InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ New Life ❯ Chapter 44 ( Chapter 44 )

Year: 1536
Month: August

It wasn't entirely clear who attacked first but in just a moment, it was a free for all. The group was attacking as one, defending off the attacks left and right. The only one who wasn't truly fighting was Miroku. He was praying that his end would be painless knowing that the moment Naraku took him within his body, that was when the end of the battle would come. His eyes kept moving toward Sango's battling form near Kohaku, Rin and Shippo.

On the Western beach, Amunet and Amun stood watching with Dorian, Ayano and Juna as the remainder of the hoard set foot on the beach. They were all weary and tired. The humans were drowsy and weary, the youkai almost the same. Turning to Dorian and Ayano, Amunet gave a small smile. “Take the people to a village in a place called Inuyasha's Forest. I have been alerted that they will welcome all there.” Dorian gave a small nod, glancing toward Ayano. She'd been by his side since the death of his father and many more of their people. He counted on her quite a bit now as his advisor. Ayano gave a sharp nod of understanding before leading Dorian away to tend to the people.

Juna glanced at Amunet with a raised brow. “Where will we go Priestess?” Amunet gave a small smile, motioning for her brother to go collect their belongings. It didn't take long. With him, he brought the twins. Juna glanced down and gave a small sneer. “You bring the halflings…?”

Amunet immediately lashed out, smacking him on his forehead. “You will not call them as such Juna. You will be coming with us so we can retrieve the other half of their souls. It will take us some hours to reach the location.” Amun huffed at Juna before following his sister as they stepped into the trees.

Dorian and Ayano moved about the people. Many had died already but there were many with them still. They moved about the groups, helping to set up a small camp in each of the groups to allow youkai and humans to eat and rest. As the day began to fade, a new feeling began to fill the air around them. Even the humans could feel the ominous feeling. As the sun finally set, something shocking lit the air.

Dorian stood with Ayano, watching the eastern sky as the phenomenon happened. They watched as the moon was lit with fire that burned as bright as the sun while the sun was completely smothered in darkness. This caused an eerie glow to cover the land. Stars began to flicker out of existance. Dorian turned to Ayano, quivering. “Ayano?” Glancing down at him, she gave him nothing more than a small smile before taking his hand lightly and squeezing it.

Leading him away from the sight, Ayano kept her focus on the task at hand. They needed to start moving the others away from this place and towards Kaede's village. The chill at the back of her neck was even more nerve wracking than it usually was. Glancing down at Dorian, she gave a pained smile and turned ahead. She had taken to Dorian quite a bit since the death of the rest of her family. During the China crossing, her father and brother had been massacred. She'd taken to Dorian as he reminded her of her brother quite a bit.

As they moved between the small camps, she made sure to alert the youkai to keep the humans silent. What little animals they had successfully brought with them were even silent, acknowledging the darkness in the air. As they finished packing up, the group began to move silently into the forest. The shadows of this new world that had descended danced all over the people of Japan. It taunted and corrupted the minds with their own fears. It drew out these fears and tempted them to become real and alive.

In the new village, Kaede stood at the doorway of the shrine, looking out over the land toward the location of the battle. Behind her stood the rest of the villagers, youkai and hanyou included. They all found themselves watching, holding their breaths in hope and fear. A pair of claws placed themselves on Kaede's shoulders. Looking back partially, she caught sight of her two companions. Both kitsunes were staring ahead, their expressions solemn.

At that moment one of their mates came forward and spoke softly. “Lady Kaede, word has reached our ears through the trees and plants. We will be having guests arriving here shortly from across the seas.” Kaede frowned momentarily before her face cleared.

Turning away, she moved inside the temple and carefully knelt. There was nothing in place that provided an object of worship to the kami's. This specific room was empty. The only thing within was a bell that looked ancient. Candles lit the walls of the room, flickering in the odd gloom. “Ready the villagers. Send out guides to bring them within our reaches.” One of the females bowed and exited the temple. The other moved into the shadows, awaiting Kaede's call.

Within the battlefield, nothing could truly be seen of the center. That was where the maelstrom began. Light, the color of the blue sky and the color of the darkest night, spiraled in the midst, lashing at everything within the battlefield. Creatures small and large had long ago fled from the area, the amount of power coming from the occupants within scaring them within. None really knew where the light had originated from.

