InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Suffer The Fray ❯ Eye for an Eye ( Chapter 29 )

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

Disclaimer: I hold no claim to the characters of InuYasha...Rumiko Takahashi does. I only claim ownership of Shunsoke, and I make zero profit from writing this.

A/N:  This chapter has not been beta’d and only edited by myself.

C'mon...  Inuyasha sent a roundhouse kick into his brother's muzzle, blocking with his sword as the Dai-youkai countered back instantly with salivating jaws. C'mon!

Tetsusaiga vibrated as it bounced off Sesshomaru's fang, sending Inuyasha sailing. The hanyou twisted backward in the air and used his free hand to spring off the ground, landing squarely back on both of his feet. Pain twined through his wounded abdomen, but he closed off his mind to it as he took Tetsusaiga's hilt with both hands.

"C'mon, you bastard!"

Sesshomaru needed no invitation; the enormous inu-prince dove for him with a thunderous snarl. His huge paw swatted and missed as Inuyasha dodged, leaping into the air and bringing the butt of his weapon down on the great white dog's sensitive nose. The howl of pain that followed only fueled Sesshomaru's rage further.

That's it. Get angry. Inuyasha smirked. You're much more fun that way.

His elder sibling swung intense red eyes in his direction and the hanyou nonchalantly hefted his sword onto his shoulder. "This is just sad, Sesshomaru. I thought you had more fight in you, but I guess that barrier was just too much for you to handle."

He received a barking growl of a reply before the dog moved, faster than he anticipated. Before he could react, he was snatched in his brother's foaming jaws and slung into the side of their father's fortress. The mortar cracked from the impact, but held, leaving him to fall to the ground in a stunned heap of bruised limbs.

"Sh-shit." Inuyasha stabbed Tetsusaiga into the earth and used the blade to push to his feet, body screaming as he moved. "That wasn't funny, asshole."

Sesshomaru didn't seem to mind, stalking toward him and pouncing. The younger brother dove to his left, rolling to his feet and racing around the paw trying to crush him. The dog reacted swiftly and used a hind foot to land a solid mule kick to his smaller opponent. Surprised by the move, Inuyasha was caught off-guard and the blow hit him in the forearm, shattering the bones of his wrist and knocking Tetsusaiga into the air.

Inuyasha vaguely registered the paroxysm in his arm, his tourmaline gaze fixated on his somersaulting sword. He watched as Tetsusaiga clattered to a rest in the dirt about twenty yards away.

Not good.

A shift in the air made him turn around, Sesshomaru's claws flashing before him with a bloom of his blood. He dropped to his knees and pressed his functioning hand to his slashed chest, rusty blood coating his palm when he looked down. His ears faintly recognized the sound of Kagome's voice screaming his name.

Not fucking good.

Inuyasha blinked his bleary eyes as his elder brother's gigantic form filled his vision. He hadn't really had a plan when he had pitted himself against Sesshomaru, but his general goal was to keep Kagome safe from his rampage. He had hoped to occupy him long enough for his rage or body to give out, but it appeared that Sesshomaru was once again going to prove him wrong.

Sesshomaru lowered his massive head and bared his fangs, the poison in his saliva foaming as it dripped to the ground. A deep, menacing rumble rolled out of his throat and hit Inuyasha in the face.

The hanyou growled back. "Fuck you too."

Inuyasha knew he only had a few moments to come up with a way out of this seemingly hopeless situation, but he was completely stumped. I've lost too much damn blood and I don't have Tetsusaiga. He followed Sesshomaru's tongue as it slid along his chops. Yeah, I bet you can't wait to fucking kill me.

"Inuyasha!"

His heart leapt into his throat as his golden gaze swiveled over and caught sight of Kagome shuffling toward him as fast as her debilitated legs would carry her. "Kagome, no!"

His desperate shout stilled her feet, tears streaking her dirty cheeks as she wobbled. "Inuyasha..." She reached her hand out toward him. "Please, Inuyasha..."

His vision focused on the tattered bandage that wrapped around the wrist of the hand she had extended toward him, recalling the sight of Koga tearing at it like a starving animal. He had made a promise to himself that very morning that he would protect her with his life, but he had been lax on his word and it had led to her injury.

I was lucky that day. I won't let luck be the deciding factor again, Kagome.

