InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Centre ❯ Hotter than Hostile ( Chapter 49 )

Chapter 49: Hotter than Hostile

 

“We got incoming,” Sango said calmly as Kirara came to a hovering stop in midair, the flames beneath her demonic feet flickering in the slight wind. Her eyes were focused on a fast moving cloud from the west. Not only was it moving unnaturally fast, it was against the wind and wavering in shape.

“Radar suggests a lot of smaller forms….” Souta answered back. “Bugs?”

“Ahhh, those would be the Saimyoushou,” Sango replied, pulling her mask over her face.

“The what?”

“Naraku's favorite servants. I guess you could call them Hell's Hornets.”

“Naraku even has bugs from Hell? Where does he get bugs from Hell?”

“Common item on the demon black market, although rather difficult to control. Considering his history, I'm not surprised he found a way to control them.”

“Is there anything this guy doesn't have?” Souta replied.

“He never did break an exterminator,” Sango said back. “Couldn't even kill one directly. Had to control my brother for that. And now he doesn't have that advantage.”

“You gonna be ok with those bugs or should I have Shippou come out with some Raid?”

“Funny.”

“Actually…I was kinda being serious….”

 

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“Hmm, let's see, what floor should we take?” Rin asked, looking at the extensive map of the 50 story building. Sesshoumaru didn't bother to stop behind her and continued down the corridor without breaking stride. Rin gave a sigh and followed.

“Are we just following the usual walk-and-sniff method?”

“You say that as if it is ineffective.”

“Well it's only effective for you, which leaves me trailing like a little girl chasing your kimono.”

The great demon looked back at her with an arched eyebrow, his golden eye skimming up and down her lithe form.

“This Sesshoumaru would never classify you as a little girl.”

A delightful shiver ran up Rin's spine. Gods did he know how to turn her on, even at the most inappropriate times.

“So if you are going to claim your Council seat, how long does that give me to find your mate?” Rin asked, wanting to hit herself as soon as the words came out of her mouth. Here he was turning her on…and she answered with something that merely stuck a wall between them.

“I would not worry about that if I were you,” he said calmly, making no comment on her choice of topic.

`What the hell does that mean?' Rin asked herself and nearly ran into the back of the demon before her when he suddenly stopped.

“Naraku is above us, but Kagura is three doors down…along with something else,” he said quietly, not looking back at her.

“Where are the others?”

“Inuyasha is making his way up, Miroku and Kagome are safely sealed in the garage, Sango is outside…exterminating.”

“Let Inuyasha handle Naraku for now,” she said and saw the demon immediately stiffen. “We'll bail him out after we take care of that damn bitch.”

“Don't call her a bitch. She isn't worthy of the title.”

Rin cracked a smile at him, pulling out a rather small, but deadly looking pistol from her collection.

“Three doors down you said?”

Giving a slight nod, Sesshoumaru moved in front of the door. Extending a foot, he gave what would have looked like a simple kick except the door went hurling inward like it had been struck by a ten ton force. The air rushed out from the room, immediately gagging the demon who pinched his nose in an effort to remain conscious.

“Good god,” Rin gasped as she looked in the room, her own eyes tearing from the retching smell. The sight before her was one of nightmares. Never had she imagined such a horror to befall upon a woman she thought of as her enemy. All thoughts of torture and pain left her, leaving her hardened heart full of….pity.

Kagura lay to one side, naked, bruised and bloody. It didn't take a doctor to tell what had happened here. The evidence was all too obvious to them….and if that wasn't enough the turmoil of emotions in the wind demon's eyes removed any doubt.

Suddenly Rin wanted to take back any curses she'd been hoping would befall the demon before her. No one deserved this sort of horrific treatment, no matter their crime. One crime did not justify another. This wasn't even poetic justice….it was just plain sick.

“To his own daughter,” she heard herself say.

“Kill…..me,” a whisper came. Startled, Rin focused upon the wind demon. “Please,” the woman pleaded, her red eyes imploring her with a deep desperation. “If not for the horrors I've done to you all, do it for the safety of your future. Kill me before it's too late.”

“We cannot simply kill you,” Sesshoumaru said, his only hand holding his nose as he scanned the area. “You know very well without your heart you will simply regenerate.”

