InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The curse of the dragon ❯ of broken dreams and butterflys ( Chapter 78 )

~<>~ Curse of the Dragon ~<>~

 

 

~<>~ Chapter 78 ~<>~ of broken dreams and butterflies

 

 

 

 

Kagome had never truly known her heart to stop in her chest before. Sure, it had skipped a few beats here and there; during heated arguments…the news of her father's accident…the news of her fathers death…but it had never stopped dead in her chest for more then a millisecond. It wasn't until Kagome felt her chest constrict with the need for air and the want to pass out that she regained full consciousness. She heard herself gasp as claws dug out of her bicep; the warmth of the blood that slowly trickled down her arm sent goose bumps up her body. With a loud grunt, she found herself pressed against the inside wall of Rin's room, right past the door. One hand wrapped around her throat, the other closed the door, and all went black. The hand released her neck and slithered away, disappearing into the pitch black room. For a minute, Kagome pleaded with the entities above that this was all some form of sick joke, that it wasn't true. The darkness masked the truth, threw the veil over the cruel reality. For a minute, she could all but think it was a lie, that she had been deceived. Naraku wasn't here…she was seeing things. No, Naraku was in jail…wasn't he? Ryen would never allow him to get out…it was impossible. `I have to be hallucinating. This place is driving me insane. It is impossible for Naraku to be here!'

 

Yet when she felt a cold rough knuckle trace the contour of her right cheek, she couldn't withhold the whimper of fear. Like a glass breaking, the yelp shattered the frail serenity of the darkness, it broke the dream she had tried so desperately to wrap herself in. She wasn't stupid, if Naraku was here, then all was lost. `The gun shots…' she thought slowly, water filling her eyes, `he…no…he didn't…please, gods let him not of killed…' a flash of imaginary bodies, blood pooled around a long black pony tail, blood seeping through a familiar dark purple sweatshirt…she felt her heart thud against her chest, trying to break free of it's prison in her chest. She had to know, she just had to. Her mouth went dry; the darkness added the trepidation of being blind to this monster's movements. His hand was gone from her cheek, abandoning her to the mercy of his sick game. She licked her lips, only to find her tongue parched of saliva, and it dragged like sandpaper across the two appendages. Her breath was in frayed gasps as a footstep echoed to her left, then a scream ripped from her lungs when the crashing of a medical cart rung like a gun shot to her right. She wanted to sink to the floor, wrap her arms around her head and pray for the lights to be turned on. She was in the room with a murderer…a rapist. Kagome's eyes widened as she also realized that they weren't alone. “Rin!” Kagome pushed off the wall, trying to remember by memory of where bed was. A fire rekindled in her heart, in her lungs. Her adrenaline kicked in with a fury she didn't know she possessed as she rushed towards her friend's side. `The hell Naraku will touch her again! It will be over my dead body!'

 

The familiar hand returned as Kagome took three steps. Wrapping around her neck, Kagome gagged as the figure yanked her back towards the wall. She grunted on impact, her head crashed against the plaster with a resonating thud. She let off a cry of pain as a body pressed against hers. A knee wedged between her knees, forcing her legs apart, a hand captured both her wrists and held them above her head. The assailant's other hand latched onto her chin, forcing her to look straight ahead. Lips brushed over her left ear, warm breath engulfed her senses and sent them into complete overload. Tears streamed down her face, her lips trembled, and her knees shook. She was afraid…she was afraid of what this monster was going to do to her, what he would continue to do to Rin…she was afraid of what happened to her friends. More importantly, she feared what was going to happen to InuYasha.

 

As if reading her mind, a voice called out to her so close to her right ear, Kagome nearly screamed. It was a voice that filled her nightmares, contributed to her worst of memories. It's stoic and sadistic nature sent absolute fear rocketing up her nerve endings, sending off every warning flare in her brain. This was not good. “Your friends are dead, Kagome, and yet here you are still fighting.”

 

Kagome's mouth fell open, a short indignant cry registering before his words truly filtered through her brain. A new wave of tears overtook her cheeks, like rain in a desert. Her eyes widened and she lost feeling in her knees. With a painful howl, Kagome could just about feel her wrists pop out of place when all her weight was left to those appendages being held up by Naraku. Her head rolled to her chest as the tears cascaded down her cheeks. `No…no it can't be! Not Sango…not Miroku! Please god…no…'

 

Malicious laugher filled the air and sent chills up her spine. “As if they could stand a chance against me.” The voice was by her right ear still, and to her disgust, the monster licked the shell of her ear. There was a moment of harsh silence, the words settling over everyone in the room. Naraku's red eyes shone as beacons like a star on a moonless night. The cynical smile followed. Dragging his lips across Kagome's jaw, nipping as gently as a lover would another, he made his tainted path towards her lips. “I never understood why you thought your band of groupies could take me and my gang on.” Pulling away from the girl, his Cheshire grin glowed spitefully. “I would have given you more credit.” Kagome didn't even see his hand move until it impacted against her right cheek. Her head snapped to her right and crushed her face against the wall. Turning back with blood slowly beginning to trickle from her nose, he caught her on the return to her left cheek, one again sending the girl wheeling into the wall. She fell forward but Naraku caught her against his chest and pushed her against the wall again. “You…stupid, ignorant, self righteous whore! Because you fuck a demon…not even a demon, a filthy hanyou...does not give you the power to take me down!”

 

Kagome narrowed her eyes and took her best guess of aim. Spitting forth a wad of bloody phlegm, she caught Naraku right in the face. “We can take you down because you're weak, Naraku! You're evil…and evil will be vanquished!”

 

Claws ripped at her throat and dug into the side of her neck, dangerously close to her jugular. Warmth that she could only attribute to guess was her blood dashed indignantly along her collarbone. A loud gasp left her mouth but was swallowed by the hollow room. The hand tightened, the claws dug deeper and she found it harder to breathe. “Maybe…then again…maybe evil is eternal. You speak of evil without knowing, Kagome…without experiencing. You don't know what evil is. You think I'm bad? I can find you a hundred others who would have killed you by now…who would have sliced your throat open and mailed your heart to your mother.” Something glistened from the man's pocket and Kagome gasped as the cold metal pressed lightly against her arm; a pocket knife. She grit her teeth as the blade dug into her forearm and was dragged down her arm towards her bicep, playing a dangerous game of life and death with the vein running her arm. The blade stopped an inch from the junction of her elbow and was retracted. Screwing her eyes shut, Kagome prayed that the pain would cease. Blood oozed like a river down her arm, over her bicep, down her chest, over her shirt, staining the black material crimson.

