InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Pack Law ❯ Fire ( Chapter 14 )

Pack Law

 

Chapter 14: Fire

 

Reacting on instinct born of a year of battles against youkai, Kagome threw herself to the side, pushing out her hand and creating a small pink barrier. The fire ball reflected off the light and was cleaved in half by a very large, familiar sword.

 

“Kagome!” InuYasha was a hanyou of constants. Lead his pack, give his brother a hard time, ignore the ladies, hide his human night… none of those constants were as strong as the need to protect Kagome. Any thought about how angry he'd been with her, five hundred years of angst and build-up to the present was wiped clean at the very sight of the young woman in danger. He'd sliced through the burning ball almost before he realized it. He cursed the wind, which had blown up the shrine steps. Had he been able to scent Ken ahead of time, he would have insisted he lead the group up. Of course, he had little time for reflecting, as Ken launched himself down from the roof, a sword of flame appearing in his hand.

 

Miroku and Tsukiyoshi both darted after Kagome, who had shot back to her feet and was racing toward the house. She knew better than to shout, knew better than to draw attention to her actions as InuYasha and Sango engaged the enemy. As the sounds of battle rang out behind her, she focused her efforts on the house coming closer with each step.

 

`Mama! Souta! Jii-chan!' The thought of her family sustained her run through the aggravating stitch in her side. `Youkai at the shrine?? How could this happen?' Without breaking her stride, she threw open the door, finally shouting for her family.

 

“Kagome! Wait!” Miroku struggled to keep up with the girl, not having the impulse of pure terror slowing his movements. He understood Kagome's worry over her family, but worried more for her. She was a probably the biggest target for their enemies, still wearing half of the Shikon no Tama around her neck. It had been five hundred years, but just having the girl around was enough to stir up centuries-old habits. How many times in the year they'd been together had the group made sure somebody was there to protect Kagome? She was strong, yes, but hells she drew more trouble than the rest of them combined. Having been the one to watch her take off, he knew that duty fell upon him now. He also knew, quite clearly, what would happen to him if anything happened to the miko. `InuYasha would make certain I could no longer father children, for starters…' Miroku discarded the distracting thoughts as he heard Kagome shout, from a common room, it seemed. Unable to stop himself, he careened into the girl's back. She stood, ramrod still, eyes wide, solid enough in shock he had to grab her shoulder to keep from falling back. Any discomfort was cleared away as he heard her say the one thing he had feared most…

 

“Naraku?”

 

**********

 

Tsukiyoshi veered to the general shrine area, checking to make sure no innocents were nearby. The sounds of battle would eventually draw outside attention, and it just wouldn't do to have ignorant humans suddenly made aware of the existence of youkai through witnessing a fight.

 

Sniffing the air, the young youkai was drawn to a store room, where an elderly man huddled in fear. He smelled vaguely of Kagome. Tsukiyoshi quickly deduced this man must be her grandfather. Forcing himself to smile reassuringly, he held out his hand. “Come with me, sir, and I'll take you to safety.” He stretched his senses, making sure no other humans were near. The teen reached out and grabbed the old man, turning and using his youkai speed to carry the man past the ensuing battle as quickly as possible. Once near the road, he knelt near Kagome's grandfather.

 

“If I go to assist in the battle, can you promise me you'll stay here, sir? Kagome will worry about you too much if you don't…” Tsukiyoshi only took his hand off the elderly man's shoulder when he had nodded empathetically.

 

**********

 

“Fucking bastard!” InuYasha sliced at the fire youkai, who dodged back easily. Sango had drawn her short sword and attacked from the other side, catching Ken's attention. Gunshots would draw too much notice. InuYasha knew he couldn't use any of his most powerful attacks here at the shrine and it pissed him off to no end. Miroku usually put up a barrier, deadening the sounds of battle, but he had seen the monk chase after Kagome. InuYasha knew Kagome would be safe in his lecherous but capable hands; the hanyou turned his attention to Hitomu.

 

“Can you put up a barrier like your father, pup?” Like his attitude toward Kagome, any previous angry feelings he had for the teen had gone up in proverbial smoke. Right now all that mattered was Hitomu knew how to fight, was armed, had been trained by the best (Miroku, him and Sesshomaru), and could even hold his own against Tsukiyoshi. His youkai was rushing to the surface with a speed he almost feared; it had been years since InuYasha was in a true battle. `Pack in danger, protect pack,' was a constant refrain running through his head.

 

Hitomu drew worriedly back from the hanyou whose golden eyes were speckled bright red. “I… I don't know! I can try!” His alpha had never looked so concerned, so desperate… so hungry for the blood of his enemies. Hitomu whirled, reaching into the pouch he carried for sutras. Along with a staff that shrunk and grew with his spiritual powers, the items were never out of arm's reach. His main concern was being able to strengthen the barrier; his father had five hundred years of practice, after all!