"Inu...yasha..." Exhaustion sent her to her knees, her umber eyes beckoning.

He met her liquid-crystal eyes and shook his head, incensed when her long, elegant fingers curled into clenched fists that she slammed into the ground.

I'm breaking her heart...all because of somebody like my brother.

It boiled his blood to have to hurt her in order to make sure she remained alive. He cut his narrowed gaze back to his elder sibling, cracking the knuckles of his intact hand. His dog howled in response to his wrath and Inuyasha called it forth, welcoming the pulsing sensation that renewed his strength.  The pain radiating throughout his body faded and he grinned as his eyes bloomed with red.

You're gonna pay for this, you fucking asshole!

Inuyasha propelled himself forward, raking his lengthened claws across his chest before lashing out at Sesshomaru's gaping jaws. "Hijin Kessou!"

The blades only glanced off the shoulder of their target as the Dai-youkai ducked left and batted at his darting prey. The hanyou scantily avoided the crushing blows, jumping in and out of the colossal dog's reach as he continued his assault. Sesshomaru took the blows, shallow and numerous, but realized the game quickly and managed to catch the swift hanyou with the brunt of his skull. The head butt sent him careening into the dirt, carving a trench with his body until he was stopped.

Inuyasha collided with the cliff side only feet from where Sesshomaru had blasted free and lurched upright from his crater. Even with my dog I'm not strong enough! Snarling, he staggered to his feet and stared down Sesshomaru as he prowled closer. Smug son of a bitch, I'm gonna-

His thought died as a scream rent through the chilly night air. Ears twitching, he followed the sound and gazed to his right, catching a glimpse of a woman that was definitely not Kagome.

Rin?

Inuyasha flicked his line of sight back to his opponent and knew his assumption was correct. Sesshomaru's eyes were no longer focused on him, but the young woman running toward them. The Dai-youkai regarded her silently, his gaping jaws slowly closing as she came to a halt between the two males with her arms outstretched.

"No more!" Her shout wobbled with emotion. "No more fighting!"

Inuyasha spied a slight lift in Sesshomaru's lip and was moving in an instant. "Sesshomaru!"

The inu-prince swiveled his descending fangs away from Rin just as a flash of red and silver hurtled past his muzzle. Inuyasha felt the whisper of Sesshomaru's teeth against his back as he put all his lasting energy into shoving Rin out of danger. Her warm, honey eyes were wide with shock as his claws dug into her shoulder, his push a bit overzealous, but achieving the desired result.

Heat seared across his hip as Sesshomaru's fang sank deep into his flesh. Inuyasha grunted against the fresh wave of pain and shot his left elbow directly into the soft center of his elder brother's nose. The dog howled and gave his head a violent shake that dislodged his captured quarry, dispatching Inuyasha into the soil with dire force.

"Inuyasha!"

His ears flickered as he heard her limp toward him, an uneven beat vibrating lightly through the earth around him. His attempt to single out her scent was flattened by the overpowering smell of his own copper blood, thoroughly soaking his clothes. He tried pushing himself up, but none of his limbs would obey. Sagging into the ground with resignation, Inuyasha's head lolled back as straining coughs seized his clouted chest.

"Inuyasha..." Pea-sized bits of gravel bounced off his unbroken arm as she slid to a halt, dropping to her knees with a soft thud.

He cracked his crimson eyes open a fraction. "Kag...Kagome..."

"Stupid hanyou." Her strong fingers latched onto his blood-sodden haori and jerked his head into her denim-clad lap. Her touch was as delicate as her whisper as she brushed his sterling forelocks aside and touched along the jagged lavender stripes she revealed. "Why did you insist on doing this for me?"

"It’s...my job." He strained to grasp her hand with his own, relieved when she took hold of his grip. "As long as there is still breath in my body," he squeezed her delicate fingers, "I will protect you, Kagome."

Her other hand fisted in his haori and pulled him farther into her lap, hugging him to her. "Inuyasha, you're wounds are too great."

"I know." He inhaled deeply, groaning against the pain. "If I fight any longer, my dog will take over and I'll transform. I'm still not strong enough to completely control it without Tetsusaiga."

"Where-?"

Kagome inquiry was cutoff as the earth shook beneath them, diverting their attention back to Sesshomaru. His thunderous footsteps brought him to hover over them, his vast red eyes blinking lazily as he regarded them. His lengthy tongue flicked out and ran menacingly along his chops.