 

Naraku pulled his nails from her neck and leaned forward to lick at the wounds. His tongue dashed over the four holes on the right side of her neck, lapping up the blood that ran freely. He pulled back and with a grin that only could be described as satanical, he forced his mouth against hers and plunged his tongue into her mouth, pillaging his way in. The copper taste flooded her senses immediately and her body begged to vomit. She slammed her head back, trying to pull away from the villain who was molesting her. She felt a hand graze over her abdomen before she was yanked away from the wall. Both her arms were pulled behind her, as if he was trying to make her elbows touch, as she was led somewhere deeper into the room. She struggled, dragged her feet, allowed herself to become dead weight, nothing seemed to relinquish his hold on her. Something soft hit her knee and before she knew it, she was face first on it. The couch, she realized with no limit to the amount of horror that surged through her blood. `He…he's going to rape me. Shit…he's going to rape me in front of Rin.' She renewed her struggle against his hold, against his claim but it was futile. The heavier half demon simply flipped her over onto her back and straddled her hips. Her eyes widened, feeling his hardened member pushing against her core and a fine line of sweat broke out across her forehead.

 

Kagome felt Naraku's hand trace her cheek, dance across her jawbone then slide up her other cheek. Kagome closed her eyes, begging to all that was holy that someone would come…that he wasn't right…that her friends weren't dead.

 

Naraku leaned forward and laughed wickedly. “How does it feel to be helpless Kagome; to know that InuYasha isn't going to come? How does it feel to know that your friend destroyed her entire life to protect you…and it was all a waste? That your friends gave up their lives to protect you…and it got them all killed.”

 

Kagome tried to block out his words, telling herself that it was a lie. “No! You're wrong! InuYasha will come!”

 

Naraku grinned. “Hoping against hope…so cute. InuYasha will never step foot in here, Kagome. He'd be purified first!”

 

Kagome narrowed her eyes as hope filtered into her soul. “If that were true, then so would you. And yet here you are…”

 

Naraku laughed and shook his head, his inky black hair waving side to side. “They work for me, you stupid bitch. Do you really think they wouldn't let their boss in his own office? The monk allowed me entrance a few moment prior.”

 

Kagome swallowed hard and pressed on, her eyes widening, “barrier Naraku…it's a barrier, not a person. Yes, Hakushin is protecting it…but it hasn't been taken down. I would have felt it. You're lying…why?” Staling for time seemed to be the best option, and seeing the anger that was coloring the hanyou's face, she was striking something.

 

Naraku reached back and smacked Kagome across her right cheek, the skin splitting under the pressure. “Do not dare presume that you can understand me! How I move is none of your business!”

 

Kagome blinked slowly, “you don't know…do you.” She let out a deep breath, one she didn't know she was holding. “Miroku…he has Hakushin. He's been holding him hostage. He couldn't let the barrier down. But being that you didn't know that…it means that you didn't know Hakushin was being held…and you didn't kill my friends!” Tears welled up in her eyes for the truth that maybe, just maybe, her friends were okay.

 

Naraku's eyes lightened and he laughed lightly, more of a chortle before shaking his head. “You're deductions astound me, Kagome. Bravo. I didn't kill your friends…but make no mistake…it's human blood in the air and from two sources. Tell me, was it not Miroku, Sango and Bankotsu you brought with you.” Seeing no motive to answer from Kagome, Naraku pressed on, his hand grasping her chin to force her to look at him, “see…I never leave loose ends. Ever. You'll learn that eventually. I will always have a spy wherever I need them. This has been a set up since day one. All to have my father killed, me inherit the crime gangs, Rin put out of the way, the Taisho family destroyed, and to get you in my bed. I was shocked, I must say, that you took Bankotsu with you. I figured he would have been left with the other dogs to take them out.”

 

Kagome blanched as his words dug into her. “Wh…what are you talking about?”

 

Naraku sat back and stared down at her impassively, his voice devoid of emotion. “You think I hire one assassin to put into the mix? Oh no…I hire one dunce that will screw everything up and get shot in the head, and I hire one nock, who will infiltrate the team under the guise of remorse and then take them out one by one.”

 

Kagome licked her lips as her mouth fell open. “Hiten and…”

 

Naraku glanced towards the door then shrugged, “how does it feel to know that you brought your friends to meet their executioner? That you allowed him into your group…that you brought him along?”

 

Kagome sat up abruptly and tried to shove Naraku off of her. “No! No, he wouldn't…”

 

Naraku shoved her back down, digging his nails into her shoulders as he did so. Bringing his lips to her ear, he hissed, “not this time Princess. You're mine now.” Naraku stood up from the girl and walked to the door. Flipping on the light, he turned and smiled at the petrified girl. Loosening the silver tie he wore, he grinned, “I've been in jail for nearly five weeks Kagome…five weeks without getting laid. You better believe I'm gonna take all that frustration out on you!”

 

Kagome's eyes widened, yet not at Naraku's threat. Apparently, his senses were off as well. A low growl broke the air and hell rained down on the three in the room.

 

~*~**~*~***~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~~**

 

(((While Kagome, Sango, Miroku and Bankotsu were breaking into the hospital)))

 

 

 

InuYasha slowly opened his eyes, stretched, yawned then froze. His hand drifted to his chest, rubbing slowly over his shirt with his lips turned down into a dark frown. He ran his hand over his chest again, nearly positive that something was missing. He cracked one eye open and glanced about the dark tiny room. “Wench?” the silence that greeted him held a malignant air, something that left a bitter metallic taste in his mouth. He sat up and glared about the room before jumping off the bed. It was quite the feasible idea that Kagome had woken up earlier and gone downstairs. It was quite possible that Kagome got hungry and went to get them food. But the twisting and knotting in his stomach told him another story, a dark story that froze his blood in his veins. It told a story he didn't want to know, didn't want to hear. The hanyou jumped over the open railing that led down to the first level of the precinct and as he touched down, was already running towards Ryen's office. The way his heart pounded in his chest was frightening; erratic patterns of fear and anxiety tore at his soul, stole away his breath. It was as if the creature from his dreams had stepped into the real world and was on his tail. Sliding around the corner, InuYasha breezed through Ryen's office doors and slammed into the desk. His hands landed spread a shoulder length apart and his hips rocked the desk back. Yet the demon behind the desk was not who he was looking for.

 

Sesshoumaru glanced up, annoyance written across his face. “Why are you making such a racket?”

 

InuYasha blinked the pushed away from the desk. “Where's uncle?”

 

Sesshoumaru raised a perfect eyebrow and sat back. “He was outside, last I looked. Why?”

 

InuYasha shook his head and turned from his brother. Reaching the doors, he called back, “have you seen Kagome?”

 

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened as he stood from the desk. “That's a joke, right?”

 

InuYasha spun around on his heels, his eyes wide and full of trepidation. “Do I look like I'm fucking playing around, you dick?”

 

Sesshoumaru moved around the desk and stalked towards the hanyou. “Why do you not know where Kagome is? Did you not leave her at the mansion to get rest after last night?”

 

InuYasha slapped his face and looked out from between his fingers at his older brother. “You probably don't remember much, since Ryen gave you a nasty concussion…but Kagome drove us back here then stayed up till a god forsaken hour doing research. We laid down about…five hours ago…and I've been out since then. Last place I saw her was on my chest!”

 

Sesshoumaru blinked then added in his stoic way, “you're an idiot. How do you misplace your girlfriend?”

