InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Next Best Thing ❯ Chapter 13: Confrontation ( Chapter 13 )

Okay, yes, I am still writing this! And I appreciate the many, many people who've been writing me about this fic! I do read the emails, but responding to them all would be frugal. ^^; And for those who threaten me in order to write more...if you want to have my busy life, you'll see that I haven't had time to write anything!

And, as always, Inuyasha & Co. belongs to Takahashi Rumiko and all those other respected companies it belongs to these days.

The Next Best Thing
Chapter 13: Confrontation
By Laura Hoak-Kagey

Rin tightened her grip on Sakura's hand as they trailed behind Sesshoumaru. Soon Rin would be faced with the ultimate dilemma, and she was prepared to handle it. She smiled down at Sakura to reassure the girl. "Can you guess where we're going?"

Sakura shook her head. "No, I can't Rin. Where're we going?"

Sesshoumaru overhead the pair, and motioned for Rin to not answer that question. "Soon you shall see, Sakura. We are nearly there."

He knew that Inuyasha and Kagome were now inside the barrier, and he would let them know that they were in *his* land now. Let them think that they could easily get their daughter back, he thought to himself, because that would never happen with that girl doting after him.

Kagome and Inuyasha looked around them, and Kagome said, "This is Sesshoumaru's land. I remember it from before..."

Inuyasha sniffed the air before he said, "The whole place reeks of him. Let's go this way."

They had barely walked a few minutes before Inuyasha stopped Kagome in her tracks. "Be on your guard," he whispered.

Kagome readied her bow, wishing that her senses were as good as Inuyasha's. However, Kagome didn't need enhanced senses to make out the figures coming towards them. Three figures, to be exact.

[Inuyasha...is she...?]

Her lover merely nodded his head in affirmation. Sakura was among the three people, and he could guess that Sesshoumaru and Rin were the other two with her.

"Sesshoumaru! We see you, hand over Sakura now!" Inuyasha had let his anger get the best of him, and couldn't resist shouting out in the supposedly threateningly angry male fashion.

In a matter of seconds Sesshoumaru was only a few feet away from where his half-brother stood. "Inuyasha. No need to shout, Sakura is here with Sesshoumaru, safe and sound." He looked down towards the girl, "Right Sakura?"

Sakura smiled back at her uncle. "Of course I am! Mommy! Inu-, er, Daddy!" She jumped into Kagome's open arms. As Kagome hugged her daughter, both her and Inuyasha wondered what was going on.

Growling, Inuyasha said, "What's the catch here Sesshoumaru? What've you been doing with our daughter?"

"What have I been doing? Hmph. Should we show them Sakura?"

Sakura untangled herself from her mother's arms, and went to Sesshoumaru's side. "Yep! Can I show them, uncle, can I?"

"Uncle…?"

Kagome stood, looking from Sakura to Sesshoumaru and back again, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

Oblivious to her parents' confusion, Sakura gave a huge grin. "Watch Mom! Dad!"

Sakura gave her right hand a quick wave, and over that spot a small bluish-purple flame ignited. "See! Uncle Sesshoumaru taught me magic! Aren't ya proud of me? I've had so much fun, and and…"

Kagome cut her daughter short but taking her by the shoulders and dragging her behind Inuyasha. "Sakura, I don't know what you've been doing, or what he's said, but Sesshoumaru kidnapped you, and can't ever be trusted." Her last words rung with bitterness, showing how much she disliked the half-brother of Inuyasha.

"Now, now, Kagome. Is that really the way to talk to the uncle of your child?"

As Sesshoumaru took a step towards Kagome and Sakura, Inuyasha drew the Tessaiga, and took a ready stance. He said through clenched teeth, "Get back. Now!"

The point was at Sesshoumaru's throat when Sakura cried out. "No!" She struggled until she broke free of her mother's grasp. She stood in front of Sesshoumaru, forcing Inuyasha to take a step back.

"You can't hurt him!" Tears had begun to flow down the little girl's cheeks. "Why do you want to hurt him? He's been so nice to me. And Rin too!"

Sesshoumaru gave a sardonic smile. "Yes, why do you want to hurt Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha? I have shown nothing but kindness to your daughter. We are blood, after all."

Kagome couldn't take it any longer. "Sesshoumaru! WHAT have you brainwashed my child into believing? You know full well why we want to fight you!" She took a breath, to calm herself before she spoke to Sakura again. "Sakura, dear, please come here. Please believe me that Sesshoumaru is a bad man."

It was now that Rin felt the need to speak up. "Sesshoumaru is NOT a bad man! Sakura, c'mon, you know that's not true! I know it the best of anyone! Why would I be standing here if he were so bad? Huh?"

Sesshoumaru was glad of Rin's trust in him. He wasn't about to show to these other humans that he was glad that he didn't kill the little girl who tried to help him so long ago. At the moment, however, he was glad of what she said. It was the icing to top the cake of what was going on at the moment.

Looking from Sesshoumaru to her mother and back again, Sakura was confused. Her mommy and daddy didn't like her uncle, but she had seen what a good person he was. Besides, Rin liked him as well. Sesshoumaru interrupted her thoughts by saying, "Now, now, Kagome, you know that you are on my side, do you not? Why not come and join Rin, Sakura and I?"