"Sesshomaru," Inuyasha released Kagome's hand and labored to push himself upright. "I...fucking dare you...to try."

Kagome held fast to him. "No, Inuyasha. You can hardly move."

"Lord Sesshomaru!"

The pair looked away from the Dai-youkai and watched with amazement as Rin ran toward them. Her arms clutched her tattered kimono together as she came up beside the gigantic dog. Her caramel-colored eyes were stern as she gazed up at her former guardian.

"Stop this, Lord Sesshomaru!" She held out a tentative hand. "There is no need to kill them!"

Sesshomaru angled his head toward her, emitting a soft growl of warning.

"Rin!" Inuyasha allowed Kagome to help him to his feet. "Get the hell away from him!"

She glanced over at them and shook her head gravely. "No, I refuse."

"You idiot! He'll kill you!"

"Inuyasha," Kagome tightened her arms around his torso, "let her try."

He cut his eyes back to the miko. "She's gonna get herself fucking killed."

Her brown eyes were soft as she rested her head wearily against his shoulder. "Give her a chance, Inuyasha."

He knew Sesshomaru had risked his own life to protect Rin numerous times in the past and to imagine him taking her life seemed ridiculous, but in his current state, Sesshomaru was driven solely by instinct.

The instinct to kill.

He knew that his own transformation was different from Sesshomaru's in the fact that the inu-prince didn't have a human heart to lose, but the result was the same when he gave up his control of his nature. It was the entire reason Sesshomaru used it as a last resort; once transformed, there was no such thing as discrimination and every living thing within reach was fair game. Unrestrained bloodlust was the ultimate condemnation and Inuyasha knew it would take a near miracle to snap its hold on Sesshomaru.

"He's no different from me when I lose control, Kagome."

"I know that," she gripped his upper arms tightly. "But I'm gonna give him the same faith that I gave you. I knew that you would hear me and I know that Sesshomaru will hear Rin."

The confident tone of her voice stayed his hand and he recalled her saying that there was a bond betwixt the two standing before them. Kagome had done the near impossible and reversed his transformation more than once, no doubt the result of her unyielding love, and now it was Rin's turn to prove herself.

"Fine, but don't cry when I say 'I told you so'." He grudgingly resigned himself to being a spectator as Rin stared down her potential doom.

"Please leave them be, Lord Sesshomaru." Her voice vibrated with emotion as she approached cautiously. "They have done nothing against you."

Sesshomaru openly snarled in response, jaws snapping together defiantly as he whirled away from her and moved back toward his younger sibling.

"Lord Sesshomaru, no!"

Inuyasha jerked free from Kagome's hold as Rin dove forward and latched onto Sesshomaru's foreleg. "Rin!"

The great white beast froze, bewildered by the sensation and turned to face her, lowering his nose to her level.

"Please," Her arms tightened on his leg as she pressed her face into a patch of snowy fur free from the stain of his blood. "Please don't hurt them!"

The hanyou watched fastidiously as Sesshomaru's eyes snapped wide and a red glow engulfed his massive frame. Seconds later, a torrent of air blasted out with the Dai-youkai's aura and Inuyasha was forced to shield Kagome from the debris that flew toward them.

"Get down!" He wrapped his arms around her and dropped into a crouch, only relaxing when the wind died down. Shaking his head free from a layer of sand, Inuyasha set her back. "Are you alright, Kagome?"

She lifted her head from where she'd tucked it to his chest. "Yes, but what was that?"

Inuyasha held her arms tightly as he stood back up, casting a glance back over his shoulder.
"He turned back. She did it."

The inu-hanyou and the miko watched with bated breath as Sesshomaru's tawny eyes stared down at Rin from beneath his frosty bangs, his lacerated arm still tangled in her embrace.

Koga's cerulean gaze held fast to the flickering flames of the small fire burning only a few feet in front of him. Tiny bits of ash floated about as the limbs and kindling crackled, almost deafening to his sensitive ears in the darkness. The acrid smell of smoke hung heavily in the air and he found that it nullified the scent of all the others sound asleep around him.

The wolf sighed and leaned back against the trunk of the tall tree that towered behind him. The heat of the fire buffered against his crossed legs and he was reminded of the fact that he no longer was in the possession of the tingling warmth of the Shikon Jewel shards. The thought had at one time left him feeling weak, but if he was truly honest with himself, he couldn't deny the truth of Ayame's words.

