InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Youkai and the Exterminator ❯ Chapter FortyOne ( Chapter 41 )

Chapter FortyOne

 

 

He gazed at her hungrily, making her skin crawl. Sango didn't drop her readiness or her attention from him for a single second. She knew that he was no ordinary demon.

 

That was fine. She was no ordinary demon slayer.

 

"Are you going to fight me, girl?" he whispered. Sango had to force herself to meet his eyes; it wasn't easy, yet she managed. Her soul went chill when she did. She was no monk like Miroku or a priestess like Kagome, but she could feel the evil radiating from him. An exterminator was trained not only to be able to fight, but to hone her instincts and pay attention to her surroundings.

 

In that way, Sango thought with a wry sense of justice, exterminators are much like the youkai they hunt. She'd been a fool, an absolute fool, to have ever fallen in love with a demon. She was a fool to have trusted him; she was a fool to have let herself fall so hard for something that could never return her feelings.

 

Damn him to hell.

 

For that matter, damn her too because she kept on loving him and hating it the whole time. She wanted to go to him now, even if she damned him herself.

 

"Yes, I'm going to fight you," she said, her voice hard and final. She raised Hiraikotsu over her head, dropping into a crouch with one hand on her sword hilt. "I'm going to kill you...demon."

 

He swung at her then, just like she expected him to. Sango's feet left the ground, hurling Hiraikotsu with all of her strength. Her best bet was to cleave him in two early in their combat. He'd be watching for her fighting style just as much as she was watching for his. The weapon sailed neatly through the air and came within less than an inch of clipping his face.

 

Best to let him know that just intimidation wouldn't work. She drew her katana and jumped into the air, catching Hiraikotsu every bit as neatly as she had thrown it. He hadn't answered her yet and that bothered her. Youkai liked to boast and they liked to threaten. Instead this most loathsome monster only stared at her.

 

"Are you a youkai exterminator?" he asked, his deep voice silky with malice. Sango stared as he smiled at her then slowly licked his claws. "This is good, it will be fun."

 

"I'm not afraid of you," she said in a challenging tone.

 

The demon laughed, a coarse and mocking sound, aged with hatred and cruelty. "I think you will be afraid," he said, his eyes lighting at her determination. "By the time I let you die, you will be very afraid of me."

 

He dropped to one knee, mocking her again, and flexed his claws. "Come at me, little girl. Let's see how good you are."

 

In one swift movement, she leapt at him, hurling Hiraikotsu with all her strength and screaming what could only be interpreted as a youkai battle cry. He batted her weapon away easily, dodged the edge of her sharp katana. Sango whirled as he grabbed for her and landed a stinging kick right to his malevolent face.

 

The youkai stopped, staring at her as she dropped panting to the ground. His smile twisted slightly as he licked his own blood off his lips. "You are good," he murmured, seemingly pleased with her performance. Sango held herself ready as he knelt to lift Hiraikotsu, examining it interestedly. Then he threw it at her feet.

 

"Pick it up," the demon ordered, his eyes burning with that cold fire. "Let's go again."

 

Sango felt her own mouth twist in an imitation of his smile as she leaned forward to lift Hiraikotsu.

 

"Sango, don't!" Kagome shouted, still standing behind her friend. "Run away, don't fight him!"

 

"You shut up," he said, pointing a long black claw in the girl's direction. "I will deal with you next, priestess. Just wait your turn."

 

Sango hissed, instincts she'd never felt before burning to life inside of her. "There's not going to be any next," she snarled, holding Hiraikotsu in one hand and her blade in the other. "I am your only opponent, you demon scum!"

 

He smirked, licking his lips again. "You're very beautiful," he whispered, edging closer to her. "If I had more time, I'd play with you. But Naraku's demons can't keep your friends busy forever. I'm going to have to kill you much faster than I'd like."

 

"Try it," Sango ground out, her voice almost as harsh as his. She spun Hiraikotsu in the air to distract him and then hurled her sword, aiming for his black heart. It found its mark, sticking out of him grotesquely as he rushed her with a snarl.