A creature off to the side gave a snarl, startling Rin who immediately emptied a clip into it. The purification bullets sizzled as they hit, sending small lights of the power throughout the creature. It gave a whimper and fell silent.

“Inuyasha's mate gave you purified bullets?” the demon asked.

“It's not as effective as you would think. He won't die, but it does tend to pack quite a punch. Enough to move him to a secured location. Whatever he is….”

“He is an offspring of Naraku,” Sesshoumaru explained. “A group of lesser demons collected together and coalesced into one form, then Naraku genetically mutated it to suit his purpose.”

“What is his obsession with breeding???!!!” Rin yelled in exasperation. “The damn man should have just gotten some rabbits and played with them or something!”

“He wants power,” Kagura said softly. “And control. He likes things twisted and corrupt, broken and discarded, dark and-”

“We get the point,” Rin retorted. “What is it with people and power these days? No one is ever happy without ruling the world or something.”

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Miroku could feel the beads of sweat dropping down the back of his shirt. He'd never had to hold a holy barrier this long. The strength wasn't wavering, but he sure wasn't going to feel good tomorrow morning.

`If I live to see tomorrow morning,' he thought.

Kagome lay unmoving beside him, air barely entering her small body. Energy was collecting around her in a carefully controlled swirl, but it held no threat to what he was doing. The control around the power was so careful and so tight Miroku would have thought he was sitting next to a high council miko rather than a 20 year old.

`If this is the result bonds have on mikos….I think we should start a demon/miko dating service. Hmmm, I could personally interview the women and…..oh, bad thoughts, bad. Sango would kill me!'

 

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Floating. That's what she felt like. Like she was floating on air with no feeling of up or down. She couldn't tell if it was light or dark, or if she was standing or sitting. Everything and nothing.

Where the hell was she?

:Well I don't know how the devil you got here, but we better get you the bloody hell out before you get stuck in your own consciousness: Midoriko commented dryly.

Shocked, Kagome turned toward the voice. Midoriko was sort of just…there….without light or dark, no shade or shadow….just a 2 dimensional figure with a frown.

“What did he do? I shouldn't be trapped like this. He was supposed to attack me!” Kagome protested, trying to wave her hands in frustration. Her hands didn't really move…they were just there, although her feeling and senses were the same.

: I would say it seems he has you safely cocooned in his power, effectively cutting you off from your mate and consciousness. Mind you, if that was the real you, you would probably be in a great deal of discomfort being surrounded by miasma like that:

“Has he figured it out yet?”

: I suspect he won't figure it out until he attempts to do something to you…in which case, I hope your mate is as strong as you think he is:

“Inuyasha….I have to get through to him. He can't do this alone. Naraku has purification powers wrapped in his own. Tetsusaiga can't fight purification!”

: Then I suggest you get to work. I've never done this before and I've certainly never been mated to a demon:

“Are you one of those spiteful spinsters?” Kagome teased the woman slightly.

: No hanyou came bounding into my life and swept me off my feet, no. But then again, I wasn't much older than you when I sacrificed my life:

“Do you think we can try some more positive thinking?”

: Uhhhh…..your kids have a high chance of inheriting his ears?:

“Really?” Kagome asked excitedly.

: How the hell should I know? :

“Why do I even bother…..”

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`Kagome'

There was only one goal in Inuyasha's mind. He didn't care about Naraku or vengeance or anything else. All other thoughts had long left his mind as he sprinted up the stairs. The only thing he wanted was to get to Kagome and protect her.

At any cost.

“Goddammit!” he swore. “Which fucking floor is it?”

“One more,” Souta's voice came over. Inuyasha almost jumped out of his skin at the sound of the radio. He'd completely forgotten he had one. Bounding up the stairs, he kicked in the door.

And a blast of dark purification energy hit him right in the chest, sending him into the wall behind him. Concrete cracked and dropped around him as he fell out of the crater like indentation created.

“What the fuck?” he snarled, bringing Tetsusaiga up before him. The demon blade transformed, nearly taking up the entire entry way as he looked up to see his adversary. The dust soon cleared, giving him a more than easy view.