 "As my first decision as Alpha, I felt it was in our shared interest to aid you, Koga, the most powerful warrior of our race, in your fight against Naraku."

Koga lifted his right hand and stared at it intently, recalling the electric charge that had run through his body when Ayame's hand had pressed to his chest. The thunder claws had manifested immediately, the steel claws encasing each of his fingers and fusing to the cuff encircling his wrist with fine chains of demonic aura. And just as fast as it had appeared, the Goraishi returned to reside in the depths of his youki.

The weapon of our ancestors...and now it is mine to use against Naraku.

He had for a long time believed the existence of the Goraishi to simply be a myth, having paid the stories of his elders little mind as he grew up. Much of his childhood had been spent in scuffles with the other wolf pups in his clan, all of them striving to achieve a higher rank and earn subordinates. He had not been born the son of a pack alpha, so his efforts to elevate himself had proved paramount in his rise to leader of the Eastern ookami-youkai tribe.

Perhaps he had been a bit too ambitious in his pursuit of power, because it now seemed he was the lucky candidate that his entire race had deemed worthy as their absolute leader alongside Ayame. He was never one to presume having bitten off more than he could chew, but it was entirely possible that he had.

His keen ears caught the sound of the kitsune's sleep-induced murmuring and brought his attention back to the present, glancing through the moonlit clearing to where he had seen Ayame curl up for the night.

Koga blinked with surprise. She's gone!

Jumping to his feet, he darted to where he had seen her lying and was finally able to catch a tendril of her scent now that he had distanced himself from the fire. Unease floated in his belly as a tight knot as he followed the trail of her smell into the surrounding forest. The farther into the trees he went, the stronger her scent became as it began to mingle with that of another wolf.

Where the hell are you, Ayame? He swatted away an offending branch that hung in his line of sight. How am I supposed to watch out for you when you disappear?

Hopping lithely over a line of hedges, Koga dropped to one knee as the intensity of her scent enveloped him. He allowed the light, sweet smell wash over him and opened his sharp eyes to see her perched on a log before him. She sat with her knees tucked to her chest, hands wrapped in the ruff around the neck of the silver wolf sitting at her feet.

Her head tilted in his direction, her sparkling green eyes meeting his from over her shoulder. "I was wondering when you would come looking for me."

Koga stood, but hesitated to join her. "Ayame, you shouldn't go off alone."

The ginger-haired wolf sent him a mirthful grin. "Did I worry you?" She sighed and looked back toward her four-legged companion. "I apologize."

The muscles along his jaw clenched. "You don't exactly sound all that sorry."

"That's because I'm not."

"Ayame," Koga growled at her dismissive tone, "this isn't some kind of game."

Her shoulders hunched and the wolf at her feet stood with snarl. "Do I honestly seem that stupid to you, Koga?" She dug her fingers into the bark of the log. "I know better than anyone that this isn't a game. The real question is, do you?"

"What?"

"It is so easy for you, Koga." She pulled her head up to stare up into the night sky. "You have set yourself on the single-minded path of revenge on Naraku, abandoning the rest of your pack to fend for themselves."

Koga finally moved toward her, stopping within arms-reach of her fur-draped shoulders. "I can't let him get away with what he's done, Ayame. My honor depends on it."

She snorted softly, dropping her feet to the ground. "You have no idea how much my support of that has been flung back in my face."

He focused his gaze on the metallic sheen of her copper pigtails. "What are you talking about?"

Ayame sighed as the silver wolf whimpered and laid his muzzle on her knee, sneaking out his tongue to lap at her fingers. "Civil unrest is running rampant between the tribes and the number of casualties is rising. Everyone is battling to find a leader to unite them and since my grandfather's death, it has fallen to me to be that leader."

The despair in her tone led his hand out to rest on her shoulder. "Shouldn't that be the Elders job?"

Her shimmering eyes darted to his strong fingers. "No. I am the Alpha. It is my duty."
"Ayame..."

"For a long time the packs avoided conflict because they believed that you would unite them. You were a wolf with the strength to lead them all and when you left on your quest for Naraku, they felt abandoned. The betrayal they felt fueled the fire and the packs began infighting. By the time grandfather died, the situation had become dire and the remaining Elders believed I would finally be able to bring about peace."