 

Sango leapt out of his way, nimble as she dodged and ducked the furious claw strikes that aimed for her throat, her stomach. She tumbled in the air with an agile grace that spoke of many years of practice, coming out of a crouch to use Hiraikotsu as a shield when he struck at her.

 

Over and over, his fists crashed against her weapon, Sango losing ground as he never gave her more than a half a second to recover. The dark demon laughed, enjoying their combat. With an angry snarl, she planted Hiraikotsu in the ground and vaulted over it. This time he saw her kick coming and struck her hard, knocking her to the ground. Sango scrambled up, pulling Hiraikotsu free as he came at her.

 

"Bitch," he hissed, pulling back his fist. Sango flung her weapon up to block it and this time, Hiraikotsu shattered under the force of his blow. Sango fell hard to the ground as bits of varnished centipede bone rained down upon her. She rolled to the side as he drove his claws into the ground, kicked him hard in the stomach as he loomed near. He growled and scrambled after her as she crawled away, rolling to defend herself.

 

A heavy fist seized her by her hair and wrenched her to her feet. Sango let her hair take her weight and crashed both feet into his abdomen to free herself. She cried out in rage and drove her fist into his face. He laughed and then she wrenched her blade free of his chest.

 

He smiled and looked down at the dark blood that pooled from the wound. "Come, girl," he whispered menacingly. "Let's end this now."

 

"Yes," she snarled and ran at him, her sword raised high for a killing blow.

 

He evaded her strike and turned swiftly, driving his fist into her face. Sango dropped like a stone, unconscious. With a soft growl of pleasure, the demon knelt over her, lifting the exterminator's body with one hand while his claws went for her neck. Just as he was about to tear her apart, he stopped, sniffing at her blood. A confused look crossed the demon's face as he held her, staring at down her limp form.

 

Slowly, he brushed the hair away from her face. She was human, but what this scent of a demon's blood about her? His hand trailed thoughtfully over her body, resting on her belly. Ah, so that was it. How...interesting.

 

"Get away from her!"

 

He glanced up, seeing that the priestess had drawn her bow. His eyes flicked back to the exterminator, noting again that she was indeed lovely. Simply a shame to murder her.

 

"I said get away from Sango!" He raised his eyes to the girl, scenting her fear. Carefully, he placed the young woman on the ground. The priestess was shaking; there was no confidence in the way she held her weapon. No matter, he had business to attend to and decided that he could leave the matter of the exterminator for later.

 

Smiling, he faced her. "Are you going to fight me as well, child?" he asked mockingly, folding his arms over his chest as he approached her. "It would be wise of you to come quietly, Naraku wants you alive but he said nothing of uninjured. It would be a pity to spoil any of that smooth white skin."

 

"I'm not going anywhere with you," she spat, sounding braver but he noted that her hands were still trembling. "And you're not touching Sango!"

 

"Sango," he murmured thoughtfully, licking his lips with a dark red tongue. "That is indeed a lovely name, it suits the warrior well." He spread his arms wide. "Why have you not fired, priestess? Do you hesitate to slay me?"

 

Kagome swallowed hard, glancing around her. It had been stupid of her to run off without Inuyasha and Miroku; she'd hoped that Sango's battle would buy enough time for them to follow her. Stupid, stupid, she chanted to herself. Forget about what Kikyou said, she thought firmly. I'm not backing down.

 

He kept moving closer, slowly, watching her carefully. "I wonder what Naraku wants from you, little girl. Something unpleasant, but that is not my concern."

 

"Why are you working for him?" the girl asked, the fear in her eyes receding as curiosity took its place. "What has he promised you? Who are you really?"

 

The demon smiled, chilling her with the sadistic pleasure he took in answering. "I'm not working for him, I'm just doing what I enjoy. He has promised me nothing, only the chance to shed as much blood as I please. As for who I am..." he trailed off, thoughtful as he considered the question.

 

"Not even I know my own name, but one thing I do know."

 

"What?" she breathed.