“Well if it isn't the late High Councilor's half-breed bastard,” the youthful woman sneered. Long almost white hair hung straight from her head all the way down to her knees in stark contrast to the dark black robes she wore. The pendant on her neck suggested priestess, but the energy around her suggested dark miko.

“Who the fuck are you? Get the hell out of my way!”

“Why? Concerned about your precious miko? Not even the most powerful mikos stand a chance against Naraku. He can absorb our power.”

“That's bullshit! No demon can absorb purification!”

“Ahh, true, but a hanyou can,” she said with a laugh. “You've experienced some of that yourself, haven't you?”

“I don't know what the fuck you are talking about, ugly witch.”

“Don't you dare call ME ugly you little whelp!” she screamed, sending out another blast of warped purification. The power was dark, but dangerous to him all the same. Inuyasha barely had time to duck behind Tetsusaiga as the energy came hurling at him. The katana answered with a dark hum, growing warm to his touch as it fought the power that hit it.

The katana flickered red, then died down and reduced to half its size in his hands. The transformation was still effective, but for now the power was cut down. Damn miko bitch and her fucking purification.

“You think you're so smart,” she called out, her voice high and mocking. “But you know nothing. Do you know why hanyous are so deadly? Because that human half can be used to utilize purification powers. The same half of you that makes you weak also provides the strongest defense against what hits a youkai's weakness. So effectively, the weakness becomes strength. Naraku found a way to keep the human half of him separate from the demon half. As a result, he can utilize both his power and a miko's….and due to some lovely characteristics that seem to be unique to him, he found a way to siphon power from mikos, leaving them as weak and helpless as, say, any other powerless human. Of course, that usually means they don't survive being surrounded by his miasma…pity humans are so fragile.”

Inuyasha felt his chest tighten. Was that why he couldn't feel Kagome? Was Naraku drawing off her power as he wasted time with this mindless wench?

`I'm not strong enough for her,' he thought. `I need more power….I need more to protect her! I need to be stronger!'

Tetsusaiga pulsed beneath his fingers, its power fighting the purification. Demonic power swirled around it as an unnatural wind picked up. Power wrapped around him, pulling on his demon blood. His claws began to elongate, red flashing in his vision.

Tetsusaiga turned red and glowed with deadly power, its wind coursing through his veins.

`Kagome' he thought as his consciousness fought off the urge to let the demon blood control him.

 

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`Inuyasha' Kagome thought, feeling something distant seeking her.

:He's calling for your power again. That damn sword is helping him too. Why the hell it's glowing red is-:

“Red? It's glowing red?” Kagome gasped.

:Yep, that mean anything?:

“It glows red when he is trying to break a barrier….”

:Maybe the sword knows better than he does. Sad that a piece of scrap metal seems to be smarter than your mate:

“You weren't the sunny kid in your class, were you?” Kagome said with a laugh. “If Tetsusaiga is glowing red while he's seeking my power….then maybe it's because there's a barrier between us.”

: Sounds like Naraku's old tricks to me. He can't break your bond without killing one or the other of you, but he can block it by surrounding you with his power. You have to find a way through that:

“Well, if things were done the easy way, we'd be sitting at home eating ice cream and watching reruns.”

:Sadly enough…I prefer this:

“Speak for yourself. I'd rather not be conversing with someone in my head.”

: Yeah, but at least I'm good for something. Now listen up, I think I have an idea. I want you to focus entirely on your mate:

“On Inuyasha? What do you mean?”

: Power is around you as we speak, seeking a way out. If you attack Naraku outright, he'll just absorb your power and attack the hanyou. However, if you focus your consciousness on your mate, perhaps the power will answer:

“And go to him,” Kagome finished. “Midoriko, you're brilliant!”

: One learns a lot sitting around for hundreds of years. Now I'm going to shut up but I'll be right here. Ignore me. Focus ONLY on the hanyou:

“He has a name you know.”

: One day I might think about using it. Now FOCUS!:

Kagome gave a sigh and gave up trying to reason with the stubborn woman. Closing her eyes she fell back into the floating sensation, allowing the calm stillness to envelope her. A million thoughts were running through her head.

When was the last time she washed her sheets? Was the milk out of date? Would Inuyasha ever want kids? How was Souta doing in school? Was her grandfather remembering to take his arthritis pills? Did Eri ever get to date that guy she was crushing over in high school? Did the apartment need more toilet paper soon?