The ending of the battle was solid in their memories. Naraku in a last act of desperation had managed to grab Miroku and had taken him within his body swiftly. He had proceeded to call upon the monk's spiritual power but the warriors in their anger, struck swift and sure. Even as his body fell, the young ones and the women continued to stab into the deceased body. Only Arie, Sesshomaru, Inuyasha and Hiroki had witnessed the chains falling from Kagome's form. Only they had witnessed the heartbreaking, guilty expression that covered her face before the light had been released from thin air.

Kagome remained in her seated position as the power swirled next to her. Closing her eyes, she gave a tearful farewell to Miroku as she felt his soul continue into the afterlife. She would miss his wisdom in the days to come. It had been a necessary sacrifice otherwise the rest of her friends and family would have died with him much later. Taking the children from the sling on her back, she kissed their foreheads gently. She gave a small smile. “Go on to your sisters and brothers. I will come for you soon.” The crescent marks on their cheeks glimmered with mystery as her power wrapped around them, removing them from her arms. Turning to Ayame's pups, she gave a small smile and gently kissed each of them on their foreheads before her power wrapped around them and they were transported to Ayame's clan members. They would be protected there.

“Rise, filth.” Kagome raised her gaze, Chi sliding easily into the forefront of her mind. They were perfectly melded together in this moment. She watched as a strangely beautiful woman stepped into view out of the light. She appeared purely human and yet there was something more about this woman that set Kagome on edge. The woman inspected her nails briefly. “You may have lured away one of my favorite daughters, but your taint will end here in this moment. You will not be allowed to live.”

“Who are you to come to demand this satisfaction? It is not as if Mother was of your blood.” Kagome's voice remained neutral, Chi's voice sliding smoothly in tune with her own, so it sounded as though they were both speaking at the same time.

The woman gave an impressive snarl before she composed herself. “Foolish girl. She might as well have been my daughter by blood. I suppose it is only fair to know the name of the one that will destroy you. I am Lilith, first woman, degraded by humankind because I would not submit and mother of all that are youkai.”

Kagome tilted her head to the side as Chi immediately filled her in. Finally, she snorted out loud. “You are prideful and foolish yourself to allow yourself to be controlled by beings that do not wish harmony. It matters not who you are, you will not succeed.”

She watched Lilith's eyes blaze. “The disrespect! Even that wolf acknowledged his heritage. A shame he had to be used as he did.”

This brought Kagome to her feet, her eyes blazing. “It was you!”

“Of course. Did you really think your Naraku would kill the wolf prince? His blood was needed to bring my daughter back.”

Kagome clenched her hands angrily, unable to really move just yet. The anger made her body quiver with the rage. It was sudden when she felt a presence, and someone laid a hand on her shoulder. She lashed out immediately, but instead of singeing the person, it seemed to wrap itself around them. She jolted a little, recognizing who it was instantly. It was Sesshomaru. Before she could speak, she felt a hand slip into hers. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she saw Arie. In another heartbeat, she felt a brush of soft tails wrapping around her waist. Looking at the other side, she saw Hiroki. Finally, a flash of silver and red blurred into existence in front of her, fuzzy ears shifting on his head. Inuyasha.

Kagome felt a smile threaten to break out on her face. They had made it to her. Not surprisingly, it was Inuyasha that spoke. “You won't harm her bitch. You must get through all of us to get to her. Between the four of us, you don't have a chance.”

Lilith gave a dark scowl. “Typical that a half breed would fall prey to a charlatan like her. As for the rest of you, you are a disgrace to your kind. I have half a mind to strip you of everything that makes you youkai.”

Kagome moved next to Inuyasha, remaining slightly behind him, knowing he wanted her there. “Try it and you will face my wrath. They are their own, not yours. You cannot take something that was never yours to begin with. Tell them to come. Tell them I will be ready and so will my friends and allies.” Kagome's voice was hard.

Within seconds, Lilith was gone from view and the strange power that had formed had vanished completely. Kagome wavered on her feet. Right before darkness claimed her, she felt the presence of youkai right outside the battlefield. She felt Naraku's soul surge to life, separating and suddenly becoming whole once more as separate entities. She felt one of the youkais brush her mind with warmth and a smile. They would meet face to face soon. Then she slipped into unconsciousness.