 

InuYasha stared at Sesshoumaru, ready to fire back the questions then stopped. That would do nothing but get him beat to hell and back. Turning, he stormed into the main room. “I got to find Ryen…maybe he sent her on a mission. Maybe she had to go home.”

 

A rather sing-song voice echoed from behind the metal bars, “or…just maybe…she grew a pair bigger then you three assholes put together and decided to do something other then for putting her head in the sand.”

 

InuYasha whirled around and stared into the cell. “What did you say, bitch?”

 

Kagura, who was sitting on the bench in the cell, looked the other way with a sly smile.

 

InuYasha turned a wild glower towards his brother. “Did she just…”

 

Sesshoumaru walked around the cell and grabbed Kagura through the bars by her hair. Pulling her back, he glared down at her shocked face. The anger from the days of pain was nowhere near dissipated, and if prodded, he would have ripped her face away from her body if she said the wrong thing. “Say what you know this time, bitch. It's your fault we are already in this mess! If you had come clean…” he snarled and ground out, “what the hell do you know?”

 

Kagura grunted when Sesshoumaru tugged harder and ground out, “she went to get Rin.”

 

InuYasha ran to the bars and stared skeptically through them at the Youkai. “You're fucking kidding me, right? She…she wouldn't be that stupid!”

 

Sesshoumaru glanced about the cage like prison and narrowed his eyes. “Aren't we missing one?”

 

InuYasha's eyes widened as he all but tore out the front door, Sesshoumaru two steps in front of him. Ryen was walking up towards the building and was thrown back as InuYasha barreled into him. Ryen caught himself and the hanyou before the toppled to the ground and stared at the boy with complete shock. “What the—“

 

InuYasha shoved Ryen away and jammed a finger at his chest. “How the hell did you lose a prisoner?”

 

Ryen blinked and looked around for a moment before pushing past the boys to walk to the building. Sesshoumaru's voice stopped him dead.

 

“Bankotsu is gone…as is Kagome. Kagura said they have embarked on some half assed plan to rescue Rin.”

 

Ryen turned around, his normally so stoic golden orbs wide with disbelief. “Are you fucking kidding me?” he swore under his breath and headed for the building. “Shit! Is she fucking stupid?”

 

The brother's followed Ryen through the building and into a smaller room where there were thick metal closets. InuYasha pressed on. “How could you just let Kagome get Bankotsu out of a cell and walk out the door with him. Are you completely incompetent?” he threw his hands into the air and growled, “What kind of cop are you?” he wanted to punch something…to tear something apart piece by piece. Kagome was out there…without him…and he had no way to know if she were safe.

 

Ryen whirled around and growled back, “Do you really want to start on incompetent? How did Kagome get away from you? I wasn't going to stalk the building for you two every fucking minutes, god damnit! I had shit I had to do! You should have watched her yourself! Don't you fucking dare blame me!”

 

Sesshoumaru put a hand on InuYasha's shoulder and shoved him away from Ryen. Taking a step towards the demon, Sesshoumaru growled ferociously, “and I suppose it is not your fault that she gained access to a set of keys and was able to break Bankotsu out of the prison. Nor is it your fault a felon walked out the front door.” walking in a circle, Sesshoumaru punched one of the lockers. “Son of a bitch! Does either of you two insolent fools know what this will do? If Tsubaki thinks for one minute that we're trying to make a move against her, she may kill Rin. Kagome cannot take on a rapid dog, let alone a gang, a chemical weapon bitchy psychiatrist and a high-powered priest! And God forbid if Naraku gets involved! This could just as fucking well mean three funerals instead of…” Sesshoumaru stopped abruptly and ran a hand through his hair before punching the locker again, and again. He was able to ward off those images…for the time being. They had spoke to him while he slept, kept him tossing and turning all night long. The things he knew that Naraku had done to Rin…the things he could imagine that he had done to her, the things Rin would never speak about because of fear…it was all there in his dreams, taunting him, destroying him, piece by piece.

 

Ryen grabbed the boy's blood covered fist as he reared back to strike the metal contraption again. “Stop, Sesshoumaru…this will get you no where. We have to move, and we have to move now. Call Miroku, call Sango, call anyone who will move their ass to get there.”

 

InuYasha ripped the lock off one locker and swung the doors open then paused. His eyes widened for a moment like a child in a candy shop. A low whistle rang from his lips as he crossed his arms. “Damn…this is some heavy fire power.”

 

Sesshoumaru reached over his shoulder and grabbed one AK-47. Grabbing hollow point rounds, he filled the gun's clip and then another for backup. He turned and stormed from the room offering no words or co-op plans.

 

Ryen reached over InuYasha and took out a colt and a desert eagle. Handing the eagle to InuYasha, he grunted “fucking take this and get your eyes off the oozie. It ain't for you.”

 

InuYasha shoved the gun into the front of his pants and turned to walk from the room. A hand clasped onto his shoulder. Turning, he found a vest being presented to him. “Take this…Inu; with human blood in your veins, you'll be more of a bullet target. Me and your brother won't fall as easily.”

 

InuYasha shoved the vest back towards Ryen. “Fucking keep it, jack ass. I ain't gonna pass out over one bullet wound.”

 

Ryen pressed it against his chest with a thud and glowered. “Look, InuYasha, the last thing I want to do is lose more family. You're my fucking nephew, for Christ's sake. I'm going to take care of you, and I want you to fucking wear this!” Their eyes met for a moment before Ryen looked towards the ceiling and scratched his neck, “besides, Kagome won't be to pleased if she has to bury you.”

 

InuYasha's eyes darkened as he finally accepted the vest. Muttering while he stripped off his sweatshirt, he added, “If she's still alive…”

 

Ryen grabbed his shoulder and shook him hard, staring his nephew in the face. “It's that kind of attitude that's gonna get you shot. Kagome is still alive InuYasha; she has to be. And if you think otherwise, then you might as well lie down and die. I'm going to take care of you and her and god damnit, stop being so god damned pessimistic.”

 

InuYasha put on the vest then nodded. “I…god Ryen…I don't know what I would do if I lost her. I…I would curl up and die. I can't…I can't…” he closed his eyes and slammed his hands against the wall. Taking with his eyes shut, his words came out in a feral tone. “Damnit, why the hell would she do something so fuckin stupid? Why would she…” he slammed the wall again and again before leaning back and taking a deep breath to control his raging anger and frustration. The last thing he was ready to do was to go into that building and find Kagome in Rin's disposition…or to find their bodies.

 

Ryen reached over and put his hand on InuYasha's shoulder. “If your gonna be angry, then damnit, use it. Harness it so you can make it a weapon, a fuel; use it to make someone suffer. I need to know that you aren't gonna run into this thing head strong like your brother.”

 

InuYasha shrugged, put back on his sweatshirt and walked from the room. “I can't promise shit, Ryen…but I got your back.”