 

"You're out of time." He was suddenly rushing her and Kagome fired her arrow blindly, watching as it lit the dim and gloomy forest with a powerful light. She gaped, wondering what the hell was happening, as she had believed Kikyou when she said that her priestess abilities were gone. The arrow buried itself in his chest and the demon stopped, looking down at the shaft as it continued to glow.

 

Kagome held her breath, praying to whatever gods might be listening. But the light slowly faded, bleeding away from him and he reached up and yanked the arrow from his body. The arrow crumbled in his grip and fell to the ground, her eyes following the shattered pieces of wood.

 

"You cannot purify something like me," he said quietly and she thought she heard regret in his voice. "My soul is born of darkness and my heart as black as night. Even a priestess like yourself should understand that."

 

Then he cast out his hand and a thin green mist flowed from his fingers. Kagome scrambled backward to avoid it, fearing the youki with an instinct that she couldn't identify but absolutely believed. She gasped the power touched her, suddenly falling into a murky darkness that held no escape.

He stood for a moment, eying the bodies of the two young women and sighed.

 

Far too easy.

 

oOo

 

The forest was peaceful, quiet and serene. A gentle breeze stirred the leaves of the trees and in the distance, birdsong and the chatter of small animals danced on the edge of his perception. It was a perfect day.

 

And Sesshomaru was pissed.

 

He'd been trying, unsuccessfully, to track the presence that he'd sensed earlier. It had made short work of Barou and that alone made him wary. Despite his peaceful nature, Barou was no ordinary youkai to be battered about like a leaf in the wind. The fact that he'd been so easily defeated disturbed Sesshomaru immensely. His cousin wasn't a warrior, but he was adept and quite capable of defending himself. Whatever had struck him down had to be amazingly powerful.

 

Again he felt the presence slip away, sliding like silk from his mental grip. Sesshomaru cursed silently and inventively, using several words that he personally hadn't heard used since his father's death. Why was it that Inutaisho's memory hung so heavily in his mind these days?

 

Sesshomaru was not sentimental and not inclined to spend his time thinking of the past. He was especially not minded to think upon his father.

 

For all that he'd rather eat glass than admit to it, he had missed his father profoundly when Inutaisho had died. Not only because of the bloody mess his passing had made of his territory, a mess that he, Sesshomaru, had been forced to deal with, but also because of so many times he'd felt cheated.

 

He'd felt cheated in the fact that he'd never understood his father, never really been able to wrap his mind around the mysterious nature of the youkai lord. It was that understanding, its lack, which made him so resent his brother's birth.

 

Yes, it was Inuyasha's fault, he decided. Having been able to successfully put Inutaisho from his mind for so many years, it was understandable that his brother's presence at the fortress would have triggered such memories. They really did look remarkably alike.

 

If it weren't for the distressingly human scent of his brother's blood, he would have even thought his brother to be their father reborn.

 

Sesshomaru snorted, disgusted by the maudlin turn of his thoughts. He had enough to think about without pondering his brother. Annoying brat of a half-breed, contemptuous and rude by even human standards, it was an embarrassment. Although he freely admitted that Inuyasha's lack of social graces was more his fault than anyone else's. After his anger over his father's death had abated, he might have even sought out his brother to return him to their people.

 

It hadn't been possible. The territories had been thrown into a violent civil war by Inutaisho's death and to bring a vulnerable child into such a conflict would have been a death sentence. He'd left Inuyasha to the humans, thinking that at least then his brother's birth might have been left secret to his enemies.

 

Weak children like that were liabilities, sentiment was a liability, and at the time, Sesshomaru hadn't had the power to protect his father's half-breed son.

 

Fool, he told himself, stalking angrily through the forest. Fool to have ever considered protecting him in the first place. He should have drowned the brat himself. He should have killed Naota for his betrayal. He should have made sure to never place himself in the position where he might care so much for any creature as to be made vulnerable.

 

Now he found himself trying to track a dark monster that was hunting in his territory, find the elusive evil before it could touch what was his. His mate was somewhere out there and he would not risk...

 

Sesshomaru stopped, an uncharacteristic expression of frustration crossing his face. His mate, his wife, the mother of his own hanyou offspring. No doubt his father would be amused by this circumstance, his son being forced to run the forest in search of a danger that would threaten his human wife.

