InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Eternal Curse ❯ Family Feuds ( Chapter 14 )

The Eternal Curse

Chapter Fourteen:

Family Feuds

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. I can only dare to dream. *_*

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The ugly toad youkai looked at his Master with wide eyes and his staff ripped itself from his hands, hovering a few inches from the ground, and pointing itself south.

"I-Is it because of your filthy half breed brother?" he asked, wide eyed. Sesshomaru gave the merest of nods.

"There is no doubt he is looking for a way to control his demon blood. Father's youki always inundated his puny body anyway. I shudder to think what would have to such a glorious sword should it fall into the hands of Inuyasha," he replied slowly, amber eyes shining dully. Jaken nodded vigorously in a agreement, wiping a few beads of sweat from his round head with the back of his sleeve.

"So, where will our next stop be, me Lord?" he asked, skittering alongside the great Taiyoukai. Sesshomaru paused, and tilted his head to the purplish-black sky dotted with bright, twinkling stars, as the first few patches of light pink streaked the sky, signaling morning was approaching. He brought his claws in front of his face; they were incased in some sort of glowing green light.

"Right to my half-brother, of course."

***

Kagome found it hard to sleep. The cave floor was cold and hard beneath her, the cool night air chilled her to the bone. Her caramel eyes locked on the grumbling hanyou only a few feet away from her. By squinting she could see his shape - surrounded by his long, flowing white hair - and the glint of his bright amber eyes. Unconsciously, she edged closer to him.

"What do you want?" he snapped. "You should be sleeping."

"But it's cold!" Kagome whined, rubbing her arms in a futile attempt to keep herself warm as her teeth chattered, top row of teeth bumping against the bottom. His ear swiveled to her, a small hint of pity rising deep within his chest. Kagome scooted closer to him, nestling herself under his chin.

"Huh?" he muttered.

"I was cold. You're warm," she purred in a voice that melted him into a pile of fluff at her feet. He ran his clawed hands through her cold hair, relishing the silky, softness of it. Kagome licked his neck in appreciation. Inuyasha shuddered.

"I'm that warm, huh?" he mumbled, unsure of himself. Kagome brought herself up to look at him, cinnamon-honey eyes connecting with confused golden ones. She tipped her head back, so her breath tickled his lips. Inuyasha swallowed. Hard.

"Yes very." Kagome rose herself, lips skimming lightly against his, sending an electric jolt up his spine. But, before they could continue, he jerked back and hopped to his feet. A tall figure loomed in the mouth of the cave.

"How very touching. The hanyou and his new bitch are getting more comfortable," came a familiar, chilling voice. Inuyasha's ear flattened against his skull, as a growl rose in his throat, trying to cover the blush that settled permanently on his cheeks.

"Sesshomaru," he whispered.

"I thought you were into human bitches," the demon continued, Inuyasha's comment unnoticed. "Like that last one, Kikyo was it? You met her on a business trip…you got infatuated…she tried to blow you up, and the delicious hate that rose from that occurrence." Kagome's ears flicked back. So Inuyasha did know Kikyo…and he never told me! He might know more about the curse… Was there a chance, that he loved her? Figures. Everyone is too good for stupid Kagome.

"Shut up, Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha roared, eyes narrowing. His claws twitched dangerously. "Kikyo isn't a part of this!" The older demon smirked. "What do you want anyway?"

"Ah, little brother, still as dim-witted as you were five years ago." Kagome allowed a small gasp to escape her parted lips. That guy is his brother? All I can sense among them is hatred…and blood lust! Yeah, they do look alike but…don't tell me they have the same parents!

"Half-brother," Inuyasha corrected.

"It seems that everyone gets pulled into things, one way or another. How your mother met our father. How my mother met our father. How we were born many years apart." Sesshomaru paused, letting his words sink it. "How we are both looking for Tetsusaiga." Inuyasha growled, looking dangerous, shoving Kagome behind his form. She sniffed. This "Sesshomaru" smelled of nothing but pure evil; he was dangerous, full demon no doubt.

"What would you know about it?" Inuyasha growled, lashing out with his claws. His older brother quickly grabbed his wrist, flinging him in the wall. There was a nauseating thud. Part of the wall crumbled, and specks of dust surrounded him as his boneless body slid to the floor.

"INUYASHA!" Kagome screeched, and began running towards him.

"Don't come!" he yelled, struggling to raise himself from the ground. She stopped abruptly.

"But…"

"I would suggest you listen to him," came Sesshomaru's cold voice. He pointedly showed her two claws, some type of golden light emanated from them, and a long whip emerged. Sesshomaru tossed it in her direction, and she sprung just in time to avoid it by an inch.