 

Ryen nodded very slowly and followed his nephew, grabbing a radio on the way out. Sesshoumaru was nowhere in sight. He had simply vanished. Though it wasn't unexpected, it was still a blow to the covert mission. InuYasha rushed to the car as Ryen stared at the tiny radio. Something was eating away at his gut, darkening the clouds in the sky and he dared to think that it was what he feared. Taping in a code on the radio, he planted himself by the exit of the police station. He closed his amber eyes, praying that he wasn't right. If he was…thing were going to have to change very quickly. Slowly, the code was punched back to him in an old fashion Morris sequence that left his mouth agape. `Shit…it's time.'

 

InuYasha glanced back from where he sat in the driver's seat of the car, his eyes narrowed. He saw the look of shock and absolute disdain and Ryen's face and knew he wasn't going to like what was to be said. “What? What happened?”

 

Ryen brushed past the car and jogged to the car, his coat fluttering in the wind behind him. “We got to move, now!”

 

InuYasha bolted out of the car and then jogged to keep up with Ryen. “Where are you going, what the hell is going on? What was that look for?”

 

Ryen nodded towards the buildings next to them. “We're taking the alternate route. It's time to stretch your legs, boy.” His face darkened as he took to the rooftops. InuYasha was on his left in the blink of an eye.

 

InuYasha studied the disturbing stillness of his uncle's features as they leapt from building to building. After seven rooftops, he stopped in front of his uncle, skidding to a halt in the gravel forcing Ryen to pause as well. Desperation and worry colored his voice and pulled at his weary eyes. “What the hell is going on? What aren't you telling me?”

 

Ryen studied the rocks on the ground then the clouds in the sky, not truly wising to tell the teen what he had just learned. Realizing that there was no way out of it, Ryen slowly shook his head. With a defeated sigh, he muttered, “Naraku was released from jail about thirty minutes ago. Apparently he wasn't full of shit, as me and your brother had hoped. With Rin incarcerated, there was no charged against him.”

 

InuYasha stared blindly at the older man for a moment before letting off a torrent of curses. “What the hell do you mean no charges? What about that tape with his confession?”

 

Ryen avoided the boys eyes, “I handed it to my superiors that night…no one's seen it since.”

 

InuYasha kicked the ground and began to rapidly pace, his amber eyes frantic, like a drowning mans. “That's hogwash! How could they let him go? They know how dangerous he is! That makes no fucking sense?” he paused mid step and covered his face. “Oh God…Kagome…” he lost feeling in his knees as he slowly sank to the floor. “Oh God…what if…he…no…” a jolt of pure rage shook his body as he nearly jumped to his feet. Red tore at his eyes, diluting the sunset amber into that of a crimson red. Like puddles of blood, InuYasha's eyes met Ryen's. “We go, now!”

 

The older demon seemed frightened for a moment then gained back his cool. “You need to check your anger kid…you go in there like that and someone you don't want to hurt will be…”

 

InuYasha growled back in a rather baritone voice, much unlike anything Ryen had ever heard him produce. “Those who will be hurt are those who dare to hurt my family!” With a rather ferocious growl, InuYasha turned and leapt off the building with such speed, Ryen hardly saw him move.

 

Ryen watched the demon kid run into the night, his eyes widened in shock, then sighed loudly. He rotated his right arm then popped his neck. Looking towards the night skies, he shoved his hands into his pockets, his breath leaving a trail in the frigid air. “You owe me for this one, brother…so much. He's definitely your kid…” He thought for a moment then bowed his head. Using a technique he had sworn off decades prior, the Inu-Youkai disappeared in a tiny ball of red light heading in the opposite direction then InuYasha. This was going to be a horrid fight, probably one to the death, and Ryen knew it. Whatever Kagome and Bankotsu had run off to do, he could only hope they had been wise in doing. Because if those two stupid humans had run themselves into that purified building without plan, there was nothing that the group of Inu Youkai could do but wait.

 

~~**~*~*~**~~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~

 

She thought it was a nightmare, once again playing in front of her eyes. She heard the voice bounce off the walls…his name slip from her friend's lips, but she didn't believe it. He couldn't be…no…wouldn't be released. He was in prison, where Ryen locked him…where he belonged. There was no way that Naraku was here in her room. Rin screwed her eyes shut, tears welling at the thought. For days…weeks even…she kept seeing him. Wherever she went, whenever she closed her eyes, that bastard was there, waiting for her; in the dark, in the mirrors, in her mind…everywhere. The thought that he was finally here in person was enough to make her want to claw her eyes out. Rin's fear was confirmed when she heard the monster speak, “Your friends are dead, Kagome, and yet here you are, still fighting.” Rin's mouth fell open…those gun shots she had heard, had Naraku… Rin placed her hand against the flesh, keeping in the tiny squeak that threatened to spill over. `No! Naraku can't have killed Sango. Not Sango…please, no! I can't…I can't see this happen. Not to my friends! This is my entire fault!' tears dripped down her face as she heard skin connect with skin and heard Kagome hiss. `All of this…all of it is because I gave up, I ran away.' Rin sucked down tears as a night that had happened so many weeks ago rang clear in her ears. The threat that she had thought impossible…the threat she had discarded, he was owning up to it now. <I>“Then I will go after them…I'm sure you don't want them to go through what you've been through.”</I>. `He's going to rape Kagome, kill everyone else and probably kill me as well. Gods…this is all my fault.' she grabbed the metal rail of her bed and grinded her teeth together. `None of this would have happened if I kept my fucking mouth shut!'

 

`Stupid girl…fucking stupid girl! Can you shut the hell up for one moment about your damn self-pity? If I could make you smack yourself I would!'

 

Rin paused and her body went rigid. The voice was coming from inside of her…somewhere from deep in her brain. And it sounded so familiar, like an echo of a dream…of someone she used to be. `Who…who are you?'

 

There was a harsh laugh that was cynical at best. `I'm the mate of the lord of the western lands. I'm the strong supportive side of that lord who doesn't take shit from anybody or anything, let alone a stupid insignificant hanyou who is lower then pond scum. How dare you still be afraid of this man? He is nothing more or less then you. If you cut him, he will bleed. If you strike him, he will fall. But here you sit, wallowing in self-pity and fear. Gods I hate that word. What do you fear Rin, besides for fear itself?'

 

Rin's eyes widened as she silently mouthed the title the voice had produced. `You're…me?'

 

The voice laughed again, this time it was lighter, more airy and slowly reminded her of the person she used to be. `At this point, Love, I would be ashamed to call myself you. What are you doing still sitting here? Are you going to cry about your past traumas while your friend is raped in front of you? Are you going to claim you couldn't stop him because you were afraid?'

 

Rin's fist closed on itself as she began to feel that flame of hatred rekindle in her heart. Energy bustled under her skin like solar fuel, with one direct target. `No…but he's stronger then me. How can I…how can I take him down?'

 

She could feel the grin slowly spread like cyanide across her lips. `Use your imagination, Love look around you. Use your environment to pick your weapon.'

 

Rin's eyes darted by memory across the room. `There is a couch…where Naraku has Kagome pinned…and a door. The light switch is by the door…there was nothing she could hit him with…unless. Rin's eyes widened as she remembered Tsubaki injecting her with that god-awful serum. `After she was done, she tossed the needle into that tiny waste bin on the wall. There wasn't a lock!'

