew that something had to be done before they got out of hand.

(……………………...)

That jerk! Who does he think he is!

How dare he throw her aside like some useless rag? And not even a thank you to boot!

But her cheeks turned red again at the memory of being so close to him. She had never consciously been squished up against him like that, and she had to admit that it wasn't as unpleasant as she imagined. But apparently, he hadn't even noticed her efforts to help him…no…that was wrong. He had noticed; he just hadn't appreciated her help. She watched the battle with concerned eyes, though, despite her annoyance. Something was tugging at her.

She wanted to blame it on the jewel shards, but somehow, the feeling was more intense than that. Her cautious feet moved backwards on their own when Sesshoumaru sent a blast of energy from Tokijin flying towards the demons, but her heart caught in her throat when she saw them smile and open themselves to receive it like the petals of a starving and wilting flower that saw sunlight after a period of darkness.

Why are they only attacking him?

The situation was dire and more complicated than any she had faced before. Always, no matter how difficult things had gotten, a solution rested - much like a spare battery - in the back of her mind. She had always found a way to figure things out and to make order out of chaos.

But if that was true, then why was she not able to think of anything now?

She gasped when something tore through the sleeve of Sesshoumaru's right arm and her hands flew to her mouth in shock when she saw a blood stain growing larger and larger with every second, darkening the pure white of his robes to a frightening red.

Oh no! I have to do something!

But what? What could she do? She was powerless without her arrows. Hell…she hadn't even known that she could make a barrier until several moments ago. She clenched her hands into fists, realizing that in all the time spent with Inuyasha, she had never felt so helpless. But there had to be a way out of this; there had to be.

Oh Kami!

The idea sparked in her head as suddenly and strongly and a lighting bolt striking a fool who walked around with a metal pole in a thunderstorm. Her eyes glazed over as she mulled over the newfound possibility. If she could sense jewel shards, if she couldfeel them and repel them, she could certainly call them, couldn't she? But she hadn't the faintest idea of how she managed to accomplish the first three things on that pathetic list of her “abilities”, much less try something new that could mean the difference between life and death. Her urgency was doubled when she heard more tearing.

Damn it!

Without thinking of the consequences, she closed her eyes -

“Please…come to me…”

Nothing happened.

“Jewel shards…can you hear me?” She felt like an idiot, talking to a bunch of rocks - or for all the good her powers were, she was probably talking to herself and making no impact whatsoever on the battle. But something was urging her on, and she wasn't about to ignore a hunch at a time like this.

“Youkai…demons…whatever you are, come here…” Her heart was slowing its rhythm, her breathing was becoming more labored, and simply doing those two things that should have been automatic and involuntary actions within her body was becoming a chore. She was overcome by a massive headache, but she knew she couldn't stop now. Whispers were surrounding her, voices that made no sense, and voices that condemned -

Why do you wish to save him?

Why do you wish to help him after what he nearly did to you?

I can't just leave him!

This is your chance, miko…he is your enemy, the man who put you through so much pain…the man whose marks you bear upon your skin…

I don't care! I just want to help him!

Make sure that you do not regret your choice…

It was neither a man nor a woman. The sound had no gender, no quality that could even put it into the category with other voices. It simply existed - without sound or hearing, without pitch or words or letters; it was simply…there…in her mind… as if it was the most natural thing in the entire world. It was a part of her, it seemed. A part that she wasn't sure that she could trust to lead her on the right path.

Call them.

She focused her inner self onto the void that was suddenly beneath her feet. A vortex of swirling magenta ocean was pulling, tugging, incessantly mocking her, teasing her, beckoning her to come to it. It was a paradise - once again simply existing without her seeing it - only knowing it was there.

Do not listen. Concentrate.

She forced herself to look away from the temptation, and searched for that something she knew was there. It was a cord, a thread so small, she would have missed it if she hadn't been looking for it with such vigor. She grasped it and immediately was frozen in place from the chill that wracked her body and seemed to stem from her very core.

Call them, if you want to save him.

She struggled to keep her rationale, but it was getting more and more difficult.

I can't!

Try again.

“…shards…I command you to come to me…” the words were barely out of her mouth before her eyes were forced open and she was once again on the battlefield. She was still shivering, her body caked in cold sweat. She saw the demons turn their faces to her, and for the first time, she got a good look at their appearance.

They were sickening.

Obviously, her theory about the shards creating their own corpses was correct. They were made of youkai parts that did not match, their heads, arms, and legs all different colors, shapes and sizes. But their eyes…their eyes were the most terrifying of all. They were blank - completely void of anything - not white, not black, not any other color - simply…

…a void…

…a void to Hell…

Do not look away, miko.