"Kagome! Leave her alone, bastard!" Then, Inuyasha swung his claws, sending golden blades flying towards his brother, who just swerved to the side to avoid them. They smashed into another wall of the cave.

"I thought with me leaving for five years, as an exile, you would improve as a fighter," Sesshomaru hissed. "But obviously I overestimated you."

"Keep talking and you just might start believing it!" Inuyasha hurled himself at Sesshomaru, aiming his claws from his throat. Before Kagome had time to scream out, he wrapped his hands around his neck, lifting him two feet from the ground. Inuyasha made gasping, choking sounds, clawing at the fingers that bound him.

"LEAVE INUYASHA ALONE!"

"Seeing but never seen. Protected but never known to it's protector. Old Myoga never told you that did he?" His grip increased and Inuyasha continued to make weak, whimpering sounds.

I never wished I had a bow as much as I do know! And, Kagome started to feeling crackling energy race in her palms. It was like her feeble miko energy…but stronger. She stared at her hands in shock, as some sort of figure seemed to appear in them. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha turned to face her, Sesshomaru's own hands slipping a little from Inuyasha's neck to watch. WAH?What's happening…The smell of strong pine burned her nostrils…but the only thing that ever smelt like that was…

"A bow?" But, low and behold, in her grasp, a polished bow already laced with an arrow were resting in her palms.

"Holy…" Inuyasha murmured, effectively making little welts in Sesshomaru's hands. His ears perked when he heard the stretching of a string. "WHOA! WHOA! WHOA! LET ME GET DOWN BEFORE YOU SHOOT!" Kagome glared at him, as she pointed her metal-tipped arrow at Sesshomaru.

"So you don't think that I can aim?" she growled. "C'mon I'm trying to save your life here!" There was a heavy thump as Inuyasha was flung to the ground harshly. With lightening speed, Sesshomaru was on top of her, overwhelming her with his strong scent and height. She dropped her bow; it clattered uselessly on the stone floor.

"You are more trouble than you are worth…" he muttered. He rose his claws again to show off the greenish glow coming from them. He cracked his fingers, releasing some of the stored tension in them. This girl would be an easy kill, no doubt. And a painful jab to Inuyasha's heart when he saw her mangled, melting body. Sesshomaru charged, and she rolled out of the way just in time.

"KAGOME! GET OUT OF THERE!"

"Don't you see me trying?" she hissed. Sesshomaru was breathing down her neck again, and she felt his claws dig in her skin, drawing drops of crimson blood. She yelped and put out her hands to protect herself. He let out a chuckle, before blue light engulfed him, and he felt…could it be true?...pain!? Sesshomaru backed down, and Kagome looked at her hands in shock, seeing small bits of flickering light still remaining on them.

"So it is true you have the power of a miko…but…that will not save you from me." He allowed himself to smirk again but his confidence level was lowering drastically. She was powerful - very powerful. So, Sesshomaru rounded on Inuyasha, who was still gaping at Kagome's feat. He grabbed his younger brother by the scruff of his neck.

"LET HIM GO!" Kagome screeched. She stooped down to grab her fallen bow. Inuyasha swung his arms wildly, letting out streams of curses. How demeaning!

"Or else what?" He let his whip crawl from his long, pale fingers, and slashed it heavily at her skin. Inuyasha let out a scream as Kagome crumbled to her knees, whimpering, bow still tightly in her grasp.

"B…Bast…Bastard," he managed to sputter, turning Sesshomaru's attention back to him. He held Inuyasha eye level, and let a small smirk cross his face. Sesshomaru then bought two claws close to the half demon's eye. Inuyasha started squirming more forcefully.

"Are you afraid, dear brother?" he asked. "You should be." He slowly let his claws cross his face, making blood splatter from the welt and dribble down his face. "Do you know where Tetsusaiga is?" Sesshomaru loosened his grasp, allowing his brother to swallow some well needed air. But he would not utter a word. "Useless." The older demon let his brother slide to the floor, and he ran over to cradle Kagome's head in his arms.

"I won't tell you anything bastard," Inuyasha growled, looking at the thick slash that disturbed the smoothness of her pale skin. "You injured Kagome."

"In love with another women, eh?" He blushed furiously.

"Who said that?" Inuyasha asked. Kagome stirred, and looked up at him, blinking, and smiled. Inuyasha exhaled loudly. "You scared me for a while there." She murmured a hurried apology, and scrambled to her feet. Sesshomaru still stood at the mouth of the cave, as bands of merging soft pink and gold from the horizon striped his face. His expression was dull and bored.

"LORD SESSHOMARU!" came a high pitched, squeaky voice. A small, squat, green toad youkai came rushing in, panting, scrubbing sweat off his face with a grubby sleeve, while juggling a wooden staff of heads between his hands. His large, pale, yellow eyes were filled with nothing but pure adoration as they locked on his master. "Why did you leave me behind?" The Demon Lord looked at his henchman, sharp nose almost betraying his bland face by wrinkling in disgust.