 

A sadistic quirk of humour shot through her as she slowly began unhooking herself from the machines. `Some sanitary and safe hospital they have here. Never know who will poke themselves with a needle.' Rin worked diligently at the Iv, pulling it from her body was painful but she managed to keep her mouth shut. With a determination boiling in her blood and resolute glistening in her eyes, Rin hauled herself over the side of the bed. She heard every word of venom that Naraku seethed towards Kagome, every lie he whispered. She knew…she knew that if she didn't move fast, Kagome's life would be forfeit by time she could move. This was it, she realized with dread and awe, the final show down. What happened here would delineate the proceedings of the future. They would either take down Naraku or die trying. With a grimace, Rin moved to the side of the needle box. She hated the simple pinpricks…she hated them with a passion. Now willing to shove her hand into the box full of them was not on her high to do list. But it had to be done. With a hard swallow, Rin plunged her hand into the tiny box. She grabbed the cylinder, luckily not pricking herself as she withdrew it. Rin stared at the needle for a moment, her eyes not truly adjusted to the dark yet. She heard a thud to the right of the room, where the couch had been and rushed around her bed. With a grimace, she thrust the needle into the drip bag of Morphine and pulled in some fluid to the container, like how one would a turkey baster. She lifted the needle up to try to realize if it had filled as she heard Naraku's words. “How does it feel to know that you brought your friends to meet their executioner? That you allowed him into your group…that you brought him along?”

 

Rin's heart hammered against her chest, knowing exactly whom Naraku was talking about. Hiten had tried to kill her and these fools knew? They brought Bankotsu along anyway? Rin clenched a fist at her side; well aware she was going to have to crack heads when she figured out who was so stupid to trust the asshole. Rin ducked down behind her bed as Naraku threw on the light and bit back the smile when she realized that she had managed to pull a good amount of fluid in the needle. The hanyou's back was to her position, completely oblivious to her body not being in the bed. Time was of the essence, if he realized she wasn't there, all would be lost. Rin moved out from behind the bed and let her eyes roam over the hanyou's back. She needed a point of weakness, a point where she could inject him. She stared from the morphine to the hanyou then linked eyes with the petrified Kagome. Rin's eyes widened as she desperately looked back to Naraku, hoping Kagome to get the gist. Relief was rewarded when Kagome returned her focus to the hanyou on a power trip.

 

Rin licked her lips and stood on her toes. To get near his neck and be able to push in the drug, she needed to be a foot taller. Shoving the needle between her teeth, she clambered back onto the bed as Naraku stalked towards Kagome.

 

Naraku approached the young girl, his eyes roaming her body like a carnivorous beast deprived of food for weeks. She was his prey, and he the hunter. A sinful smile erupted on the hanyou's lips as he stopped moving and rested his hands behind his back, looking over the girl on the couch. Her hair was dashed across her face, blood covered her clothes, and she was petrified. Her large brown eyes were those of a deer caught in headlights…and god was this going to be a kill. “Get used to this scene Kagome…” he goaded wickedly, “you're going to need to get used to being my servant. Rin here used to serve me well as such…” his eyes lit up with such a perverse evil, Kagome could feel her stomach roll. “…I think she deserves to see another suffer now, the way she has for the past six months; especially one that she tried so hard to protect. Poetic justice, ne” He smiled and glanced over his left shoulder. “Isn't that…” His voice cut off as his eyes widened.

 

Already airborne, Rin slammed into Naraku's chest as he turned to stare at her. Knocking both parties to the floor, Rin recovered first and jammed the syringe into the hanyou's neck and injected him with the drug. Naraku hissed and grabbed the syringe from the human and thrust her off of him. His hand immediately went to where she damaged him, stopping any blood from spilling out. He was quite unsure of what happened, besides for the fact that the girl who should have been unconscious was not. Rin rolled to the side and flew to her feet instantly. She rushed to Kagome's side and grabbed her friend's hand. “Come on, Kagome! Run!”

 

A fist blocked her path, connecting with the right side of her jaw. Rin's head spun to the right, her entire body twisted grotesquely before she fell to the floor in a heap. Kagome screamed as Naraku kicked her friend once in the chest then turned his angry eyes on her. His red eyes were slightly dilated, his breathing rugged and he was pissed. He grabbed Kagome by her shoulders and shook her, “What the fuck did…she do to me?”

 

Kagome shook her head, her eyes staying on the body of her friend. “I don't know…I …I don't know…”

Naraku reared back and slapped Kagome, wheeling the girl back against the couch. He turned his sights on the other. Grabbing Rin by her neck, he hauled her from the carpet to the wall, pinning her with a hand around her throat. His sight was blurring slightly and he felt light headed. “What…what did you do to me?”

 

Rin blinked away the stars she had been staring at after his fist collided with her face and stared at the man who had tortured her for seven months of her life. `Why now…why after all of this…does he not seem so scary?' she stuck out her chin and spit the blood that was pooling in her mouth at him. “Fuck off, Naraku. You got what you deserve!”

 

Naraku studied the girl's face then moved closer. “You think you have nothing more to lose, don't you? You think that you can either stop me or die trying, is that it?” he brushed his lips against her ear and then licked the cartilage, his tongue dancing around the tiny piecing it held. His voice was condescending and held a rather hushed masochistic tone. “You're so wrong Rin…so wrong. You don't know…you have no clue…what I can do to you.” anger blazed in his eyes and he pushed her to the wall harder. “You don't know what you've gotten yourself into. I could kill you, I should kill you…right here, right now,” he pulled back and studied her eyes then gave her a tiny sadistic smile, and shook his head quickly, “but that would save you from seeing everything go to hell. No…no…you need to suffer, you need to understand your part in this.” he held his other hand out to display the room then Kagome. “This…all of this…is your fault! If you had taken it like the others, if you had just kept your mouth shut…none of this would be happening. But…you couldn't do that…you had to bring them into it.”

 

Kagome sat up on the couch and hissed back, “Fuck you, Naraku! This isn't her fault! You're to blame. You did this; to her, to us…hell, to yourself.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder and jumped off the couch. She grabbed Naraku's hand that was wrapped around Rin's throat and pulled futilely. “Let her go…let Rin go now!”

 

Naraku turned a venomous stare towards Kagome and back smacked Kagome with the back of his left hand. Catching the girl square in the nose, she sprawled backwards across the floor. Rin screamed her name and began kicking; Naraku simply pressed his weight against hers, his eyes focusing on Kagome to make sure she was still alive. The impact could have been hard enough to break her neck. To his relief, she seemed to be fighting with consciousness. With a masochistic grin, he turned his attention back to Rin.

 

“You bastard!” Rin thrust against Naraku, trying to bring her knee up high enough to catch the demon in the crotch. His legs were pressed against hers, however, pinning them to their mounted spot. Everything was slowly beginning to become blotchy; stars were exploding in front of her eyes. Her air was slowly beginning to run out and his grasp on her neck was making it something difficult to gather more.

