InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Sword of Supreme Conquest ❯ Chapter 28 ( Chapter 28 )

For an agonizing moment no one in the clearing dared move or breathe. The group stared in muted shock at Akira and the blade gripped tightly within his grasp. He had a satisfied smile on his face but it did not reach his eyes. Those same kind, azure orbs that had drawn Kagome in and bought her trust, now burned with a dark and malevolent hatred. His gaze did not waver from Sesshomaru as he awaited the demon lord's response. He had dreamed of this day his entire life and now, finally, he would have his revenge. Only once Sesshomaru was dead could the hatred in his heart, bred by a lifetime of pain, be satiated. There was no going back now. It was do or die and the fang that hummed within his grip nearly guaranteed that he would be the one to walk away from this final battle.

 

 

Sesshomaru kept his eyes trained upon Akira and his fist clenched tightly at his side. His body radiated with anger at the extent of the boy's betrayal. Never had he imagined that he was capable of this. He was at a severe disadvantage without his fang and so wisely kept silent. As he held the burning gaze of his traitorous son he couldn't help but feel pity for Kagome. He'd manipulated her, played upon her human weaknesses of compassion and love, to ensnare her within his tangled web. If only he'd known sooner he might have been able to do something, but now it was too late. He was admittedly more than a little shocked that she hadn't figured out something was amiss sooner. Kagome had proven to him again and again that she was an impeccable judge of character, how could she have been so far off this time?

 

 

As his son had grown and matured, Sesshomaru realized the dangerous thirst for power and ambition that consumed his life. To avoid any future troubles, he'd placed a powerful barrier on the fang, much like the one his own father had placed upon Tetsusaiga, so as to make it impossible for anyone but himself to wield. The only exception to this rule was that any half demon, assumedly one of his sons, could wield the fang if it was bestowed upon them by Kagome. Seeing as she was already dead at the time he created the barrier, he'd thought this a reasonably safe way to protect his fang and keep the balance of power in the Western Lands in check. Unfortunately for everyone, he had underestimated his son's abilities. How he found out about the exception he couldn't be sure, but with the blade in Akira's hands they were all in danger of losing their lives. He would not show any mercy. He'd been conditioned to expect none and none was ever given.

 

 

Unable to resist the pull of her gaze any longer, Sesshomaru's eyes shifted towards Kagome and he became enveloped in her wide eyed stare. She resembled a timid doe, frozen in the twin beams of a car's headlights. A small collection of tears welled at the corners of her eyes but they did not fall even though her body trembled in fear. She hurriedly blinked them away and with a shuddering breath she placed her hand over her heart as if it pained her.

 

 

“Sesshomaru…I'm so sorry…I never wanted,” she began to apologize but her words faltered and Akira cut her off sharply.

 

 

“Don't apologize to him and stop crying. He deserves neither your remorse nor your tears.” His voice was hard, edged with anger and a long festering bitterness. Kagome blinked at him stunned as she tried to pull the pieces together. Akira had called Sesshomaru `father'…was he her son from another relationship perhaps? She cringed inwardly and her heart burned with jealousy at the thought of Sesshomaru bedding another woman. He'd pledged himself to her for eternity, promised to protect her and stay by her side - it was never meant to end like this.

 

 

Rubbing the sweat from her palms against her pants, Kagome took a couple jerky steps backwards and out of harms way. The murderous gleam in Akira's eyes frightened her and she was justifiably wary of the incredibly powerful sword now in his possession. As she watched the scenario slowly playing out before her, she couldn't help but bristle with anger. Akira had cleverly played upon her dedication and love for Sesshomaru, knowing that she would do everything in her power to save him. She'd trusted him, believed every word that had come out of his mouth, and now she realized how foolish she'd been. If anything happened to Sesshomaru now, it would be entirely her fault. She didn't want to live with the pain and regret of knowing that she'd been the one who'd spelt out his doom. Panic and frustration took hold in her chest and churned in her gut. She'd spent the last six years of her life fighting for something only to discover now that all along she'd been nurturing the exact thing she'd been trying to stop. Her entire world was devastated and now what was left was going to be destroyed in the blazing fire of Akira's rage.