Her head drooped as a shudder ran through her frame. "They were furious with me when I not only told them that I wasn't going to force your return, but that I was going to help you in your fight. They believe that I am condemning all ookami-youkai to a violent end."

Koga suddenly felt incredibly asinine as the salty sting of Ayame's tears reached his nose. "I never proclaimed to be anyone's savior."

Ayame ignored him. "I didn't matter what I said. They all believe you are so obsessed with the dead that you have forsaken the living, and that I am only fueling that obsession.  I was given an ultimatum when I decided to take the Goraishi- bring you back by winter or be exiled."

"Exiled?"

"Yes, exiled." She rested her elbows on her knees. "It's a death sentence."

"Why?" His grip tightened on her shoulder. "Why are you helping me?"

She smacked away his hand with a growl. "Because it would be what my grandfather would've wanted me to do!"

He swallowed the thick lump in his throat, shocked at her vehemence. "Ayame, I-"

She whipped her watery eyes to his with frustration. "He knew how powerful you were. He knew you were capable of bringing the tribes together. He believed in you!" The female wolf jerked away from him, getting to her feet as a sob brought her voice back to a whisper. "I believed in you."

Koga leapt over the log, ignoring the growling silver wolf, and grabbed her shoulder once again, spinning her to face him. "Are you saying that you don't anymore?!"

Her emerald eyes snapped to his azure gaze, angrily brushing away his hands. "I don't know what to believe anymore!"

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

She crossed her arms dejectedly. "I used to believe there wasn't anything you couldn't do after you saved me all those years ago. I knew it down to my bones that you would be a wolf that etched a place into our history, and I always thought I would be there to see it with my own eyes."

"Ayame, I can't-"

Ayame swiped at the tears sliding down her face and shook her head. "Don't worry, Koga. You've made it abundantly clear that you won't be coming back to be my mate."

He sighed. "I made that promise so long ago; I hardly knew you."

"At least you aren't trying to deny it anymore." She strode past him and knelt down to soothe the agitated wolf. "I'll take what I can get out of you, I guess."

"Ayame."

"No, you denied your promise to join me. It has only solidified the wolves’ belief that you have deserted us.”

"I will never desert them!" Koga glared at the iris nestled in her hair because he couldn't see her face. "You know better than that!"

She dropped her forehead against the wolf's. "Truly? Why is it that I know you will avenge your comrades and return to lead us, but that you won't keep your promise to me?"

Her pain was palpable in the air around him and he realized had been wrong about her all along. He had figured her to only be a spoiled, nonsensical girl that was never denied, but that wasn't the case at all. She was risking everything for him and all she had to go on was his word- his promise.  Her loyalty to him went beyond anything necessary between mates, because if she was exiled, she would be hunted until her death.

She is willing to die for me...

"I'm sorry that I led you to doubt me, but I will not allow your sacrifice to be in vain."

The young wolf's hair bounced as her head snapped up, pivoting on her heels to look up at him, still crouching by her companion. "Koga?" She blinked with disbelief as he jerked her to her feet, his rough hands engulfing hers. "Koga, what...?"

"Ayame, don't give up on me."

She looked away, dark eyes swirling. "Koga, I don't know what you want me to say to you."

He squeezed her hands. "You don't have to say anything, just stay." He watched her pull her lower lip between her teeth apprehensively. "Stay with me, Ayame."

"Why?"

The skeptical question seemed to fall from her lips involuntarily and he sighed. "There are too many lives at stake with Naraku alive and it pains me to admit this to you, but I can only focus my energy toward one goal at a time." He rubbed his thumbs over her knuckles. "Once he's dead, I swear I will do my best to help you."

The wary glow persisted in her eyes. "You're not going to try and send me back?"

"No, I won't let you go back."

"What?"

Koga watched her struggle to comprehend his words. "Ayame, I won't let them exile you."

"Koga..." Fresh tears pooled in her eyes as she freed her hands, wrapping them anxiously about her middle.

He hesitantly reached for her, the swirling emotions in her scent churning his stomach. "Ayame?"

The sound of her name dropping from his lips seemed to snap the tension plaguing her body, a sob of relief escaping her throat as she threw herself at him. Koga only had a moment to comprehend the action, his arms instantly lifting to wrap around her slight shoulders as she buried her face into the crook of his neck. He held her as she cried, gazing past the iris in her hair to the wolf lazily wagging his tail back and forth behind her.