 

Naraku brought his mouth to her cheek and licked her jawbone, enjoying the absolute disgust it sparked in her eyes. “I'm going to enjoy watching you, Rin. I'm going to enjoy watching you rip your hair out, knowing that this is your doing. And you're going to watch me…you're going to watch as I take your friends lives, as I shove a gun barrel down Sesshoumaru's throat and watch the wall turn red with his brains. You're going to watch me as I rip the Taisho name from the pages of history, as I piss on their dead bodies. You're going to watch me rape your best friend over and over…in all the nostalgic ways I did you…and then you're going to watch me kill her. But you…oh no…I will not grant you death. You won't have that luxury. You're going to live on, Rin…with all the knowledge….”

 

Rin's eyes hardened with a cold fire burning beneath. Hatred, revenge, and the absolute raging disgust…anything ignited it but all kept it burning. “Naraku…”

 

The hanyou cocked an eyebrow, “Rin?”

 

Rin pulled her head away from him and smiled sweetly, though her eyes betraying the facial façade. “Go to hell.”

 

It was a sound like lightning splitting a tree in half, like static electricity rolled up in a velux blanket snapping to life. Pink light flooded the room, forcing Rin to shut her eyes, while Naraku looked away. The smell of sizzling flash assaulted all noses in the room, and most prominently, the one being burned. Naraku jumped, his eyes wide and he howled in pain. Two handprints were scorched into his arm as Kagome stood a foot from him, her hair blowing behind her and the aura of a Miko glowing around her.

 

Naraku dropped to his knees, his eyes lifted towards the ceiling as the burning continued up his arm. He ripped at his sleeve, tore it from his shirt and watched in horror as the charred flesh continued to burn. He tried to place his good hand over his bicep to stop the purifying light, to salvage one part of his limb but the light that was traveling from the wound only worked over his hand, charring the member and spread to his other arm as well. His red eyes shot up, eyebrows at his hairline and screamed, “Stop this! I demand it!”

 

A thin line of sweat broke out across Kagome's forehead as she continued to meditate. Rin was by her side in an instant, dropped by Naraku when he feared for his own arm. Her mouth hung open as she watched her friend purify the one man who had given them nothing but trouble. Naraku fell to the ground and roared out in pain, both arms nearly incinerated by the light.

 

The door behind the two girls ripped open, a cold blast of air intruding on the three and disrupted Kagome's concentration. She blinked and the light faded, Naraku stopped screaming and Rin held her breath. Kagome turned slowly to glance at Rin before muttering, “I'm sorry…”. Falling forward, Rin hardly had time to catch the girl as she passed out. The beating Naraku inflicted on her before all of this was traumatizing enough, but then to focus all of her power on incinerating a rather strong hanyou…Kagome's psyche couldn't keep up.

 

The sound of a bullet being loaded into a chamber made Rin's heart jump. Naraku was still rolling around on the ground, as if on fire, Kagome was passed out in her arms and she was…well, she just was. Turning, she found that maybe they just really were fucked from the beginning. In the door, with a gun aimed directly at her head, was Yamaoto Tsubaki. And she looked furious.

 

 

~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

 

<<while Kagome, Rin and Naraku have their show down>>

 

 

Sango and Bankotsu tore down the hallway, their footsteps resonating behind them as they turned the corner. Bankotsu pointed ahead then paused, skidding to a halt with wide eyes. Sango paused a second later, and looked over Bankotsu's skeptical grimace. “What's wrong?” Sango glanced around then widened her eyes. “Don't tell me you forgot where you left him!”

 

Bankotsu ignored the jibe and grabbed the Glock he was toting from the pocket of the black coat he was wearing. Sango's eyes doubled in size and Bankotsu held up a finger to his lips. He shook his head then pointed two fingers at the room ahead of them. Through the white curtain, three figures could be seen.

 

Sango snapped her head around from the scene and asked sternly, “Who's in there with him?”

 

Bankotsu shrugged and loaded the gun. He tilted his head towards the room and slowly began an approach, the gun aimed towards the ceiling, Sango pushed far behind him. He paused at the door, then in one smooth move, turned and kicked it open. Once inside, he paused, his mouth widening. Sango slipped in behind him and nearly screamed. Miroku stood, a gun in hand, his eyes focused and sweat pouring down his face, and was aiming at an older man who was on his knees in the middle of the room. The third figure was a woman with long silver hair that reached her waist. She was aiming a very similar gun at Miroku, her teal eyes narrowed in anger.

 

Bankotsu aimed his gun at the new comer and yelled, “Drop it, Bitch! You don't know what you're messing with!”

 

Tsubaki glanced lazily over her shoulder and rolled her eyes. “Just how many of you fuck ups are in my hospital?”

 

Sango rushed forward and stopped when the gun Tsubaki was aiming suddenly trained on her. “You're Tsubaki, aren't you? You're the cunt that's been lying to Rin!”

 

Tsubaki looked Sango over and then nodded sarcastically. “Oh, you must be the other friend, the one who Rin doesn't talk about.” she rolled her eyes and shifted her weight to lay on one foot. “I think it's time for you to get new friends.”

 

Miroku growled then shouted over all in the room, “Drop the barrier!”

 

The older man, Hakushin, shook his head, “why would I?”

Miroku clicked back the trigger, “because a man with a gun is telling you to.”

 

Hakushin shook his head slowly, “I believe you harbor no want to murder in your heart, my son.”

 

Miroku nodded once, “you're right, but I will. My friends are in trouble because you're demon boss is going to destroy them. I need to let my other friends deal with him.”

 

Hakushin snorted, “Friends of demons deserved to be vanquished.”

 

Bankotsu rolled his eyes and stormed towards Miroku, “that's quite the loveable Buddhist philosophy for you. What happened to the eight noble truths? Love your neighbor…no matter creed, color, race…”

 

Sango glanced over her shoulder, “you just mixed two religions and an anthem.”

 

Bankotsu turned cold eyes to Sango, “shut up!” Aiming the gun at Tsubaki, he cocked an eyebrow, “what are you going to do now, doctor?”

 

Tsubaki stared at him as if the answer was most evident. “I'm going to kill you all, of course.”

 

Sango hissed back, “I would love to see you try.”

 

Tsubaki shrugged and aimed the gun back at Miroku. “Let the monk stand or I'll kill you.”

 

Miroku glanced at Bankotsu and nodded slowly. Bankotsu backed away from Miroku and placed his gun on the floor then pulled Sango behind him. “We're unarmed. Miroku?” Miroku's purple eyes glowered into Bankotsu's. He had already told the boy in no less words that he didn't trust him. It had been an act of god that Miroku had allowed Bankotsu to go find the girls. Yet seeing Sango rekindled his trust, earned this new boy a place by their side. He met Sango's eyes and nodded briefly. Miroku mouthed `love you' before he lowered his gun and stepped away from the monk.

 

The minute Miroku was a foot away from Hakushin, his weapon cast to his side, Tsubaki popped off one shot. Aimed at Miroku, she hit the boy once in the back of the skull. Bankotsu had a gun in his hand in an instant. One bullet was fired from the Glock and caught Hakushin right between the eyes. The monk was so studious on upholding the barrier around the center; he was unable to cast one fast enough to save himself. Tsubaki ran the minute the first shot fired from the gun. Out the door and out of the room, she was gone in an instant.