 

 

Akira noticed Kagome inching away from him and quickly swung the blade around towards her. She froze mid-step and held her breath as the cold metal edged rested against the smooth alabaster skin of her neck. No one made a move to stop him but she could feel the tension hanging thick in the air and glanced to the side to lock eyes with Sesshomaru. He was still staring hard at her, his amber eyes alive with an inner fire, but it was a blaze of determination and not anger she saw. She couldn't understand his lack of hatred and anger towards her. How could he not hate her after she'd betrayed him to his enemy? Kagome dropped her gaze and swallowed convulsively as she tried to pull her neck as far out of the blade's reach as possible. Akira slowly dragged the tip down her throat in a feather light stroke before he removed it from her skin entirely and fixed her with a dark stare.

 

 

“Do stay,” he pleaded with her softly. “I want you to witness what I'm going to do to him. You have the right to see him suffer for everything he's done to us.”

 

 

“Everything he's done?” Kagome asked stunned, her mouth hanging open in shock. “Who are you? How do you know so much about me?” Akira's eyes hardened at her questions and he grabbed her roughly by the arm to pull her in close to his body.

 

 

“You weren't around much when I was growing up…well you were dead after all…but I never thought you'd forget your own flesh and blood. Or is it because I wasn't his son,” he asked pointing his sword at Sesshomaru for emphasis, “that I'm not worth remembering?” With a disgusted snarl he pushed her out of his grasp and shoved her towards Sesshomaru and Ronin. Kagome stumbled a few steps before falling to her knees in the muddied grass. Akira's words had hit her like a swift punch to the gut, completely knocking the wind out of her. My son? The Akira she'd met in her own time and the angry demon standing over her now glaring at her in disgust, was her son? That had to mean that he was Inuyasha's child, the one she'd abandoned to Sesshomaru's care when he was only a few days old. How had she missed it before? They shared the same cocky stance, couldn't control their quick tempers and resembled one another even more now that she really looked at them. How could she have been so blind as to not see it before? Of course she'd recognized the similarities, but she'd brushed them off as mere coincidences. She'd never once stopped to think of the possibility that they could be father and son.

 

 

Of course, she'd never envisioned herself ending up in this position, with two sons fathered by two different men, and brothers no less. It was like an episode straight off the Jerry Springer Show, only there were no bald headed bouncers or shirtless rednecks with ridiculous ties slung around their necks to add comedic relief. This was real life, her life, and it had become a complete nightmare. There would be no commercial breaks or words of wisdom spoken through a cocky smile at the end of the episode. Here there was only cold hard fact, raw emotion and what was left of her heart. Somewhere amongst all of that hatred there was love and there was an answer to the problem they now faced. There was a solution and it was up to her to find out what it was.

 

 

Seeing the hatred burning in Akira's eyes now as he stared at the only father he'd ever known, Kagome realized the costly error she'd made. Her selfish decision to leave him so she could go back through the well had spelt for him a lifetime of pain and hardship. Pitiful tears spilt down her cheeks at the realization of just how horribly she'd failed him. As his mother she should've been the one to protect him, to care for him, but instead she'd left him to the one person who would always harbour a resounding hatred towards him. She'd always wanted to protect her sons from living the life of rejection Inuyasha had suffered, but now she realized that through her good intentions she'd sentenced Akira to the same fate.

 

 

Kagome looked up, revealing to the others her tear stained cheeks and glanced pitifully at Sesshomaru. She needed to know why he'd done it, why he'd punished Akira for her transgressions, but he provided her with no answers. His face remained expressionless but for the frown lines edging around the corners of his lips. Inuyasha appeared just then looking a little worse for the wear as he hopped down from the top of a nearby tree. His eyes quickly took in the scene in front of him until they finally rested on Kagome in muted shock. She shrugged her shoulders helplessly and hung her head, too ashamed to meet his gaze and explain how things had gone so wrong. If only she'd listened to his warnings about Akira sooner, maybe this entire situation could have been avoided.

