InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Tribute ❯ Lupine Invasion ( Chapter 14 )

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THE TRIBUTE

by kittie le sabre

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

LUPINE INVASION

Sesshoumaru was impatient.

His expression was completely stoic, his body rigid as he waited for Miroku to complete his mediations as he worked to channel in on the portal that was used. Kagome calmly stood next to him, focused and confident as she concentrated on utilizing her power to open the portal and to keep it open while Miroku provided a spatial fix and entered the portal. Once he was on the opposite side, he could keep it open before he was discovered by Naraku, which is why it was important for him to sustain his energy long enough to shield his presence and to erect a protective barrier.

The plan was for Sesshoumaru to follow Miroku, then Inuyasha, Sango and lastly, Kagome. The young would-be miko had proven to be more useful than he'd first thought. She was not a fully trained miko true, but she had enough strength, confidence and knowledge to assist them.

Inuyasha attempted to suppress his worries. If anything happened to Kagome…or hell, to Miroku, Rin and the pup for that matter...no, he did not want to dwell on that. His asshole brother could take care of himself.

Sango lightly touched his shoulder, her pretty face serene but her eyes were brimming with concern and support for him. He glanced her way and "keh'd" but visibly relaxed.

Miroku was chanting; sitting in the lotus position with his eyes closed in deep mediation. His hand was raised, and the prayer beads surrounding it began to hum and glow. A tiny fissure of light sparked in the center of his hand and grew darker as it became elongated.

Kagome was standing opposite of him, her eyes closed in intense concentration. A piercing, luminous silver-violet light shimmered around her, and the power stirred like a current of wind through her hair and clothing.

The others merely watched them. The demons were quite aware that if they stood too close, Kagome's power could by accident purify them. Several moments passed, and at first, nothing happened.

Rapidly, there was a shift in the air; initially a static charge sizzled across the room, causing the hairs on everyone's body to stand up. Both Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha growled at the sensation. The room seemed to pulse, and then the air in front of them became more viscous and thick like clear, rippling water. A thread of the shining liquid touched Kagome's aura of power, then shifted until it tapped the middle of Miroku's forehead. His eyes opened but they were burning with mystic brilliance. The light and liquid combined and then touched the middle of his open hand. Afterwards, the liquid drifted higher up into the air and seemed to burn and throb with electric-magnetic energy until the portal appeared in midair, pivoting swiftly like a multi-circular disk.

Miroku's voice was strained as he gritted harshly between his teeth, "We have to move. Now!"

Sesshoumaru was suddenly standing before him. He effortlessly lifted the advisor up and helped him to reach the portal. He quickly stepped away from the ningen. Miroku stood before it several seconds, chanting. The light grew brighter, blinding them all as the entire office was flooded in its intensity.

When they blinked again, Miroku was gone.

Sesshoumaru did not waste time. He used his demonic power to drift upward towards the portal until the liquid light grew dimmer and murky with a prism of light behind it, almost like an eclipse. His graceful form seemed to shift for a moment and the liquid swirled around him until he was engulfed.

"Shit!" Inuyasha exclaimed, a bead of sweat forming on his brow. He took a quick peek over at Kagome. She offered him a weak reassuring smile.

"I don't know how much longer I can keep this open," she informed him gently.

That was all he needed to hear. He vaunted into the portal with a defiant yell, "Hurry the hell up, Kagome!" and then he vanished.

Sango looked at her and said, "I'll be waiting for you. Rin needs us all." The portal shifted and the liquid touched the bounty hunter drawing her up into the twirling disks.

"Sheesh, that was weird," Kagome muttered as she strained to keep the portal open from her end. She redoubled her efforts, doing her best to hold out until she pass through the portal and meet her friends in Naraku's lair.

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

Akiko stared at Naraku as he gleefully informed her of his plan. She wanted to purify him where he stood; her hatred for him was so great at the moment. The darkness threatened to choke her as she lunged towards him. If she could touch him, he would be gone forever!

Naraku mockingly watched her, not moving as she tried to attack him. She slammed into the barrier surrounding him and was thrown clear across the room several feet. His sinister laughter filled the chamber as he stepped away.