 

Everything was delayed, as if time slowed down to drip like a leaky faucet. Hakushin sunk slowly to the floor, instantly dead and his brains painted on the wall behind him. The void look in his eyes cast his death in shadows around the room and then the serenity of the room was shattered. Sango screamed.

 

Sango ran to Miroku's side, tears pouring like rain down her cheeks. The boy was slumped on the floor, blood pooling out of the tiny quarter like wound at the bottom of his skull. Sango shook his shoulders screaming.

 

“Miroku! No, gods no! Gods…” Sango kept shaking Miroku's body her hands covered in his blood as they wrapped around the purple sweatshirt he donned. “No…no, gods no! Miroku, you bastard! You promised not to leave me! You can't die…no, please!”

 

Bankotsu lowered his gun, and stared at the scene in front of him. His mouth moved a couple times yet he couldn't say a word. He knew without a doubt that Miroku was dead. Hell, the bullet probably took off half the boy's face. He moved slowly to Sango's side to drop down beside her.

 

Sango threw herself against Miroku's back, her face nestled between his shoulder blades. “Miroku…please…please talk to me. Say something…anything. You can't die, we're not supposed to die, damnit! Miroku! Please!” She reared back and grabbed his shoulder, ready to turn him over.

 

Bankotsu quickly reached out and covered her hand with his, stopping her from moving her dead lover's body. He closed his eyes and shook his head, grimacing as her sobs grew into wails. “Sango…I'm sorry…”

 

Sango stared at Miroku's body then turned quickly to her right and vomited. Bankotsu grimaced but didn't move away. Sango sobbed and wailed between heaves, but in the end, was left on her forearms, next to the body of her dead lover. Bankotsu sat idle for a moment, staring from the blood pooling around the boy to where Sango lay.

 

Bankotsu slowly stood and wrapped his arm around her waist. Hauling her to her feet, he pulled her into a loose hug. “You got to get away from here…” The gun rested in his other hand, pointing away from her body aimed lazily at the door where Tsubaki had exited. If that bitch dared to show her face, Bankotsu would definitely decorate her with holes.

 

Sango struggled against his hold, screaming bloody murder. “No, let me go Bank! I can't leave him…I can't leave him like this! Not Miroku! No…he's not dead, he can't be. He wouldn't leave me!” She turned towards the boy and began banging her fists on his chest, yelling and screaming gibberish, occasionally striking intelligent words strung together incoherently.

 

Bankotsu pulled her towards the door, fighting her struggling by lifting her off the ground and holding her against his chest. “Sango, he's gone. I'm sorry…but Miroku is dead! Please…you can't be here, girl. This isn't for your eyes; you'll drive yourself crazy! You can't see this…come on.”

 

Sango pulled relentless at his arms. “Miroku!” She paused her struggles to stare up at Bankotsu, “please, Bank…I have to be with him… he would wait with me…he would…he…” Her body weight gave out and sent both parties to their knees. Instead of escaping, Sango simply sat and stared at the body. “Oh god…he's gone. I…he…she shot him. She…” Sango closed her blood shot eyes and slammed one hand into the ground, “he's dead…god damnit, he left me too. He promised…Miroku you bastard, how could you be so stupid?”

 

Bankotsu gathered himself back to his feet, trying to sympathize with the girl but his own anger was flaring. `That's the cunt that killed Hiten…Tsubaki; she was the one he reported to. She either killed him with her own hands or ordered the hit. Either way, she's mine!' He wrapped his free hand around Sango's shoulder and hauled her to her feet. Bankotsu tugged her towards the door, gesturing at Miroku with the gun. “Sango, he's gone, I'm sorry but Miroku's dead. Our friends on the other hand aren't. We need to help them! Come on, pull yourself together and take your revenge. You can cry later!”

 

Sango turned around and punched Bankotsu in the jaw with a rather wild blow. “Bastard! How can you say that…how….”

 

Bankotsu snapped his head back with amazing recovery speed and grabbed her wrist to pull her closer to him. A bit gruffer then he meant for the words to sound, he growled, “Look, it sucks, I know. I lost my brother to these bastards. Now we can sit here and wait to be shot or we can go after that bitch. What do you prefer?”

 

Sango glanced back at Miroku, a fresh batch of tears tracing over the wet patterns on her cheeks. “Oh, Miroku….” She tried to pull once more from Bankotsu who snarled in response.

 

Pulling Sango around, Bankotsu shook his head and dragged her behind him. He was set to pull her from the room and lock her in another. He had a score to settle and the hell this bitch was going to become a diversion from the goal. She was mourning, and he could understand that. But there was no way she was going to hinder his goal. A figure in the doorway stopped their ascent and Bank nearly shot until he recognized their frame. A brash smile spread across his lips until silver bangs blew back to reveal red eyes. Bankotsu's smile dropped like a lead brick as he studied his friend's face. This…this wasn't his friend…it was something else, and this something else was not quite sitting right with him. Urged to shoot, Bankotsu had a hard time keeping the gun in check.

 

The demon InuYasha regarded the scene presented before him. His goal had been to find his mate, whose blood he could smell, until the much more pungent and fatal blood of a member of his kin struck his nose. Now he stood, staring from the two bodies that littered the floor and had turned the marble floor scarlet, to the hysterical girl who was staring at the bodies as well and last to the collected man who held the gun in his hand and deception in his eyes.

 

Sango turned to glance behind them and gasped. She fought to her feet and stared at the boy in the doorway. She could hear him growling, snarling even. To her, InuYasha's growls sounded like a caged animal, promising the destruction of its owners. She swallowed hard, the image of the dead Miroku being pushed back in her brain as she took two careless steps towards the boy, her arm outstretched as if reaching for him. It was a morbid curiosity really, wondering just if this figure truly was InuYasha. It looked like him, moved like him…but the aura was something else entirely.

 

Bankotsu grabbed Sango before she could reach the hanyou and shielded her behind his body. Bankotsu backed up a step from the hanyou who was slowly approaching the pair. Bankotsu's teal eyes were wide and unnerved. All the years he had known his friend, he had never seen him look so demonic. He had heard rumor he never shared that at the party back in Kyushu, before InuYasha had raped Kerensa, his eyes had turned red. That only set his hair on end more. If he had lost it to his demon side then…had he now? Had something happened to Kagome? Bankotsu swallowed hard and muttered, “Sango…stay back. Something isn't right…”

Sango nodded slowly in agreement while peaking around Bankotsu's side to stare demon that stood in the doorway. “Why…why are his eyes red?”

 

Bankotsu shrugged and stopped moving away from his friend. He narrowed his eyebrows and choked out, “Inu…you okay man?”

 

InuYasha stared from Bankotsu, to the gun in his hand, to the body of his best friend. The movement went on for a few circles, as if he was trying to visualize just what happened. Finally, he spoke and sent chills down both Bankotsu and Sango's spines. “What did you do?”