`Good god, I think too much,' she thought. `FOCUS!'

Inuyasha

It was easy to picture him. She'd never met a man who looked anything like him, even in his human form. Everything about him was unique, a trademark to him really. From his hair to the arrogant expression he usually wore to the way he always stood on guard. The way he pretended not to care, only to then ruin the illusion by doing something perfectly gentlemanly…and brush it off as if somehow it would ruin his macho image. The way he argued with her, but at the same time hated it…yet stubbornly didn't always let her win. The way his warmth and confidence supported her just as hers did for him in his moments of insecurity. Everything about him was just…..him.

She could see him now, standing there with a red Tetsusaiga between himself and a dark miko. A strange aura wavered around the dark miko, as if illusion itself were tightly woven around her. The woman had power, but it wasn't much. However, even a small amount of purification could hinder Inuyasha enough to be vulnerable to Naraku.

“So what shall it be,” Kagome could hear the woman say. “Shall I leave you with some of your demonic powers or hand a human over to Naraku? That silly demon blade is no match against purification.”

Inuyasha merely growled and tightened his grip upon the katana. Tetsusaiga pulsed and grew in size ever so slightly. Annoyed at the quick recovery of the demon blade, the dark miko prepared to strike, extra power collecting in her hands.

`Oh no you don't,' Kagome thought and pulled at her own power. She reached deep within herself, feeling barriers upon her own power that should not have been there. The power wanted to answer her, but a thin wall was between her and it. She could not break the barrier, but she could move it.

 

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Inuyasha could see the dark miko preparing to strike him. He had no other choice than to stand there and hope Tetsusaiga could absorb the attack without any of the power affecting him. If he turned human, he was done for. There was no way he could protect Kagome as a human. A weak human. Tetsusaiga didn't transform when he was a weak human.

A shimmer of energy caught his eye. It sparked, much like when youkai energies collided. A shift in the wind told him there was a rift between the building powers. He could use the more powerful version of the Cutting wind…but Tetsusaiga seemed to disagree.

Tetsusaiga was glowing bright red, resonating as the rising powers collided. The dark miko was watching with a frown, uncertain of what was going on. That told Inuyasha all he needed to know. This wasn't her doing.

“Inuyasha,” came a gentle whisper in the wind.

“Kagome,” he answered and Tetsusaiga pulsed in response, urging him on. Never had the sword urged him to attack. Usually it was merely a passive tool in his fights.

Inuyasha raised the sword high above his head, a deep growl coming from his chest as he swung the sword down, unleashing a powerful shot of power against the dark miko. Panicked, she quickly threw her own power at his, the two powers meeting at the friction point. Lightening crackled from the collision, sending sparks of power showering over them both as the whole building shook.

Then something shattered and the power suddenly disappeared. Both the hanyou and dark miko looked at one another in blank astonishment, confused as to what the hell had happened. Neither of them had been touched. Just where had the power gone?

And then he felt it. Kagome's support, her love and her power. The bond within him pulsed stronger than before, Tetsusaiga answering as it dulled from red to its normal silvery exterior. She was alive, she was fine and she knew he was there. What comforted him more was the lack of doubt.

`I will protect you!' he swore through the bond.

Kagome answered in the only way she could. The power around her eagerly answered her call, desperate to move somewhere, anywhere. She gave it a way out, a way to be used. She couldn't utilize it, so she sent it to the one place that could.

Inuyasha gasped as power surged through the bond, filling him with power that should have left him purified, but instead was binding to his demonic power…and multiplying it. His fangs lengthened, claws sharpened, eyes flashed red and strips soon graced his cheeks. Yet somehow, through it all, his mind was still the same.

She had control. She was able to control how her power affected him!

Slowly, the small walls of doubt crumbled within him. Any doubts he had of his mate were gone. He had never doubted her ability. What he had doubted was his worthiness to her. And here she was, showing him how they complimented each other…how even though their power should have been nullifying, it was instead multiplying.

There was one downside though. He couldn't kill Naraku with Kagome's purification powers or her power would warp like the dark miko's. That certainly didn't make things easier for him.