 

 

“Ah, Inuyasha. How nice of you to join our little party,” the half demon taunted coolly.

 

 

Inuyasha's brows drew low over his golden eyes as he held Akira's gaze.

“Just what the hell do you think you're doing?” he demanded heatedly, his eyes dropping to the sword. Akira followed his gaze briefly before glancing up once more. He shrugged his shoulders lightly and ignored the question.

 

 

“You know, I've spent my entire life trying to live up to your reputation. Since I was a kid all I ever heard about around the palace was how amazing you and Sesshomaru both were, the sons of the great leader of the dog demon tribe. I guess you could say Ronin and I had a lot to live up to, but I think he might have had an easier time of it.” With a callous smirk he swung the blade to the right so it was levelled at Ronin's chest instead of Sesshomaru's. The smirk faded, only to be replaced by a scowl as he heard Kagome's distressed gasp from behind him. Everyone always cares what happens to the perfect son. Ronin…the next leader of the Western Lands…fucking bastard…he can die with the rest of them!

 

 

“Ah yes, the first born son of the Great Lord Sesshomaru…brother you don't know how good you've had it. As the bastard son of Inuyasha you could say things growing up were less than pleasant for me, but you already know all about that. You blamed me for every bad thing that happened to you when we were younger…you used to scream at me that you wished I'd never been born because then your mom would still be around. I was always second rate in that palace, thought of as barely worthy enough to sit at the dining table along with the other demons because, unlike Ronin here, I was not the son of the Great Lord Sesshomaru.” Sesshomaru's title came out tauntingly across his lips and his gaze narrowed towards the majestic silver haired demon lord.

 

 

“I didn't ask for this life!” he screamed at him heatedly as if trying to break with his conviction the stoic mask that forever remained in place. “I never asked to be brought to this place, to be treated like an outcast, like vermin, by the only family I've ever known. I know what you're thinking old man. You think I've betrayed you by stealing this sword, that I'm a traitor, a dishonour to the family name. I may be all of those things but you cannot deny the part you played in all of it.” Akira's eyes panned across the clearing and he fixed every person in front of him with a look that promised retribution.

 

 

“You've all played a part in shaping the man who stands before you now. You mother,” he began and turned to Kagome with a pained look in his eyes, “you abandoned me the day I was born because you loved this man more than your own flesh and blood. The same man who humiliated you and cast you out in front of the entire court, the same man who doubted your loyalty to him again and again, you chose him over me!” Kagome gulped and lowered her eyes to the ground. He was right. What kind of mother abandons her newborn son? She couldn't deny that she'd wanted to save Sesshomaru out of her own selfish need to feel useful. She'd become so wrapped up in proving her worth, in showing him that she too could protect and guard the one she loved, that she'd completely ignored everything else that was important to her, including her sons.

 

 

“You,” Akira continued icily as he motioned to Ronin with his blade, “you used me as your veritable scapegoat. Every mistake, every bit of bad luck you ever had, was assuredly my fault because I was the `other,' because I wasn't nobility like you. You encouraged the taunts I heard every day growing up and you forced me to live as a pariah in my own home. You, the perfect brother, son, leader to be…I had hoped that you might help me, be my friend as well as my brother, but I know now that I expected far too much from you.”

 

 

Ronin's body stiffened and he turned his gaze away to stare at the withering bark of a nearby tree. Kagome watched the angry blush of embarrassment rise to his cheeks and she realized with a sinking heart that there must be some truth to Akira's accusations. She remembered all too well the stories Inuyasha had told her of his own childhood. As a half demon he'd been an outcast, rejected by the demon world and shunned by the human world. If he wasn't being chased by demons looking for an easy lunch or something to appease their boredom, then he was being thrust out of village after village by angry mobs wanting vengeance for the havoc released upon their lives by the work of other less scrupulous demons. If Akira's upbringing had been anything like that, she wasn't sure her heart could bear to hear the rest. Kagome's gaze shifted to Sesshomaru as she realized he was the only person left for Akira to confront. She cringed at the hatred in the half demon's tone as he spoke, but couldn't make herself look away.

 

 

“Father…well…I think we both know you were the worst of all.