"You are slow," came is quiet reply. "Can't you see if I am in the middle of something, Jaken?" The toad/lizard creature slowly digested the fact that there were others in the large cave, and it let out a gasp of horror, pointed pink tongue poking from between his parted lips.

"My apologies me Lord…W-Who are they?" The staff of heads yet again tugged itself from Jaken's hands, floating in midair, pointing at Inuyasha. "Me Lord…the Staff of the Skulls…um…is it in your filthy half breed brother?" Inuyasha growled, balling his hands into a fist. Kagome let out a small whimper.

"What's wrong?" he asked gently as a pained expression filled her eyes. Her hair was losing some of its silver streaks and her eyes were slowly turning brown once again.

"I'm changing back…" Inuyasha stroked her cheek just as Jaken cleared his throat in the background.

"So, the bitch is human," Sesshomaru observed, cringing as her sharp, pain-filled shrieks damaged his sensitive ears; he also found, with mild amusement, Inuyasha's own were flattening against his skull in a weak attempt to blot out the sound. "How interesting."

"Leave her alone!" Inuyasha grumbled, gnawing at his lip with sharp fangs. Sesshomaru looked down at his younger brother, as if he were some sort of disgusting roach. He let out a barely audible sigh.

"Then face me." He looked at from his brother's lethal claws and Jaken's staff, then he looked at Kagome, who was now human after the first faint streaks of light hit her face.

"You bet I will!" With an outrageous battle cry, he raced towards Sesshomaru, who stuck out one clawed hand, and slashed at his side. Inuyasha stumbled backwards a few steps, clutching his bloody wound. Kagome shrieked in horror, dancing on her toes.

"Inuyasha!"

"Shut up Kagome, I'll be fine," he managed to gasp. He started to run for his big brother again, and swiped, sending yellow blades racing for him. Sesshomaru twisted out of the way elegantly, and used his fluffy boa - which was currently hanging on his shoulder - to wrap around Inuyasha's body, and pull him close to him. He brandished his long, sharp talons before his face, making all the air rush out of Inuyasha's lungs.

"Now, now. The more struggling, the more this will hurt." As those last words fell from his lips, he sent his claws to pierce through Inuyasha's left eye. His hollered in pain as Kagome began trembling, a tear coursing down her face.

"LEAVE INUYASHA ALONE SESSHOMARU!" The Demon Lord ignored the girl's outcry, and smirked, as he quickly pulled a black pearl from Inuyasha's eye and let him fall to the ground.

"Ah, the left black pearl. To think it was hiding in there this whole time. A shame really." Sesshomaru shook the last few remaining drops of blood from the pearl and examined it. He smirked.

"AND ALL FOR SOMETHING LIKE THAT!" Inuyasha yelled, pressing a hand to his eye. Kagome rushed over to him, and hugged him from behind.

"Oh…are you okay?" she murmured.

"I'll be fine." He removed his hand, showing his eye…which was now glazed over with pain. She winced. "But more importantly…Sesshomaru what do you want that for anyway?"

"Ah yes, father's treasure should be hidden inside. Jaken, the staff." The toad youkai tittered over to the dog demon, eagerly handed him the Staff of the Skulls, and stood back to watch. Sesshomaru threw the pearl on the ground, and rammed the staff into it. There was a blinding flash of white light and the wind began blowing furiously as a portal emerged from midair. He quickly went inside, followed by Jaken.

"Me lord, you must go in after him!" a tiny voice called from his shoulder. Inuyasha looked down to see an exuberant Myoga hopping on him. "Or else he will have your father's treasure all for himself!"

"Where did you come from?" he inquired. "I don't give a damn about any treasure…"

"Butsire!" the flea protested with exasperation.

"I never said I wasn't going. Kagome you stay here, it's too dangerous," he began, but sweat-dropped when he saw here already climbing into the portal, bow in hand. "Huh? You can't come!"

"Well I can't do much here all by myself! Besides, if I'm gonna pound Sesshomaru up I have to be there, don't I?" she cried furiously, eyes narrowing in frustration. "Now hurry up!" Then, she jumped in and disappeared.

"There's no knowing what's gonna be there, is there?" Inuyasha asked, sighing heavily.

"No. Not really."

"Then I guess I gotta go and protect the idiot."

"Right."

"Okay." He sighed, and hopped into the portal just as it was swallowed up by the early morning light.

Whoa! That chapter was one of the longest ones I've did in a while! I'm so proud of myself. But I'm not so proud about how it turned out, but I'm too lazy to change it. Remember to review and have a nice day JAloha.