InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Curse of the Demon King and the Zetsumei no Tasogare ❯ The Western Lord ( Chapter 8 )

Two days ago…

 

Inuyasha stood up with a groan, the youkai Komoro's last attack having broken several ribs. Miroku was on the ground unconscious, blood slowly seeping from a head wound. With a growl, the inu hanyou started towards Kaede's village, somehow knowing that Kagome was in trouble. A familiar figure landed in front of him, the right side of his face marred by an ugly burn.

“Hello, Inuyasha,” the youkai doppelganger of Kamitsu hissed, fangs bared in a predatory grin. “Did you miss me?”

“Not in the least!” Inuyasha roared, swinging the Tetsusaiga in a blurring arc. Komoro jumped back, shaking a finger at the hanyou.

“Tsk, tsk, Inuyasha,” the youkai chided him mockingly. “You'll have to do much better than that.”

“Then how about this?! Hiraikotsu!” The taijiya cried from behind him, hurling her massive weapon. Komoro somersaulted over it, grinning madly as he descended.

“So, the woman has fangs, does she?” He giggled in delight. Sango caught her hiraikotsu as it swung back towards her, glaring daggers at the youkai.

What did you do with Kamitsu?” She growled, preparing to attack again. Komoro shrugged in a blasé manner.

“The coward ran for his life after he did this,” he gestured to the marred side of his face. “Not that I can blame him, but I had expected better from my own dear little brother.”

“Just shut up and die already!” Inuyasha roared, whipping the Tetsusaiga around for another strike. Hanyuo and youkai fought back and forth, leaving no opening for Sango to attack.

“What's wrong, Inuyasha? Thinking about my dear brother?” Komoro asked mockingly, nimbly avoiding another swing of the Tetsusaiga. “Don't worry about him, for once I've killed all of you I shall deal with my traitorous sibling in due course!”

The youkai dashed forward suddenly, launching a roundhouse kick the caught Inuyasha in the face. The inu hanyuo tumbled end over end into a tree, cracking his skull against its trunk. Dazed but otherwise unharmed, Inuyasha came back to his feet, Tetsusaiga held at the ready.

“I said: SHUT UP!!!” A wind picked up, causing Inuyasha's hair to whip around him. “It's time to finish this fight, once and for all! Kaze no Kizu!” The ensuing energy wave struck Komoro head on, engulfing the youkai in a powerful explosion. Inuyasha kept his guarded stance, waiting for the smoke to clear in order to make sure the youkai was truly dead. The inu hanyou was sorely disappointed as Komoro stepped clear of the concealing haze, not in the least bit harmed by the Kaze no Kizu.

“Sorry, mutt, but you'll have to try harder than that in order to kill me,” the youkai murmured, smiling slightly. “Fortunately for you I have a prior engagement that I simply can not ignore, but don't fret, for I intend to come back and finish our little fight.” He turned and started to leave, waving at them from over his shoulder. “See you around!” Then, he simply faded away into the darkness, leaving Inuyasha with a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach. Kagome arrived soon after and the search for Kamitsu was on. They searched for two days, finding nothing, until, at the end of the second, Inuyasha found traces of Kamitsu's scent by the well…

 

Kamitsu awoke with a jerk, a cold sweat trickling down his spine. The dream had deeply disturbed the hanyou, leaving him feeling greatly confused.

Who is Baratsuein? Is that another name for Naraku? I just don't understand! He leapt down to the ground, wiping the sweat from his brow. What am I going to do? The answer soon made itself clear in the hanyou's mind. I need to find out the truth, and that means… He turned towards the well house, his mind already made up.

“Where are you going?” Kagome's voice called from behind him. Kamitsu stopped, waiting for the miko to catch up.

“I have to go find some answers,” the hanyou ninja replied, unable to look her in the eye. “Please tell your family that I am grateful for their care.” He turned and started walking again, Kagome walking along side him.

“Well, we'll go with you,” she said cheerfully, causing the hanyou to wince inwardly. This wasn't going to be easy.

“I'm sorry, Kagome, but I have to go alone,” he replied quietly, a little touched by her unshaken faith in him, and worried that she was being foolish. “Where I'm going, no one I care about can go with me.” Kagome was a little surprised.

He cares about me? She thought before saying aloud: “What's that supposed to mean? Just where is it that you plan to go?” Kamitsu smiled sadly.

“To find my father,” he replied simply, opening the door to the well house and stepping inside, leaving a stunned miko in his wake. Kagome shook herself out of her dazed state, rushing after him. The miko opened the door to the well house, just in time to see a flash of pink light. Kamitsu was already gone.

“Inuyasha!” Kagome cried, rushing back towards her home. The inu hanyou leapt out her window, having heard the distress in her voice.

“Kagome, what's wrong?” He asked, worry for her safety flashing in his amber eyes.

“Kamitsu's gone to find Naraku!” She shouted on her way to get her things. The inu hanyou's hands clenched into fists, teeth grinding together.