 

Why did it have to be Sango that lit his soul and warmed his isolation? Why couldn't she have been a youkai instead of a human woman? For that matter, what had he been thinking when he had decided to make love to her that first time? He told himself that it was only her passionate offer, the curiosity of having such a woman give herself to him so freely.

 

It was his youkai instinct to blame, that darkness within him that was a source of strength and power. It had reacted to her, engulfed his heart with passion, moved him to the point where it demanded that he claim her, make her his, have her bear the child that would be his heir. A half-breed, half human, half demon, but his child all the same.

 

She would be his downfall, he was certain. And still he couldn't shake the taste of her from his mind. Impossible that he would be moved so much, illogical and impossible. Then she had defied him and that made him want her all the more. He should have destroyed her for that, but he could not. His youkai instinct would not allow it; his heart was as selfish as ever.

 

Sango belonged to him and that had trapped him. And for the first time in his very long life, he was glad of it.

 

Damn it, again he'd lost the scent, been distracted from his prey. What kind of monster could be so adept at hiding itself from him? Sesshomaru swore again and began to search, salving his mind with thought of Naraku's destruction. The abomination would pay for this, provoking him when he should have had his mind occupied by more important matters.

 

So, thus distracted, Sesshomaru did not sense that he was observed or notice that a human had stepped behind him until he heard the soft rattle of a chain.

 

"Sesshomaru-sama."

 

He turned, a frown crossing his brow at the recognition of the voice. The boy faced him fearlessly, a cool and arrogant smile on his face. At the boy's hand was a drawn blade, sickle shaped and Sesshomaru was annoyed.

 

"Kohaku," he said coldly. "You should not have left the fortress."

 

To his surprise, the boy laughed at him. "I don't follow your orders. I have come to challenge you!"

 

Sesshomaru stood silently for a moment. Had the boy lost his mind? He had actually expected some kind of reaction from Kohaku regarding what had transpired with his sister, but a challenge?

 

"Leave me." He turned away deliberately. "I do not have time for your childish games. Return to the fortress immediately before I grow angry."

 

The sound of Kohaku's blade cutting air got his attention and it was only Sesshomaru's youkai reflexes that allowed him to step out of the way before the sharp edge caught him. His eyes narrowed in irritation as the boy yanked the chain back, the handle of the blade falling into his waiting hand with a muffled slap.

 

"I should have done this from the beginning," Kohaku hissed. "I should have done this the first time you touched my sister. I won't let you play with her any longer!"

 

The blade sailed again and this time Sesshomaru didn't hesitate, he caught it deftly and pulled sharply on the chain. Kohaku was caught off guard and staggered forward, his movements far clumsier than were normal. With a graceful motion, Sesshomaru looped the chain around the boy's arms and dragged him forward.

 

"You are being foolish," Sesshomaru murmured down at the struggling young man. "I am bound by Tenseiga to not kill you, Kohaku, but that doesn't mean I have to hold back if you annoy me. Once again, I ask that you obey me and leave this place. I do not have time to answer childish grudges."

 

Kohaku laughed harshly and fell to his knees. He looked up at the demon and Sesshomaru frowned again. Something was wrong, there was madness in the boy's expression and bruises all over his face. Someone had injured him.

 

"What happened to you?" he asked, seething at the idea that any of his people might be responsible.

 

The boy didn't answer, but continued to struggle against the chain until Sesshomaru released him, afraid he would further injure himself. Breathing hard, Kohaku staggered away from him, gathering the chain slowly in his hands.

 

"I have to kill you," he said, his voice dull. "I have to kill you for Sango. I...I have to protect her."

 

The blade flew again and Sesshomaru stepped aside. The boy then dropped the chain and ran at the demon lord, striking him with his fists. The youkai simply allowed the attack, letting Kohaku bloody his hands on his armor in a pathetically weak attack. Something was very wrong; something didn't strike true with him. The boy seemed to be in some kind of pain, his eyes were blank even as tears streamed from them.

