InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Longest Journey ❯ Blood Like Wine ( Chapter 26 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Chapter 26: Blood Like Wine

Inuyasha stood, staring at the Hakudoushi incarnation, and calmly, with no change in facial expression, gestured almost gently with his hand - and a wave of poison gas flowed over the boy, making him drop to the ground and scream as it ate through his hastily erected barrier with ease and enveloped him.

After a few minutes of screaming, when the noises coming from the child were mere whimpers, Inuyasha sent another pulse out, this one dispersing the poison, and looked down at the unfortunate that had refused to obey him. Most of his clothes were eaten away, as was a great deal of skin, and the boy's hair.

Still with no expression on his face, he asked softly, "Do you still refuse to acknowledge my authority, Hakudoushi? Think carefully, here, the answer you give is the line between life and death."

The boy hastily croaked out, "No, Master Inuyasha, I won't refuse your orders, I swear it." The boy moaned in continuing pain, and after letting him lay there for a few more moments, he nodded.

"Good. You may go cleanse the poison from your skin, and find fresh clothes... and then return to me here. I will have your instructions for you at that time."

Hakudoushi crawled to his feet slowly, painfully, and then nodded. "Yes, Master Inuyasha."

The hanyou turned youkai turned, and looked across the room that had once been Naraku's. Calling for a servant, he instructed that the spider hanyou's urns be brought to him - he was curious as to what lay within them. He had just learned that Naraku had been working on a new incarnation, and that it was merely finishing growing before it was ready for use.

Sitting down against the wall, he pulled one knee up and stared out the screened windows... the part of him that had once been Inuyasha would have been horrified to learn that he had just taken Naraku's favorite position and made it his own - he was even sitting in the same spot.

It left one wondering just how much of Naraku truly did live inside Inuyasha now.

---zZz---

Kikyou shuddered at the complete apathy coming through the bond, and gasped.

The rest of the group, minus Sesshoumaru, who was dealing with his mother, were sitting in the family rooms again, idly talking over things, and everyone looked over in concern when she gasped.

"Kikyou, what's wrong?" Kagome was the first person to speak.

"It's Inuyasha. He's torturing someone..." her voice cracked.

Sugimi frowned. "Don't tell me he's enjoying it?"

She met his gaze, horror still writhing in hers. "No... it's worse. He feels nothing - no remorse, and no enjoyment. On top of that, his way of thinking has changed... it's more upper-class, you know, Inu always had more of a crude manner of speaking, but now - he sounds like Naraku."

Everyone sat back at that, unsure of what to think or say. This had gone beyond anything any of them had ever had to deal with, even Sugimi in all his centuries had never come across something like this before.

"Beloved... is there some way to block the mating bond - at least a bit?" Kagome had a concerned look on her face as she looked at Kikyou. "She can't withstand much more of this torture."

Sesshoumaru actually answered that as he came through the doors. "This Sesshoumaru knows of a way to do so, but it is only temporary - however, miko," he said, a thoughtful frown crossing his face, "you might be able to extend the life of it with the shards that you have."

Kagome nodded. "Just tell me what to do." She looked at Kikyou again. "Unless you don't want me to. I won't force the issue but..." she trailed off - Kikyou knew her opinion on the matter.

The elder miko nodded wearily, obviously at her limit. "At this point, it will be a relief. Please, do what you have to do."

"You must slash diagonally across the mark, making it bleed. As soon as you do so, miko, you must place some of your blood on the mark and mix it. Your aura will block the mark for as long as it takes for the cut to heal - then it will need to be repeated. However, if you use the jewel shards to halt the healing at the level of a scratch, it will extend the life of the protection, as I stated."

Kagome frowned. "That's all?"

"That is all."

"Okay... does anyone have a small dagger or some other such thing? I want to do this now." Her brow furrowed as a something occurred to her. "Ummm, will Inuyasha be able to feel the blocking of it?"

"Yes."

Sugimi spoke up then. "It does not matter, what's important here is giving Kikyou the space she needs from his state of mind."

Miroku nodded as Sango shuddered. She couldn't imagine having to deal with that.

Koga just shook his head. He couldn't believe how the mutt-face had fucked everything up so badly.

Kagome smiled up at Sugimi as he came up to her and Kikyou. "I will make the cut, if that is alright with you, Kikyou? My claws are sharp, and will work better than a dagger."

She nodded, eyes closing on a sigh. She didn't even flinch as he slashed quickly through it, and then, taking Kagome's hand in his own, he poked one finger with a claw, and Kagome quickly had the bond blocked. Kikyou's expression lightened somewhat as the sensations coming through abruptly eased off.

"Thank you..." she breathed, relief echoing through her voice.

Kagome nodded, and went to put her finger in her mouth to soothe the bleeding, but before she could, Sugimi grabbed her finger and sucked it softly into his own mouth... and Kagome's knees promptly weakened.

Sesshoumaru's brows raised at the scent of arousal, and Koga laughed - and amazingly enough, even though Miroku was no youkai, and didn't have the nose of one, he still managed to pick up on what was going on, and a huge, lecherous grin made its way across his face as he said, ""Ah, Sugimi-sama... I see you are keeping the Lady Kagome happy - see, Sango? Did I not say that respectable only takes you so far? Obviously, Sugimi-sama agrees with me!"

Sango sighed as Kagome reddened and pulled her finger from Sugimi's mouth, and he grinned at her. "Yes, Miroku... respectable only takes you so far."