Slowly, almost timidly, he reached up and brushed his fingers through her pigtails as her tears stained the fur on his shoulder, knowing there was no way he would fail again. His face tipped toward her head, settling his nose in her hair as he inhaled the innocent sweetness.

Don't give up on me, Ayame.

His intense, golden gaze studied her face as it beckoned to him, noting that age had only enhanced the beauty she had had as a child. He would have to have been blind not to see it, despite the dirt smudged across the smooth skin of her cheeks and the faint bruise beginning to make its presence known along her jaw line. It was perplexing to him, but he found it hard to find anything unbecoming about her, even with her ragged attire and battered complexion when she smiled so brightly at him.

"Thank you," her voice wobbled with emotion. "Thank you for coming back to me, Lord Sesshomaru." Her warm honey eyes pinched shut as a pair of liquid crystals slipped out and slid down her cheeks.

The salty scent of her tears swept through him and he had to consciously stop himself from reaching up and brushing them away. His sudden need to comfort her was overwhelming and it only served to fuel his wrath further.

"Unhand me."

His voice was rougher than usual and Rin's eyes flicked back open with obvious confusion. "Milord?"

The strain of fear in her scent twisted something within him and his irritation only grew exponentially at his own wayward instincts. A soft growl stirred in his throat. "Unhand me."

Rin's eyes dropped from his face to where her hands were wound about his arm and the offending digits began to softly caress the limb. "But you're wounded, Milord. Please allow this Rin-"

"You would disobey me?" His growl became audible as he jerked his arm up to his chest and effectively dragged her up against his tall body.

The scathing tone of his voice sent her already badgered frame trembling, their difference in height leaving the toes of her feet straining to keep her standing as she refused to release his arm. "Lord Sesshomaru, please..." Her voice trailed off as more tears escaped her eyes, her head ducking away from his piercing gaze. Her arms were visibly shaking as she struggled to keep hold of him. "Please..."

Her scent was blanketed with her fear of him and it vexed him as to why she seemed determined to ignore it. Sesshomaru surveyed her silently, every fiber of his inu-youkai body screaming to cradle her softness against him, and yet he remained motionless. He was disturbed by his unnatural need to shield this fragile creature from danger and could not figure out what to attribute it to.

"Do you have something to protect?"

The rumble in his chest ebbed as his father's voice stole through his mind, the memory as fresh as if it had occurred yesterday. Inu no Taisho had refused to be swayed in his decision to rescue his human mate, to protect her from danger, and that desire had served to be the great Dai-youkai's end. He had been unable to understand what his father had been trying to convey at the time, but it suddenly seemed to fall into place for him.

"I, Sesshomaru, protect nothing."

The growl grew into a snarl as he threw Rin away from him without warning, the sharp movement too much for her weakened arms to withstand. She was sent crashing into the ground with a harsh slap of palms against dirt, too stunned by the impact to even make a sound.

"Rin!"

Sesshomaru snapped his cold eyes to his half-breed sibling's woman as she tried to come to the girl's aid, easily stopping her in her tracks.

"Lord...Sess..." Rin fought to push herself up, lifting red-rimmed eyes to meet his glare.

"You dare to interfere while I kill that worthless half-breed?" Sesshomaru didn't try to soften the sneer in his tone. "You dare to disobey me?"

Rin finally levered herself into a sitting position. "But, I-"

He lashed out faster than she could register; snatching the soft dark hair of her offset ponytail in his grasp and jerking her head back as she cried out. "Do you want to die?"

"Let her go, Sesshomaru!"

He caught the shuffling movement of Inuyasha to his left and released the girl, pivoting on his heel and snatching the hanyou's throat in one fluid motion. His sibling's eyes blinked with irritation as Sesshomaru dug his claws into the sensitive flesh of his neck, pleased at the sight of fresh blood drooling from the wounds.

He narrowed his eyes at his offending younger brother. "You never did know when to leave well enough alone."

Inuyasha continued to glare at him and spoke through gritted teeth. "Leave Rin alone."

"Who are you to make demands of me, half-breed?"

"Call me whatever the hell you want," Inuyasha winced as the claws on his neck twitched, "but I won't let you hurt her."