 

He caught Kohaku by his hair and pushed him away. He fell hard to his knees, panting as if he couldn't catch his breath. It confused the demon lord, as he knew that Kohaku shouldn't be struggling this much.

 

"Tell me what happened," he said softly. "Why have you come for me now, Kohaku? What drove you from the fortress?"

 

The boy stilled, not looking at him. "It's my fault she met you," he said in a small, painful voice. "It's my fault, if you hadn't freed me from Naraku, none of this would have happened. She wouldn't be in danger, she wouldn't be getting hurt."

 

"Who is hurting her?" Sesshomaru demanded, his heart suddenly filled with fear. "What have you seen, Kohaku? Who endangers your sister?"

 

The boy stood slowly, taking the blade in his hand again. "You did. You put that baby inside her, now he's interested in it. You shouldn't have ever..."

 

Kohaku raised his chin and this time Sesshomaru could see the madness in his eyes. Slowly, the boy brought the sharp edge of his weapon up again and started to advance. "One of us has to die," he whispered. "I won't stop until you kill me, Sesshomaru."

 

And he attacked again.

 

oOo

 

Far too easy. Once again he was disappointed, but the encounter was not a complete loss. He found the exterminator...fascinating. She fought well, her heart was strong. And she carried the seed of a youkai within her womb. He looked down at his dead white hands, the long sharp claws that reeked of blood. Perhaps this was what had been eluding him. He wanted her. A mate. A child. He would make them both his own.

 

He didn't know his own name or who he'd been in his life. He didn't even know how long he'd lain dead under that mountain. The creature that called himself Naraku had sought him out, found him trapped and sealed within a death that was not death, a peace that was no peace. He only knew hunger, a lust for violence and pain. If that suited this Naraku, the one that had broken the seal of his tomb, so be it. He served no one.

 

He was death. He was the darkness itself, the vileness of pain and vengeance, cruel lusts and unforgivable acts. But this woman, this demon slayer. She was beautiful and strong; it was the fire within her that had taken his interest. If she'd been lesser, he would have overpowered her from the beginning instead of allowing her to spar with him. He would have enjoyed the screams she made and then torn her throat out as he thrust himself inside her. Yes. That is how it should be, how it had been so many times in the past.

 

Until now.

 

No matter. Naraku wished the priestess for his own purposes, purposes that the dark youkai had no interest in. No use for a jewel that contained the souls of lesser demons. Likewise he had no interest in the priestess, she radiated a purity of heart that repelled him. A woman like that would be used and thrown away quickly, valued for her innocence or her pain. He'd destroyed enough of purity to become bored with it.

 

Kneeling, he reached out a hand to touch her face. A bruise marred her cheek where he'd struck her, but it only enhanced her beauty. She would be intolerably lovely once she'd been broken and hurt enough. Then the hint of darkness he sensed within her heart would overpower her and she would surrender herself to him. He would raise her child as his own, teaching it to enjoy the pleasure of pure defilement.

 

He was darkness; he was the worms that had feasted upon his flesh. He could father no offspring. It mattered not that the child wouldn't be of his body. He would be the un-father, the darkness that ate at innocence. This beautiful creature would become his in every way he desired and their child, yes, their child, would become a mirror of his absolute night. Tenderly, he stroked her cheek, wishing that she would wake so that he could see the terror in her eyes.

 

"My love," he whispered, leaning close. Her lips would taste of sunlight, her skin of delicate petals. Her flesh would warm his grave-cold body until for a moment, just the briefest moment, he might remember what it felt like to be alive. For now he would only give her the briefest kiss, to seal what would become a marriage sanctified by the beasts of hell alone.

 

"So you're the monster I've heard so much about," a lazy voice drawled. "A bit of a disappointment."

 

He glanced up and saw a demon coming towards him. Inuyoukai, his nose told him. He hated the very stench of them. The inuyoukai's living blood annoyed him, brought something to the surface of his hatred and burning agony. He had not chosen this resurrection, he had not chosen to walk among the living once again.

 

And he was sure of only one thing, sure as he knew the taste of blood of his lips. It was a dog demon that had sealed his soul within that cave. His body had fallen to decay, rotting as once living flesh would do, but a power that surpassed him had left his restless spirit alive to suffer.