Try again.

“Listen to me now…you will come here…”

One of them - the one who she was directly looking at - began to float away from Sesshoumaru and come to her. Her heart beat intensified, but she did not look away. Those eyes were horrible.

She flinched when it was nearly upon her and covered her ears from the shriek that followed. She doubled over with the pain the shattering sound had caused and fell to her knees.

I told you not to look away.

No matter…it would have been a miracle if you had gotten it on your first try…

You did well…

Those eyes…is that what Hell is really like?

My dear…that was no Hell you saw…but the power and corruption of the Shikon No Tama.

(…………………)

Someone was shaking her shoulders roughly, calling her to come out of her misery. She still walked on the edge of the vortex of paradise, stumbling but holding on to the thin cord that had helped her call the demons.

Where was she?

What happened?

Was he alright?

She jerked as she was tossed headlong into a memory…

(…………………….)

“Get away from me! Don't touch me!” He was tearing her clothing, heedless that his claws tore through her skin as well.

“Do not presume to have any power of command, bitch.” Tears stung her eyes as she helplessly struggled against him.

“Get away!”

Those eyes…

Those fiercely glowing red eyes bore into her, reaching down below her skin and blood and into her soul.

“Please! Don't touch me! Stop it!”

(…………………….)

“Stop…it…”

Someone was still shaking her almost painfully by her shoulders.

“Woman, stop moving before you harm yourself.”

What was going on? Where was she?

Her awakening was groggy and she attempted to sit up to relieve herself of the cotton ball that was stuck in her head - swollen and fuzzy. Instantly hands pushed her back down and she focused in on a pair of luminous ochroid eyes.

Don't touch me! Get away!

She screamed for all she was worth, her sleep-dulled mind not entirely comprehending that the figure before her was flesh and blood instead of whisper-woven dreams. The tears were unstoppable. Her world was collapsing; skyscrapers of everything she knew were corroding and falling - the streets of her carefully organized mind tangled up now with vines and thorns of doubt.

She cried and cried and cried - but for what reason she was so sad, she did not know. All she understood was that she needed comfort now - the kind of comfort that her mother sometimes gave her when she awoke from nightmares like this; the kind of comfort that even Inuyasha sometimes provided when she was crying over something ridiculous, but what she received was very different. Opening her eyes, she found herself on the ground with Sesshoumaru's lean figure standing next to her, his legs by her head. She leaned against him, not knowing why, but continuing the desired action for the hell of it.

He is your enemy.

But she couldn't think of it that way. The beast that had nearly killed her in the forest that night was a different being than this one. He hadn't possessed this eerie and silent beauty and sense of stability that she so needed in her quickly crumbling world of reality. He hadn't been this quiet, this soundlessly sympathetic. His stoic posture and gently swaying clothing were a cold and emotionless comfort that she deemed perfect for the situation.

He was calm and collected, impassive yet not indifferent. But his ice was melted by the heat of her fear and her chaotic emotions. Together, the two counterparts formed a paradox that was undeniably and almost frighteningly realistic. With his silent patience, he had drowned out her loudest sorrow. With this new realization, she stood - still a little dizzy - and stepped away from him, a part of her still reluctant to completely relax around him - or perhaps reluctant to show any further vulnerability.

“What happened?” Her husky, wispy voice put a crack into a bullet-proof glass of dead air that she hadn't realized existed. But he didn't join her in breaking it until a long time after. She waited, knowing that he probably wanted to thank her for her efforts before, but knowing his pride, could not.

“The situation has become more complicated than I at first believed it would. You will return to my half-witted brother on the morrow.”

To say the least, it was not at all what she expected from him. Surely he was making some kind of a joke. But he was pivoting on his heel, turning gracefully away from her and walking away.

Wait…

“Wait! Sesshoumaru! Stop!” But he didn't stop, didn't even give a sign that he had heard her daring plea. Instead, as he usually did, he showed that he held no interest for anything but himself.

(……………………R 30;……)

AUTHOR'S CORNER

I'm sorry guys…but I had to end it there. (I'm actually proud of the length of this one). I've got a lot of the next chapter ready to go, so if I get more reviews hint hint perhaps it will be up soon.

I hope this wasn't too confusing. There will be explanations for EVERYTHING eventually, but it would ruin the suspense - not to mention would mess up my plot - if I was to simply reveal all the secrets and strange things…

Hope to hear from you soon!

-Raven91