Walking up to Miroku, Sango was about to smack him, when, to the astonishment of all, Kagura got there first and did the honors. She'd been so quiet throughout the discussion, they'd all forgotten that she was there 'til that moment.

"You know, bouzo, you really need to stop with the lecherous comments - especially when you've forgotten who's in the room and listening." She jerked her head towards the corner, and his wide-eyed gaze caught sight of a rather confused Rin and Shippo.

Sesshoumaru glowered at the monk. "Indeed, monk. I do not need you contaminating the mind of my ward."

Kagome looked sternly at the two children. "What did I tell you two about coming in here? I told you that we were dealing with some things I didn't want you to know about, did I not?"

The children nodded guiltily, glancing around at the group members. "We're sorry, Kagome-sama," Rin replied. "We were just wanting to know if we could go play in the gardens."

She nodded. "Just next time? Knock, and let us know you're here." She glanced at a straight-faced Sesshoumaru. "Of course, that's if Sesshoumaru-sama says you can, Rin. You must ask him to be sure."

"You may go play with the kitsune in the gardens, Rin, but make sure you are warm enough first."

Rin smiled and grabbing Shippo's hand, ran out of the room, calling over her shoulder, "Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama, Rin will make sure she is warm!"

Sugimi chuckled as he shot a look at his son. "She really is the most adorable child."

"Hn."

"Well. Now that those things are taken care of, we need to decide what we're going to do about Inuyasha." Kagome was back on track, still concerned with the things she'd discovered about their friends' plans.

"There really isn't much for us to discuss, my dear. All of our allies are already gathered here with us - now, we wait. It is as simple as that."

Kagome stared at Sugimi incredulously.

"Wait? That's all?"

"Well, that and train... what else would you suggest?"

She blinked. "Well, uh..."

"Exactly."

---zZz---

Leiko sat in her room, irritation seething through her. Things had not gone at all as she had planned - and even her own son had refused to sympathize with her.

It seemed he respected the ningen bitch. She couldn't believe it. Her own son. How could he defend such a creature? And that little ningen child that he called his ward. Where had she gone wrong? She'd tried so hard to inculcate her son with the proper disdain for ningens - but apparently, bad blood will tell, and Sugimi's had won out.

Damn that bastard anyway. He was supposed to have chosen her. What was it about these ningens that he found so fascinating? She just couldn't understand it - the thought of some nasty ningen male touching her was enough to make her sick - so how could he stand it?

Perversion. That's what it had to be. He just had some kind of nasty kink. Even so, he could have mated her, and taken the ningen as a concubine - she'd have had no problem with that, at least, as long as he'd bathed after being near the ningen.

But no. He'd mated the dirty bitch.

She stood to her feet, suddenly determined. It was time to go back to her estates. The ningen stench around here was far too strong, and she also hadn't forgotten what her son had told her about Sugimi's other son. She had no intentions of being around when the half-breed showed up, that was for sure. Grabbing her things, she quickly packed, and then notifying her guards, she led the way to the courtyard, and forming her cloud under her, lifted into the air, not even bothering to inform anyone of her departure.

Let them figure it out on their own.

---zZz---

"Master."

Inuyasha turned his head slightly, looking at the boy out of the corner of his eye. "Yes?"

"You instructed that I return to you after cleaning up for instructions. I am ready." Hakudoushi couldn't understand what had happened - this being was Inuyasha, but yet he wasn't. He was Naraku, too, and as much as he had always hated Naraku, he hated this hybrid even more - but he was also more afraid of him... so he was careful to show only deference. He didn't want to experience that poison again.

It had been excruciating.

"Hai, I did. Very well, Hakudoushi. Do you wonder why I am here, and why I look as I do?"

He waited, and then chuckled slightly. The child was afraid of him.

"There is no need to fear me, boy. Not as long as you obey me." He looked away again, and out the windows. "It is because Naraku and I are one - sort of. He is destroyed - mostly, there are only fragments of him left, but they are part of me. His plans... they mean nothing to me. What I want, is different."

Hakudoushi just stood and waited, not saying anything.

"Tell me, child... where are Kanna and Akago? I may no longer be Naraku, but the infant is still a liability to me and I want them brought here, to stand under my protection."

He began to shake. "Master, you returned too late... the youkai Lord Sesshoumaru came and took Kanna and Akago - and Kagura was with him. I don't know how - I know Naraku killed her but she was there - she fought me off while Sesshoumaru took the others."

Inuyasha growled, long and loud. "So... my half-brother would challenge me. Send me the saimyousho. It is time to send out some spies."

Hakudoushi bowed, then turned and searched out the hives - sending one into the Master, before returning himself. He waited while Inuyasha conversed with the bugs, and then the hive left, intent on their mission.

He looked back at the boy. "Be prepared. In five days, we leave for the North."

Hakudoushi nodded, then slipped from the room, glad to be away.

Inuyasha laughed inwardly. So, the pack thought to challenge his authority, and to keep him away from his bitches? He was well aware that they had somehow blocked out his bond with Kikyou - and that it was Kagome that had done it. They both would be punished when he caught up with them... after he'd taught the pack not to try to keep him from what was rightfully his.

And as for his father, and Sesshoumaru? He would make them regret stepping between him and what he wanted.

Kagome was his. And if his father had dared to mate her, he would kill him, and break the bond. Then he would take her.

He cracked his knuckles. If he couldn't take her first blood, her virgin's blood, then he would take his father's blood in it's place.

Either way, blood would flow like wine.

He was content with that thought.