Sesshomaru's tawny eyes flashed angrily as a telling green glow enveloped his hand. "Then I will kill you both."

The hanyou's face twisted as the poison in his brother's claws oozed into his wounds, a vein ticking on his forehead as he fought for air against the increasing pressure of Sesshomaru's grip. His unbroken arm made a weak attempt to pry the strangling hold on his throat, clawing futilely at the Dai-youkai's already ravaged arm. Sesshomaru was pleased when the hand fell away and Inuyasha's eyes drooped, a bit of foaming saliva pooling at the corner of his mouth.

He was surprised she had waited as long as she did, but he anticipated her movement and countered Kagome's attack with a swift backhand to the face, leaving Inuyasha to crumple to the ground. What he hadn't expected was the shock that came with the blow, snapping up along his arm to slam into his heart. He staggered back as step and watched Kagome reel, her knees giving out and sending her to the ground.

"Ignorant human." Sesshomaru clenched a fist. “Did you really believe your wretched power would affect me?”

Kagome recovered remarkably fast, scrambling over to where Inuyasha lay still on the ground. When she looked up at him, he was pleased to note the blood drooling from her split lip as she glared defiantly. "I am not afraid of you, Sesshomaru."

"Fear would be quite unbecoming for a priestess." He moved to loom over her. "You will leave this world as a respectable adversary.”

He reached out his bloody arm to snatch her neck, but another small hand intervened by taking hold of his wrist. “You will not touch Lady Kagome.”

Sesshomaru eased his infuriated amber gaze to Rin’s angelic face, a mask of temerity painted over her delicate features. His retort died in his throat as he discovered the fear previously smothering her scent to be gone, dissolved in the small fraction of time since he had tossed her aside. Her honey-colored eyes were flecked with green as they dared him to stop her as she lifted his claws to her own spindle-like neck.

“She risked her life to save me from Akago’s possession. I am in her debt.” Rin pressed his claws to her flesh and lifted her chin. “I demand that you take my life in place of hers.”

It was the boldness of her actions that stayed his hand. The glint in her eyes was the same he had seen when she was a child on the day he had left her behind, a fiery spark that dared him to prove her wrong. Sesshomaru realized in that moment that she could see through him; she could see what he was so fixated on ignoring. She was as aware as he was of the strange power that pulled them toward one another and she was unafraid to put her faith into that power.

She knew he needed her as much as she needed him, loathe as he was to admit it. She knew he was unable to kill her and was using it against him.

She certainly learned the way of humans well…

Sesshomaru was unperturbed by the sudden calm that swept through him, shifting his hand away from her throat to softly cradle her chin. “Perhaps you did not hear me,” he lifted his thumb to run along her full lower lip, pleased to see her falter under his penetrating gaze. “No one makes demands of me.”

Her eyes snapped wide, searching his face even as he none too gently shoved her away. He spun away from her inspection and strode toward the surrounding trees, moving in the direction of his quivering servant’s aura. He did not care that her questions bore their way into his back and he did not care when his ears caught the sound of her collapsing to the ground with vexation.

Jaken popped out of the foliage only a moment after he entered the solace of the forest, hoping about with agitation. “Lord Sesshomaru!” He tottered along behind when the Dai-youkai did not stop walking. “Oh, Lord Sesssho-”

Sesshomaru silenced him with eyes that promised death before continuing on to where Ah-Un waited patiently. The twin-headed dragon bleated a welcome and rumbled as the inu-youkai touched both of their heads in turn.

“You will stay here with Rin.”

The dual-minded dragon perked at the name and eagerly struck out in the girl’s direction, moving past the imp that looked as if he was about to burst with the need to voice his unwarranted opinion. Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes to make sure Jaken’s mouth remained shut and continued his journey into the woods, fully aware that the entire time he spent recovering would be plagued with thoughts of the nymph-like creature that was Rin.

A/N:  I, once again, apologize for the wait for this update. I’ve had a lot going on this year(needing the keyboard replaced on my laptop , searching and buying a car, and my boyfriend joining the Navy) and this chapter seemed particularly stubborn about being finished. I recently lost my job though, so I hope to get back on track with this fic with all my spare time. I hope this chapter isn’t lacking in comparison with the others since I was a bit rusty when I wrote it.  I hope you enjoyed it and leave me a review with your opinions. I would greatly appreciate it.  - Reux



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