 

The teen raced down the stairs, passing Tsukiyoshi as the youkai pretty much flew up to rejoin the battle. Muttering a short prayer, Hitomu fused as much of his power as he could into the sutra, and slapped one on both sides of the stairwell. This was the only entrance, and so should be warded first. Stopping to catch his breath, he saw Sarah back in the van. The kitsune hanyou was on her cell phone, probably calling Sesshomaru or Shippou. Either elder had the power to call up the back-up they would possibly need and the clean-up crew that would lay the foundation for explaining any damage that occurred. Making a mental note to pass on the message to InuYasha when all was said and done, Hitomu gathered himself and ran toward a corner of the shrine to begin laying barrier sutras.

 

**********

 

“Damn it!” InuYasha hissed as Ken's blade cut a burning slash down his arm. He vaguely wondered, in the back of his mind, if he had been smart to retire his old fire-rat haori, with the knowledge one of their most brutal enemies was a fire youkai. `Note to self: re-commission a coat…'

 

His musings were interrupted by a shout, a scream, a cry so loud and so heart-achingly familiar he could almost imagine them back in the Sengoku Jidai. The only difference was what Kagome was screaming.

 

“Mama! Souta! Let me go!” He could smell her tears from the other side of the courtyard, could hear Miroku pleading with her, reassuring her, telling her Naraku would stay weak only as long as she kept the jewel safe with her.

 

`Naraku?' InuYasha's heart stopped, `Here? At the shrine? Where?' He couldn't scent the bastard anywhere. There was no hint that their enemy of so many years ago was back… but Miroku and Kagome had to have seen something to be talking about him…

 

Ken's face stretched into an evil laugh, twisting to see where InuYasha's attention had strayed in the middle of their battle. As they saw the two stumbled out of the house, Miroku literally dragging a screaming Kagome through the door, three things happened.

 

A gust of wind, followed by a backlash of heat as though somebody had closed an attic window in the height of summer, signaled to everybody Hitomu had gotten the sound-dampening barrier in place. Almost a split-second later, three gunshots rang out from behind Ken, where Sango had finally unleashed her most powerful weapon. The bullets, fused with holy power, sped through the air, creating a hum only the hanyou and youkai could hear. Sango was a world-class marksman, each bullet found its way into Ken's flesh, purifying him.

 

But as those deadly bullets whizzed through the air, Ken let out a low, evil chuckle, and hurled a fireball directly at the house.

 

Miroku hit the ground, face stinging, head reeling as the young miko reacted to seeing her childhood home go up in flames. Screaming, crying, Kagome flung her arm around at him, creating a wave of heat just warm enough to force his iron grip on her to loosen. For the second time in what seemed like as many minutes, she scrambled on the ground, shoving herself to her feet, mindless of the miasma now seeping out of the windows, a darker purple than the smoke. She got almost halfway back across the yard when she heard InuYasha shout her name in desperation. His feral cry triggered something in her, spoke to her, and told her she had to stop, as though he had reached across the yard and grabbed her by the hand.

 

“Kagome!” InuYasha nearly panicked, watching her take down Miroku, clearly intent on fighting her way back to her family. “Kagome!” Using all his youki, calling on every bit of strength he had developed as alpha of his pack, he willed her to stop. He didn't know if it would work, she wasn't wearing a talisman, which would normally allow him to anchor his pack members in place for just a moment. That moment had proven critical in the past. `If I can just get her to stop!'

 

Kagome's ring shone bright red, reacting to the desperation in InuYasha's shout. `The ring! It's made of my fang!' The hanyou, seizing the moment, tried again as he saw her try to remove it. “Kagome, stay still!” His youki rose from the ring, bound her in place as Tsukiyoshi and Hitomu raced over to hold her back.

 

InuYasha thought he would die of the anger, the frustration apparent in Kagome's eyes. “SOUTA!” Tears fell, “MAMA! Jii-chan!”

 

“Your grandfather is fine, do not worry. I already got him out of the way.” Tsukiyoshi gripped her wrists, holding her still as InuYasha's youki receded and gave her mobility. “He's okay, it's okay.”

 

“Don't tell me not to worry! Souta and Mama! They're still in there! Let me go!” Kagome began to sob, entire body shaking.

 

“Shhhh… It's okay. InuYasha and Sango are saving them now.” Hitomu spoke quietly, arms around her waist. She still struggled, weaker now as the little miasma she had breathed in began to take effect. She could have purified Tsukiyoshi, but it would have no effect on Hitomu, nor Miroku, who now gripped her by her shoulders, standing between her and the house she knew was slowly crumbling. The living, breathing shield couldn't halt the sounds of the house as it creaked on its foundation.

 

**********

 

Arm to his face, InuYasha followed Sango into the burning house, focusing his senses for any sound of Kagome's family. Between the smoke and the burning miasma, InuYasha's sense of smell was pretty much useless. Sango had immediately recognized the poisonous vapors and wrapped her mask around her face. The look in her eyes promised retribution for those who had hurt her pack sister.