 

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“Wait, please,” Akira pleaded as he struggled to right himself. His sword arm was heavy from hour after hour of battle. His body was weak and sore from suffering blow upon blow, but his opponent did not let up. His pleas for mercy went unanswered and he was shown none. There was no leniency in the next blow aimed his way, and it sent him flying backwards into the hard ground.

 

 

“Stand up and fight,” Sesshomaru demanded, his eyes hard and cold as he glared down at Akira's body splayed out on the ground ahead of him. With a groan, the boy turned onto this side and pushed himself to his knees, leaning heavily against his sword for support.

 

 

“I can't. I can't do any more today. Please can we stop now?” he tried to explain but his father refused to listen.

 

 

“Do not use the inferiority of your blood as an excuse for weakness. Your enemies will show you no mercy and neither shall I. Stand up and fight. You will continue to fight until you are strong enough to withstand my attacks.”

 

 

There was no time for him to respond before Sesshomaru brought his blade down hard to clash against the steel of his sword. Akira's arms shook under the force of the blow as he used all the strength left within them to keep himself from being sliced in two. With a loud grunt he managed to push out from beneath his father's fang and rolled to the side to give himself a second to breathe and collect his thoughts. He glared at Sesshomaru and reaffirmed silently that he hated him more than anyone else. This silent mantra gave him a tiny boost of energy and he used it to attempt one last attack. Unfortunately though, he was too slow and his blade was easily deflected.

 

 

“Pathetic,” Sesshomaru chided, his voice laden with disdain. Akira growled at him, feeling helpless to do anything else to show his anger. He blocked the next few attacks but could not dodge the last blow. The lightning quick blast from Tokijin sent him crashing into a nearby tree. He let out a muffled groan as the air was forced from his lungs and collapsed forward onto the grass, finally succumbing to the oblivion of unconsciousness.

 

 

With a tsk of disgust Sesshomaru sheathed the sword at his waist. He knew better than to approach a fallen opponent so he watched the rise and fall of Akira's breaths from afar. Confident that the boy was not in any mortal danger he turned his back and left the field to return to the palace.

 

 

Akira awoke shivering from the cold some time later. He realized that he must have been unconscious for hours since the sun had long ago set and the moon was already high in the sky. His heart sunk at the realization that he'd failed yet again. No matter what he did it never seemed to be enough for Sesshomaru. He was always demanding more of him, knowing that it was beyond what he could give. Not a day went by where he wasn't reminded of how inferior he was to the rest because he wasn't a pure blood demon, because he wasn't his son. With a half demon as a father and a human mother he was at best a quarter demon and lacked the demon blood necessary to make him as strong as the rest. And for that, his body had suffered in every battle against Sesshomaru, the powerful and unbeatable Lord of the Western Lands.

 

 

Stubborn tears gathered in Akira's eyes as he looked up at the moon and wondered how different his life would have been if his mother were still alive. Would she have protected his body from this daily punishment? Would she have shown him how to be strong, how to stand up against the others? Shaking his head to free himself of these thoughts he hastily wiped his tears away with the back of his hand. Tears were a sign of weakness; real men never cried, he knew this, and sighed with relief when he realized that he truly was alone in the field.

 

 

Face set with determination, Akira pushed himself to his feet. He winced at the pain that shot through his ribs as he forced his body upright. Taking in a couple of shuddering breaths he mentally prepared himself to deal with the throbbing pain that was quickly becoming constant. He winced as he bent to pick up his sword but showed no other signs of weakness as he embarked on the long and painful trek back to the palace.

 

 

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After a moment of tense silence, Sesshomaru finally spoke. “You misunderstood my intentions.” The expression on his face was hard as he willed the boy to understand. Who but he could have trained him to be strong enough to withstand the punishment his body would suffer at the hands of others. He was only a quarter demon, not a half demon like his brother and father, thus he lacked the strength they did to withstand injuries in battle and the endurance necessary to win. The strength had to be forced out of him and none but Sesshomaru had the patience to do it. He'd never expected Akira to understand of course. Judging by the extent of the boy's hatred he must have assumed that their daily training was punishment for his very existence, perhaps even for the sins of his mother. Reality though was much different. Sesshomaru had made him powerful, he'd made him an equal, he'd given him the ability to one day wield the fang he so treasured. He would make no apologies and he saw no need to explain his actions. If Akira was still too close minded to see the truth, then perhaps it was a result of his own failings as a teacher.