“I knew it!” Inuyasha growled, way beyond pissed. “Once a bastard spawn of Naraku, always a bastard spawn of Naraku!” He tore open the well house's door and leapt through the Bone Eater's Well after the hanyou ninja. Kagome came out of her house moments later and saw that Inuyasha had already left.

“Shit!” She cursed, a rare thing from her, as she rushed immediately to follow. Leaping feet first into the well, the miko was enveloped in the pink light.

 

Kamitsu rushed through the human village, not caring who saw him. He dashed past the old miko and the taijiya, barely noticing their shocked expressions as he ran for all he was worth. He just had to put as much distance between himself and the village before nightfall, when he would turn human on the third and final night of the full moon. Why did he become human for three nights out of the month when other hanyous only did so once? Kamitsu did not know, nor did the hanyou care. All he cared about now was finding his so-called father, the hanyou Naraku. He could feel him at the back of his mind, the sensation acting like a divining rod, leading him towards his “father”. The landscape blurred past, the hanyou ninja not even realizing how much faster he was actually moving as he nimbly raced around trees and out juts of rock, heading towards the mountains in the west on instinct. Something tugged at his memory, the hanyou feeling as if he were forgetting something important. Kamitsu shrugged off the feeling, focusing back on the task of finding Naraku.

 

Sesshomaru, taiyoukai of the western lands, stiffened in surprise as he scented the air.

“Naraku,” he murmured, stretching out his senses to check on Rin. His human ward and Jaken, his toad youkai retainer, were both unharmed, in fact it seemed to the inu youkai that they were playing a game Rin called “hide and seek”. Ah-Un rested nearby them, one of the dragon's heads asleep, the other most likely keeping an eye on the both of them. Sesshomaru nodded in satisfaction; they would be safe for the time being while he went in search of whoever had entered his territory, be it the despised hanyou or one of his incarnations. He dashed through the forest, his sense of smell leading him to a small clearing, the full moon rising behind him.

“I know you are here,” the taiyoukai's cool voice carried in the darkness. “Why have you dared to invade this Sesshomaru's territory?” There was a rustling sound from the trees to his left and a human, garbed in the tattered garb of a ninja, dropped to the ground from one of them. The human bowed low, obviously not as stupid as he looked.

“Gomen nasai, Sesshomaru-sama,” he whispered respectfully. “I did not intend to disturb you while traveling through your lands.” Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Do not patronize me, human,” the taiyoukai warned. “Why do you stink of that hanyou, Naraku?” The human flinched visibly.

“Because…he is my father,” the human barely finished his sentence before Sesshomaru's claws were around his throat.

“So, you are another of his incarnations,” he growled, eyes bleeding to red. “Tell me, filth, why I shouldn't end your pathetic life here and now?” The human choked as the inu youkai's grip began to tighten.

“Because,” he gasped, fighting for air, “I can lead you straight to him.” Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed even further.

“And, why would you do that?” He asked, smoke beginning to curl up from under his claws as the poison they secreted began to eat away at the human's skin. The incarnation's eyes became clouded by hatred.

“I want to kill him myself,” he hissed, his eyes turning black with white pupils for an instant, and then reverting to normal. The taiyoukai of the western lands grudgingly dropped him, watching as he coughed and gasped in much needed air. Sesshomaru's golden eyes were as cold and calculating as ever.

“Then lead on,” he murmured, inwardly puzzled by the human's changing eyes. Intriguing…I must find out more about this `human'…then kill him.

 

Kamitsu glanced at Sesshomaru out of the corner of his eye, feeling more than uneasy with their new `alliance'.

Great going, Kamitsu, he thought sarcastically. Walking right into the taiyoukai's lands without even realizing it…some ninja you are. He concentrated on Naraku's presence in the back of his mind, the feeling fainter now that he was in human form. Slowly but surely, the need to sleep had begun to catch up to him and Kamitsu found himself staggering down the path. Finally, unable to keep it at bay any longer, the hanyou collapsed underneath a tree, eyes closing almost instantly. Sesshomaru sighed in disgust. It seemed, even though he was one of Naraku's incarnations, the ninja was bound by the frailties of his human form. The taiyoukai sat under the tree opposite him, planning to keep an eye on the filthy creature throughout the night, just in case he was foolish enough to try and escape. The memory of how the human's eyes had changed came back to him unexpectedly.

Human, but not human…another puzzle to unravel, the taiyoukai thought with an inward sigh. Once he has lead me to the hated hanyou I shall dispose of him as well.

 

Kamitsu awoke slowly, the night's exertion coupled with his nearly healed injuries having worn him out.

“Wake up, hanyou,” a voice that was colder than the arctic spoke to him. The hanyou ninja sat up finally, Sesshomaru standing not five feet from him. Kamitsu suppressed a groan of dismay.