 

Ears pointed toward the room where Kagome's family had gathered to watch television and play video games, InuYasha picked up the faint sound of coughing. He shoved past Sango, reaching out to Kagome's mother who seemed to be barely hanging on. Tears in her eyes, Sango gathered up Souta a moment before a burning piece of ceiling caved in where he lay.

 

Ducking his head and closing his eyes, InuYasha took advantage of the first escape opportunity available, tossing himself through the burning wall, taking the brunt of the crash. Sango followed through the hole he had created, headed toward where the other members of her family stood grouped around Kagome. They couldn't see her through the men, but they could clearly hear her shouting.

 

“They're okay!” Miroku came forward to take Kagome's younger brother from Sango's arms, laying him on the ground and checking him over for injuries. Hitomu had begun similar ministrations on Kagome's mother. Miroku's heart sank as he studied the boy; he wasn't breathing, and his heart was beating much too slowly. As he began administering C.P.R. on Souta, a very familiar voice cut through the smoke and sounds of crackling fire.

 

“So, you've finally come…” InuYasha shifted, Tetsusaiga drawn again, golden eyes darting to see where their ancient enemy waited. Just ahead of them, Naraku's shape blurred, as though he were a hologram. “InuYasha. Do you truly believe you can stop me from retrieving the other half of the Shikon no Tama?” Tsukiyoshi and Sango stepped closer to Kagome protectively, who had turned her back on them, wailing as she watched Miroku try to save her brother's life.

 

“Fucking bastard! We took you down once, we'll do it again!” InuYasha growled as he unsheathed his sword. With Hitomu's barrier in place, he could do what he'd wanted to do since the battle with Ken had begun.

 

“KAZE NO KIZU!” Slamming his sword into the ground, five arcs of white-hot flame shot toward Naraku, who flickered like a candle before disappearing completely. “Did I get him?”

 

The wind attack had dispersed much of the smoke around the shrine, giving the group a better look around.

 

“Kagome, do you sense the jewel shard nearby?” Sango shook the younger girl's shoulder, trying to draw her attention from the family members who lay mostly unresponsive on the ground. The miko shook her head, tears streaming down her face.

 

A motion near the shrine steps, on the other side of the group, had InuYasha snarling, leaping over them, and holding Tetsusaiga at the ready for the next person stupid enough to challenge him. His emotions were under a paper-thin control, feeling the anguish seep over to him from Kagome.

 

“Don't attack me, you stupid dog!” InuYasha placing the sword in its sheathe as Shippou darted up the stairs. Skidding to a halt, he gazed around the shine, whistling at the damage. His emerald eyes stopped at the damage tracks left by InuYasha's attack on Naraku, following them as they radiated away from the group.

 

The right-most tracks cut on both sides of what was now a crumbled mass of ancient wood, what used to be a shed housing a magic well. The well house had been blown apart by the force of the blast. Darting to it, eyes wide, Shippou realized what had happened.

 

The kitsune couldn't help himself. “I told you she didn't seal the well, baka!”

 

A/N:

 

Kaze no Kizu - “Wind Scar”

 

I have to admit… I've never really written that in-depth of a battle sequence before, so I apologize if it was a bit disappointing! If you have a few questions… good, I actually wrote it that way. There are a few holes, I know, which will be filled in later chapters.

 

Don't worry, for all you Sessy-fans, the awesome Youkai Lord will be making his first future-appearance in the next chapter.

 

On a side note - I'm starting to get pretty long winded with my responses to reviews. I'm also nowhere near finished with this fic, but already planning at least one sequel (focusing on some of the OCs in the Pack)… would there be interest in that? Also, would there be interest in me starting an LJ for reader responses, previews, thoughts and hints?

 

“Thank you” to everybody who's reviewed so far. Specifically -

phalon23, pokiepal (I'm sorry to hear about the puppy! Hugs and luffs to it, I hope all is better this week!), Sovereignty, Kurinju-sama (hahahahaha, posting that cliffhanger was probably one of the most hilarious moments of my life, in a mean way…), loretta537 (Sess will actually make his future-debut in the next chapter, along with his mate), Kryptoinuyasha (I think Inu's eating a LOT of crow-youkai right now…), angel-up-above-heaven, wbk (I don't think you know just how much your review helped a really bad day. Just reading that somebody had actually RECOMMENDED “Pack Law” helped me bounce back. You'll definitely hear a lot of the history of OCs as the story progresses.), catbaker (speaking of making me feel great, thank you for recommending my fic! It's thrilling to read that somebody is actually suggesting this as decent reading! As for those love triangles… *evil grin* You have NO idea…), kittty, CatLover260 (You guessed it! Ding, ding, ding!), Lil Elf (ask and ye shall receive!)

 

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or any other characters from the anime/manga. They all belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

 

I do, however, own the original characters in this story. Please don't steal them! (I may let you borrow them if you ask politely.)