 

 

“You misunderstood…” it wasn't exactly an apology, but then again the great lord never apologized for anything. Akira knew that, he hardly could have expected more from him, yet still Sesshomaru's words were not enough to appease the anger in his heart. “I misunderstood?” he nearly choked on the words as he forced them out of this throat. “What the hell did I misunderstand? What part of I'm a worthless, pathetic excuse for a demon did I not get?”

 

 

Sesshomaru didn't respond, his lips remained pressed into a thin line but Kagome could sense that there was more he wanted to say. He was not angry when he looked at Akira now. His eyes held a look of tempered patience as he waited expectantly for cooler heads to prevail. But Akira was far past the point of cooling off. The anger brewing inside of him began to seep out from beneath the surface of his skin in a brilliant red haze of demonic power. It glowed around his body like an aura, emanating the warmth and power he'd drawn out of the fang.

 

 

Everyone seemed to come alive at once as they realized that he was fully intent on using the power now within his grasp to destroy everything around them.

“What the hell are you doing?” Inuyasha demanded in frustration and his body tensed as if he were making ready to jump him. Ronin joined in and pleaded with Akira to stop, calling him “brother” for perhaps the first time in their lives. Kagome added her bit in as well. Her tear laden eyes looked up pleadingly towards her son's as she whispered his name and simply said “please.”

 

 

The only ones who remained silent were Sesshomaru and Akira. Caught up in a silent war of their own making, they ignored everyone around them and kept their gazes locked in a private battle of wills. Sesshomaru didn't flinch as Akira lifted the fang to strike. He showed no fear and refused to blink while he watched the powerful demonic energy surge around the blade in preparation for a deadly blow. Kagome watched Sesshomaru as he slowly closed his eyes and drew in a slow breath. He was waiting patiently for whatever would come next. He gave off no sign of fear and there was no anger to mar his perfect features. A sense of calm washed over his body and emanated from him as if to tell everyone else that he'd accepted his fate. If he was to die by Akira's hand, then so be it.

 

 

Kagome felt her heart clench within her chest. A rising sense of panic stole her breath away and her limbs felt leaden as she slowly pushed her body upright. No. No, no, no. It was not going to end like this. She had not sacrificed everything to save him, just so he could give up now. In that moment before all hell broke loose, she realized the answer. Pushing through the dead weight of her limbs, Kagome broke into a run and tried to close the distance between herself and Sesshomaru. Please let me make it in time, she pleaded as her legs pumped furiously beneath her and her feet pounded into the soft grass. Time…time was what had started all of this and in a few seconds time would be the end of it. Kagome quickened her pace as she felt the crackle of demonic energy surround her. Akira released the power of the blade with a cry of rage and Kagome felt her long forgotten powers as a miko revive and take hold within her body once more. In the time it takes the heart to beat from one pulse to the next, everyone in the clearing was enveloped by the brilliant golden blaze of the sword's energy. And though they could no longer see, their vision stolen by the white light that surrounded them, the blast that followed rang perfectly in their ears, as did Kagome's heart wrenching scream.

 

 

Author's Note: Another awful cliffy…please don't kill me! *Hides under the covers* Well if you're nice I'll tell you a secret…the next chapter is already written yay! I'll probably post it tomorrow if I have time…I just wanna run it through the spell checker first. Please click the little review button below and let me know what you think of this chapter. I'd love to hear what you have to say about it (good or bad). Hopefully you guys feel bad for Akira…just a little bit…I really didn't want him to turn out to be such a bad guy.

 

On a random side note, I've been toying with the idea of changing the title of this story. The one I have now is to the point…but it's also kinda lame, so if you have any suggestions please send `em my way!

 

Alrighty, that's enough babbling for now. Until next time…