"See to the miko, Kagura," he ordered curtly, pleased that he had shredded the last of Akiko's control. It was just the right touch to send her over the edge by sharing his plans with her. Now the darkness had taken her over and she would be the perfect conduit to harness the Shikon No Tama's power until it was transferred into the pup's body. He needed her to keep Rin alive for the transfer because the shock could kill her instantly.

Kagura sniffed but she quickly made her way over to Akiko. The woman was lying in a battered heap of agony, unconscious.

"What a fool," she murmured, leaning over the woman to administer to her.

Naraku began walking over toward the control panels along the wall. He needed to start monitoring the biorhythms of the clones and Rin so that he could adjust everything to his needs. The jewel was responding to the conjunction of the moons also, so he needed to be ready for anything. Hitting several more switches, he waited until the entire area was almost suffocated by the thick cloud of dark energy.

The Shikon No Tama appeared before them, and he ignored Kagura's gasp from across the room. She now was supporting Akiko who was struggling to awake. A trickle of blood stained the corner of the miko's mouth.

"Ishi," Naraku called lightly. The woman fought to keep a neutral expression on her face as she walked towards him but he could tell she despised and feared him. A good thing for her that she was more afraid of him, Naraku surmised.

Once she was standing before him, the Demon Lord of the North lifted his hand and Ishi let out a smothered yelp, her eyes widening in shock. She stumbled backward with a gaping hole in the middle of her chest, blank eyes fixed upon Naraku who was standing there with her bloody heart in his hand. Her corpse crumpled to the floor and Naraku looked up at the Shikon No Tama.

{Don't be so impatient, Beloved} he admonished stepping over the dead woman and walking until he was standing directly in front of it.

Kagura did not move a muscle. She had consented to sacrificing Ishi but that did not keep her from despising him for it. There had been no real choice after all. It would have been herself or her lover, and there was no way she would take Ishi's place.

She peered down at the miko, grateful that she was not cognizant yet. It would buy them more time to corrupt her further.

Suddenly, a huge explosion shook the entire room. The whole wall had been blasted away and part of the ceiling was missing. The dust and smoke made it impossible to see anything.

A loud, arrogant voice called out, "Naraku, you wussy bastard! Hand over the fucking Shikon jewel and I might let your sorry ass live!"

Naraku's eyes narrowed and he gathered a dark ball of miasma to hurl at the intruders. Just then, a strong wind blew throughout the entire room, blowing the dust, smoke and poison away.

The taiyoukai growled low in his throat in fury, then paused in astonishment at the sight of a tall wolf youkai with piercing ice-blue eyes. His deep brown hair was pulled up into a high pony tail. He wore a leather vest without a shirt, skintight black leather pants and jackboots. A gold earring flashed in his ear and his teeth glinted as he snarled orders over his shoulder at the two youkai behind him.

"Ginta! Hakkaku! Get your asses ready!"

"Hai, Kouga-sama!"

"Well, well," Naraku scoffed, narrowing his eyes, "if it isn't Kouga, formerly Taiyoukai of the South…now renegade mercenary and PIRATE captain of The Phelan." The last was spat with contempt. "Still running from the authorities, hm?"

Kouga moved quicker than lightening, brandishing a menacing laser gun in Naraku's face. The Demon Lord of the North smirked, and before Kouga could blink, Kagura was standing there in his place. She struck him with a blast of wind, throwing him into a wall. His henchmen stormed out at her, shooting their laser guns and yelling.

"Kouga! Kill the bitch!"

Kagura merely laughed wildly and began using the currents of air to deflect the beams. The beams bounced off the walls and everywhere striking furniture, lights, the control panel, which infuriated Naraku who was hovering in the air above the Shikon No Tama and watching the battle below. He mentally summoned Kuro.

{Kuro! Deal with that fool!}

Kouga had recovered but now how to contend with the nekomata. The wolf youkai had honed his fighting skills well from countless adventures in the galaxy fighting all manner of creatures. He enjoyed a worthy opponent and the cat demon creature was a brutal fighter.

Akiko opened her eyes to view the Chaos around her.

"What in the Kamis-???" She gasped in horror as she saw the fighting and that several of the beams had it the chamber that Rin was floating in. When another beam struck the control panel again, the protecting force field was wiped out and Akiko stood there frozen in terror as the fiber glass shattered.

A/N yeah another cliff hanger! Read and review please!

Thank you,