He snapped his fingers, and Kagome felt the burning sensation in her arms again. The poison was going into her bloodstream...she knew that she wouldn't be able to control her actions, but Sesshoumaru didn't know that Kagome and Inuyasha shared a special kind of bond, so deep that they could read each other's thoughts when they wished it.

As Kagome took a few steps towards Sesshoumaru she let Inuyasha know what was going on. She couldn't bear to have him think she was taking sides with his brother over him. As she took the final step to Sesshoumaru's side, she motioned for Sakura to come to her.

"I was wrong, Sakura dear. Come here and show me the magic that Uncle Sesshoumaru taught you again? I'm sure he can teach you a lot more of that too." A smile not her own came upon Kagome's face.

Inuyasha stood there as Sakura went to her mother. He knew that there was no way Sakura would come to him over Kagome, even if she were his daughter. Sesshoumaru had chosen a route other than fighting to defeat him, and Inuyasha wasn't about to let his half-brother outsmart him this time. There had to be some way for him to make Sesshoumaru show his true appearance...and the idea came to him!

While Sesshoumaru turned his attention towards Sakura coming to his side, Inuyasha took the tactic of surprise and jumped in one bound to where Rin was, grabbed her, and jumped back as far as he could. He didn't want to appear cruel, but if Sesshoumaru was going to take hostages, then so would he.

"Now, Sesshoumaru, ya have some things of mine, and I have something of yours. Why dontcha show yer true self now? That is, unless you don't care about Rin at all?" Inuyasha waited to see what he would say. He could tell that the girl in his arms was even more anxious to see what Sesshoumaru would do since she idolized him so.

Sesshoumaru was not particularly keen on bartering for hostages. He deftly pinched Sakura on the neck, rendering her unconscious. With that girl not awake to witness anything...he could do what he liked with Kagome. He grabbed her arm, swung her in his grip, and placed a claw at her throat. "Hmph, you think you can best me, do you? You forget, this human woman is not essential to my plans."

Inuyasha tossed Rin aside and drew out the Tessaiga again. Sakura was now on the ground, and he had Kagome in his grasp! If one of those poisonous nails went deep enough into Kagome's skin...Inuyasha didn't want to think of what would happen. He didn't say anything, but stood there, planning out how he could grab Kagome and Sakura without Sesshoumaru hurting either one of them.

Jarred from being tossed aside, Rin merely stayed on the ground and waited. She knew what she needed to do, but she had to wait for the opportune time to carry out her plan in order for it to work.

Giving a slight chuckle, Sesshoumaru didn't wait any longer, and quickly scratched the skin on Kagome's neck. Kagome felt the poison, and her eyes began to blur. As she felt her consciousness slipping, she gained control of her body once more. She reached out her arm for Inuyasha as she fell to the ground. Sesshoumaru stepped around her, noting to himself she might live, if she was lucky. "One less hostage to barter for, Inuyasha!"

As Inuyasha charged towards Sesshoumaru, Rin seized her chance. She dashed to where Sakura was, picked her up and ran into the woods. Later Sesshoumaru would forgive her because she had taken what he wanted, Sakura, to safety, out of the reach of Inuyasha. What Rin didn't note was that she was running away from Sesshoumaru's castle, towards the barrier. With getting to safety her top concern, she didn't notice that she had run out of Sesshoumaru's domain, and only stopped when she noticed that two humans and a youkai (demon) were in her path. She was about to turn away when she felt someone grab her shoulders.

It was Miroku who had grabbed Rin, and now he motioned for Sango to take Sakura from the girl's arm. Rin put up a fight, but Sango managed to free Sakura. She held the girl in her arms, and looked straight at Rin. "Now, why are you running away, why do you have Sakura, and most of all, where is Sesshoumaru?"

Proudly sticking her chin up in defiance, Rin said, "Why should I tell you anything? You'll only go against Lord Sesshoumaru!"

Still keeping his hold on her, Miroku turned the girl towards him. "Tell us where they are! You know how this barrier, works, I'm sure. Show us Rin, so we can help Sakura too. You must care about her or you wouldn't have taken her away. There has to be a way to save everyone, I do believe that."

Miroku and Rin started at each other for a while, everyone waiting to hear what Rin would say.

Inuyasha had charged at Sesshoumaru, barely noting that Rin slowly moved from where he had tossed her. Just as Inuyasha was about to take a swing at Sesshoumaru, Rin grabbed his daughter and ran. Inuyasha missed his mark, and was torn between going after Kagome, which meant fighting Sesshoumaru, and going after Rin to get Sakura. Thinking that Rin wouldn't hurt Sakura, he turned his attention towards getting Kagome away from Sesshoumaru. If Rin continued to run in the direction she was going, she would run into Miroku, Sango, and Shippou anyway. Inuyasha trusted his friends to get Sakura away from Rin.

The split second it had taken Inuyasha to make his decision had been long enough for Sesshoumaru to reach Inuyasha. Just as Inuyasha's attention turned towards his half-brother once again, he felt Sesshoumaru's claws graze against his leg. Thankfully Inuyasha wasn't as prone to the poison since he was half-demon, but it took him a-back for a second regardless of that.

Growling in anger, Inuyasha took a firmer hold on his sword, and aimed for Sesshoumaru's weaker arm. He had cut off that arm once before, and he could do it again.
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Alright, this is not the end, obviously. ^_^ But yet again I could've made this easy to end, and didn't do so...well, I hope to get another chapter out before the end of the year! Tell me what you think, as always! (And thanks for your patience!)
December 2002
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