It couldn't have been a dream, he thought. That would just be too convenient. Oh, well, might as well get it over with…

“Gomen nasai, Sesshomaru-sama,” the hanyou murmured respectfully, rising to his feet. Sesshomaru hardly noticed the hanyou's apology, wanting to find Naraku quickly and finish what the he had started during their last encounter.

“How long until we reach the hanyou's lair?” Sesshomaru inquired coolly, regarding Kamitsu with an air of aloofness. His holier-than-thou attitude was beginning to grate on the hanyou's nerves, and so far he had only been in the taiyoukai's presence for little more than twenty-four hours.

“Unfortunately, my lord, I am unable to tell for certain,” he replied calmly, his tone radiating respect, while on the inside he was seething. How I'd love to rip open your throat… Kamitsu was surprised to find himself growling in anticipation of such an act. Sesshomaru arched an eyebrow, curious about the hanyou's sudden change in attitude. The hanyou berated himself for loosing control of his instincts, however briefly. “Gomen nasai, my lord. I am…only eager to sink my claws into Naraku's flesh.” Sesshomaru could smell the lie, but he decided to let it slip just this once. He needed the hanyou, after all…for now.

“Lead on, hanyou,” the taiyoukai ordered, his expression and tone betraying nothing of what he felt underneath. Kamitsu took off at full speed, more than confident the taiyoukai would be able to keep up with him. Sesshomaru's eyes wandered upward briefly, gazing upon the mountains before them. There were many caves in those craggy peaks; any of them a perfect place for Naraku to hide in. They ran for another hour or so, Kamitsu setting a blazingly fast pace…for a hanyou. They stood on the slopes of the mountain, the hanyou ninja having come to a stop.

Oh, damn…the sensation is gone, Kamitsu thought, a feeling of dread welling up in his gut. Sesshomaru is going to flay me alive!

“What is the delay?” An irritated edge had entered Sesshomaru's voice. Kamitsu turned, nervousness radiating off him in waves.

“Well, I…,” he trailed off suddenly, the sensation having come back, this time ten times as strong. Naraku was here!

“Well done, my son,” a voice hailed form Kamitsu's left. “You've done well in luring Sesshomaru here.” The inu youkai in question turned his gaze to the shocked hanyou ninja, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

“You shall be the first I kill, hanyou,” Sesshomaru growled, poison dripping from his claws. Kamitsu took a step back, knowing that his life would soon be at an end. That was, until two familiar figures leapt into the clearing. Kimona and Kamilla…his “sisters”.

“Don't worry, dear brother,” Kimona purred, “we'll protect you.” Sesshomaru scoffed openly at this.

“And how do you expect to stop me?” He asked, sounding quite nonchalant about the whole thing. Another figure appeared behind him, clad in a white baboon skin.

“Now, now, Sesshomaru-sama,” the figure admonished the taiyoukai like a parent would a disobedient child, “do play nicely.” Sesshomaru half turned towards him, eyes beginning to bleed to a deep crimson.

“Naraku,” he growled, his right hand reaching for the hilt of Tokijin. “I cannot express how long I have waited for this moment.” The hanyou Naraku smiled.

“As have I, Sesshomaru-sama,” he said, seeming to truly mean it. “In fact, you could say I have been…relishing the prospect of it.” Sesshomaru's crimson eyes narrowed even further.

“What is it that you mean, hanyou?” The taiyoukai's voice was laced with venom potent enough to rival the poison that seeped from his claws. Naraku's smile widened a touch.

“Komoro, I believe you have something for me,” what should have been a question sounded more like a statement. From the tree line to Naraku's left emerged Kamitsu's third “sibling”, his doppelganger, Komoro.

“Here it is, Father,” he replied, his smile twisting his scarred features. The youkai produced a cloth wrapped bundle, from which he produced a katana, sheathed in an obsidian scabbard, ancient runes carved into its hilt. Naraku's smile became even more unpleasant as he gripped the sword, drawing it forth. The blade had been fire blackened, though its surface still shone like a well-polished mirror, and more runes were carved into the steel, the symbols glowing a blood red. Kamitsu's heart stopped, his face draining of color.

I've seen that sword before, he thought, his heart beginning to beat once more, pounding like a sledgehammer against his ribcage. It's the same…the same as the one in my dream! He could feel the pulse of its demonic aura calling out to him…the sensation drawing out something deep within him. He didn't realize how his eyes had gone black, his pupils white…but the moment was soon shattered as Naraku and Sesshomaru squared off against one another.

“Will you help me test out my new toy, Sesshomaru-sama?” Naraku asked, shedding the baboon skin in favor of freedom of movement. Sesshomaru drew Tokijin from its scabbard, its demonic energy hissing in anticipation of a real fight.

“No, but I will gladly kill you,” the taiyoukai growled, widening his stance, his grip on Tokijin's hilt tightening. Naraku's smile never wavered.

“That's just what I like to hear,” he murmured. “En guard, Sesshomaru.”

 

 

Dun, dun, dah! What shall happen? Who will win? Find out in my next installment! And please, PLEASE, review! I'd like to know what you all think. Really, I would!