The dark miko stood opposite him, a look of shock upon her face. Why was this hanyou now radiating the aura of a hanyou with the power of a full demon? What had happened? She drew back her own failing power, sending out a desperate shot at him…only to have the power dissipate on contact.

“Get the fuck out of my way wench,” he snarled, his voice deeper. When she didn't move his hand tightened upon his sword, sending a jagged gush of power racing toward her. Stifling a scream, she awaited the painful contact…only to be surrounded in warmth.

: Couldn't stand to get old, huh?: a voice teased. Confused she looked up, nearly blinded by the pink swirls of colors around her. Whatever it was, it held her immobile as Inuyasha strode past her, his large sword swung confidently over one shoulder.

`No!' she thought. `If Naraku dies, I'll lose my youthfulness! I'll be old!'

No one heard her screams within the barrier.

 

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“Well, well,” Naraku said calmly as the hanyou smashed the door in. “So nice to see you again, Inuyasha. I must say, you certainly are taking after your father more and more these days. Demon blood getting too much for you?”

Instead of snarling or throwing an insult back, Inuyasha just smiled. He reeked of confidence and power. Naraku's smile faltered ever so slightly as Tetsusaiga was pointed at him, the demon blade nearly crying out for his head.

“I want my mate,” Inuyasha said calmly. “Hand her over or we'll find out how many pieces I can cut you into.”

“Now, we wouldn't want you to do that, would we Kagome?” Naraku asked, long tentacles separating slightly to show the miko, unconscious close to his human half. Naraku smiled confidently now. The hanyou would never dare to attack with his miko right there in harms way.

Inuyasha just smirked, his demonic eyes focusing on the demon with glee as swirls of power twirled around Tetsusaiga. Naraku whipped a tentacle out at him, only to have a strange power shock him back. Now his smile really faltered.

“How did you bind the demon and miko powers together?” he asked, his face twisting in a sneer. “That's impossible! They would cancel one another out! You CAN'T DO THAT!”

“Watch me,” Inuyasha responded as he lifted Tetsusaiga.

“You can't kill me without killing her,” Naraku said, pulling back with Kagome's limp body held close like a shield.

“That's not my mate, you fool. She can only fool me so long with that trick. I can feel her now….that's not her.”

Enraged, Naraku sent a spike through the body of the miko, power shocking through it in his anger. If the hanyou was bluffing, then she would only be injured….if he was right…..

The miko's body vanished and he felt a Buddhist spell break. All traces of her and her power were gone. Where her body once lay, a paper doll was ripped in half, its kanji spell broken.

He'd been beaten with his own device.

“You are right about the killing thing,” Inuyasha said calmly. “Which is why we won't be doing that today. However, you aren't walking out of here free either.”

“No power you wield can hold me for long,” Naraku hissed.

“Guess we'll find out. Eat this shit face!” Inuyasha growled. With one mighty down stroke he swung Tetsusaiga, the building power released in wave upon wave at the massive demon before him. The barrier around Naraku shattered with the ease of glass, leaving him unprotected to the horror that surrounded him. Demon power intertwined with purification bound around him in tight coils, holding him immobile. Miasma purified instantly, his own power absorbed into the prison building around him.

He had no defense against this strength. Then again…this sort of strength should not have existed.

`Interesting,' Naraku thought with a twisted smile. The power continued to wrap around him, tightening until there was no escape for him. `After all I sought to create….here is what I wanted, all along. Who would have thought a hanyou and a miko…the perfect power.'

 

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Nope, not over yet. Still one more chapter to tie up ends. Whew, I learned I have to work tomorrow (ugh) and yet I stayed up late to finish this chapter just because I promised. I have to go to the city this weekend to pick up my new pet so hopefully the last chapter will be out by Sunday or so.

 

By the way, if there are any lose ends I missed (there have to be some) please write questions for me to answer and if I don't answer them in the last chapter, I will have a lengthy explanation for stuff I forgot to stick in…at some point. Can't always get everything in my head out on paper….otherwise boy would these chapters be loooong! Anyway, thanks to all who have been reviewing. I hope to have a long thank you list! And after this is done, I shall run full steam ahead into my new one, which is partially published in mm.org, but not yet posted anywhere else.

 

Anyway, thanks so much!