 

Bankotsu glanced at Miroku's body and his eyes widened. `Oh…shit.' InuYasha wasn't pissed over Kagome; he was pissed at the sight of Miroku's body. For some reason, that had completely slipped Bankotsu's recognition. `And he thinks…' Bankotsu glanced around the room again, making sure he wasn't staring at someone else before he glanced helplessly at Sango. “He thinks I…” swiveling back around, he held out his hands in front of his body then slowly put down the gun. “No, man…it wasn't me.”

 

Sango watched Bankotsu slowly put down the gun and then she slowly began to back towards Miroku's body. She had heard from Kagome about what happened when InuYasha lost it in Kyushu. She heard about the girl he had raped while in demon form and how crazy he got. The last thing she was ready to be was a victim of that or of his claws. If he were going to get crazy or even homicidal, she would die next to Miroku, not by this asshole that she never liked in the first place. Everything happened the minute her back was turned.

 

Bankotsu placed the gun on the floor, registering out of the corner of his eye Sango's flight from his side. As he slowly began to stand up, he realized with a hollow feeling in his gut just how close InuYasha was standing to him. As Bankotsu stood up straight, a clawed hand wrapped around his neck and squeezed.

 

“You killed him.”

 

Bankotsu grunted as the hanyou picked him up by his windpipe from the ground that InuYasha meant to kill him for this. Sweat began to pour from his glands as he kicked at the hanyou with hard enough blows to shatter kneecaps. The hanyou didn't flinch. “You got it all wrong!”

 

InuYasha narrowed his dangerous eyes and snarled, “You're fighting me! You pick a fight with the alpha male while you demand your innocence? It screams your conviction!”

 

Bankotsu stopped struggling as he slowly ran out of air. His hand latched onto his friends as he searched the red eyes that seemed to be delivering his fate. Normally he could easily take InuYasha head to head in a sparing match, but never had he seen such strength be exhibited by the hanyou. If he had…he would never of fucked with him. The world began to spin as Bankotsu resulted to clawing at his capture's hands with blunt nails. “Please…Inu….”

 

InuYasha cocked an eyebrow and jerked his hand to the right, snapping the boy's neck in half. The body fell forward and InuYasha simply sidestepped.

 

Sango whirled around as she heard Bankotsu's words. Her mouth gaped open; ready to tell InuYasha that Bankotsu was innocent when the noise of bones shattering struck her ear. She watched in morbid fascination again as another member of their party found solace in death. Bankotsu's body crashed into the floor lifeless, his teal eyes staring at her in a deceiving way. She hadn't said a word…she had simply let her die. Her mouth moved a number of times as InuYasha stalked towards her. Words fumbled from her lips repeating like a mantra silently, “he didn't do it…He…He didn't do it….” seeing the hanyou's boots by her knees, she slowly looked up into the red eyes of her friend. InuYasha was staring at Miroku's body with a disgusted glower painted on his face. Sango fought down the urge to retch again before screaming, “InuYasha! He didn't do it!” she realized as the words bellowed from her lips just how cynical the phrase `to little to late' truly was.

 

InuYasha paused, red eyes focusing down at the girl holding Miroku's hand. He blinked, regarded her situation then glanced back at the other male whom he had killed on the other side of the room. He snapped his head back around to look at Sango and sniffed the air before blinking again. Soon the brilliant and deadly scarlet that had captured his eyes was reduced to confused and absolutely horrified amber. The boy dropped to his knees next to Sango, as if really seeing Miroku's body for the first time and gulped audibly. He moved his mouth and shook his head, then jostled Miroku's body with one hand while still trying to get a grasp on reality. Like a child lost in the world, InuYasha turned to look at Sango, completely distraught and on the verge of tears. “Sango…Miroku's…”

 

The tears that streamed down Sango's face were enough of an indication that his words were accurate. Sango swallowed hard and sniffed away the phlegm in her throat. She choked on a sob and then shook her head slowly. “I…he was…then she…” She hung her head then slowly looked over her right shoulder towards Bankotsu. InuYasha followed suit and she heard him gasp even louder. Feeling her heart tearing into pieces, she fought for her voice, “we were holding Hakushin…so we could destroy the barrier…Miroku had the gun…Tsubaki came in when me and Bankotsu arrived. We stood down and then she…she….” Wiping a tear, almost violently from her eyes, Sango marched on, “she shot Miroku in the back of the head when he was walking away. Bankotsu shot Hakushin so we could get you guys in here.”

 

InuYasha's jaw dropped as his eyes widened, “You mean he didn't…”

 

Sango slowly turned to face InuYasha. “Inu…he didn't kill Miroku…”

 

All color drained from InuYasha's face as he forced himself to the feet he couldn't feel. Walking was a trick, somehow a reflex, and before he knew it, he was by the human's side. Tapping Bankotsu's still warm cheek, he muttered, “Come on shit head… say something. I couldn't…you can't be…” he nudged the boy a little harder, the truth slowly washing over him. He had killed his best friend. His mouth hung open as he pushed harder at his shoulders. “Bankotsu, get up! Get up now, you asshole! I didn't mean…I wasn't thinking…I wasn't myself! You can't be dead! You can't! Get up! Get the fuck on your feet!” he was near hysterical by the end of his speech. Finally he fell forward and bowed his head.

 

Sango watched from the side, tears streaming down her face. Turning back to her lover, she kissed the top of his head before standing up. Wiping her cheeks, she grabbed the gun Miroku had dropped then clicked a bullet into the chamber. “InuYasha…let's find this bitch and get it over with.”

InuYasha slowly stood up, his eyes overshadowed by his bangs as he picked up the glock that Bankotsu had been carrying. When he looked up, Sango gasped once again. The striking stoic family resemblance to the other Taisho males was remarkable. There wasn't a single emotion running through his eyes other then the hardened cast of murder. His lips were set in an unwavering line, his eyes cold to the world. For a moment, Sango wondered if even Kagome would be able to break through the trauma he endured here today. “Follow me.” his words were like ice, the delivery powerful enough to knock Sango back a step. She simply nodded dumbly, set in her world of much needed revenge, hiding from the memory of her lover's body.

 

Blood would be spilt, that wasn't a question as the two left room filled with death. Revenge served…deaths avenged. It was only a matter of minutes.

 

 

~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*

 

 

So yes, I suppose ya'll hate me now. Don't worry, I'll get a new chapter up ASAP. Let's not forget that Sesshoumaru and Ryen have yet to make their appearances, and those boys always have fun toys. And for the question that has been asked a couple times, and I apologize for taking this long to answer, yes, I have a lot of ideas for future fics. If you wish a hint to a couple, I have some listed in my profile on fanfiction.net. I plan on retiring no time soon.

 

 

*- Maybe it's the large amount of local anesthetic I've received today before the doctor decided to cut me open without really talking about it (loooong story, and I'm very bitter over it) but to me…when I reread Rin flying through the air at Naraku, I saw scenes of that raccoon from Family Guy flying onto Peter's head and attacking him. I don't know. LOL.