 

For revenge.

 

He could almost taste his blood even now.

 

oOo

 

The boy came at him again and again. Sesshomaru found himself growing angry, each time dodging Kohaku's attacks but not retaliating. He sensed that he was being distracted from his true intent and wondered at Kohaku's part in it. The thought enraged him and for a moment he paused to get control of youkai nature before he struck blindly in his fury.

 

It was only for a moment that he let his attention wander but it was enough. The sickle flashed, hurled with an accuracy that had been both trained and bred into this son of exterminators. Sesshomaru hissed in fury as the blade at last found its target and a thin slice appeared in the silk of his sleeve.

 

"I told you," Kohaku panted, his eyes alight with a manic glee. "Don't disregard me as you did my sister!"

 

"For the last time," Sesshomaru snarled, his eyes flashing crimson as the scent of his own blood filled his nostrils. "I do not disregard her or dishonor her. She is my mate!"

 

The blade was thrown again, the boy's body moving as a blur towards him. "She's too good for a filthy demon like you!"

 

"You forget your place, human," the youkai hissed and struck Kohaku hard. "I answer to no one for my actions!"

 

Red filled his gaze as he attacked the boy in return, his hand flashing with power as he drove the young exterminator back. Battle fury filled him; he wanted to punish Kohaku for his insolence, for his betrayal in attacking him. He should never have bothered to save the life of a human boy, he should never have let himself be seduced or made vulnerable by a thoughtless act of compassion. He was Sesshomaru, he needed no one, and he protected nothing.

 

He caught the boy by the throat and wrenched him off his feet. "I spared your life and you repay me with betrayal and accusations. For this you will pay, Kohaku. Your insults will cost you your life!"

 

Kohaku no longer struggled; the sickle had fallen at their feet. The boy's eyes were wide, but unafraid. "This is your true nature," he whispered. "You don't love her, you never did."

 

"It has nothing to do with her," Sesshomaru shouted, finding his icy reserve melted by his anger and a strange, sick confusion that was writhing in his heart like a snake. Tenseiga wailed at his hip, screaming at the perversion that its master would dare to slay what he had saved.

 

The pain of Tenseiga's protest drove reason from Sesshomaru's mind, all he could see was the face of his enemy, this mere boy who questioned his honor, his intentions. The insult could not be tolerated!

 

Caught in his hand, he could feel Kohaku's pulse beating against his fingers as he held him. Only a squeeze, the barest release of his power and this boy would die. And not be resurrected. Tenseiga allowed for no regrets, Tenseiga would never serve him to restore a life he had taken in such anger. The sword cried at him in pain and fury, beating against the back of his mind like a cudgel.

 

"She loves you," Kohaku husked, seeming to relax in his grip. "She's a fool that way, continuing to love those who hurt her."

 

"Shut up," Sesshomaru hissed, squeezing the boy's throat. Yes, this is what he should have done in the beginning, the first time they'd met so long ago. When Kohaku had been under Naraku's control, when he'd been no more than a simple tool. Before Sesshomaru had made such an impossible decision. That to release a human child from the hands of a monster in order to repay a debt.

 

Kohaku's eyes were glassy, the demon lord could feel the life he'd restored slowly draining away, flowing into the mists of memory and time. How many humans had he killed in the past? One more would make no difference.

 

Kill me, the boy's eyes told him. Kill me and be done with it. Let her go.

 

Let her go. Do the one thing she cannot forgive. Prove to her that you are the demon she fears, the monster who stalks the night. Show her that she truly was meaningless, nothing to him despite his words and his desire for her.

 

Sesshomaru gasped, a tearing pain in his heart as Tenseiga burst into power without being drawn. He felt himself being sucked into the blade's youki; he felt the power of his father's will surrounding him. He had not felt this sensation since the first time his katana had shielded him from his brother's Tessaiga. This sensation...this pull...

 

Tenseiga wasn't trying to save Kohaku. It was trying to save him.

 

With a shout, he regained control of himself and threw the boy to the ground, falling to his knees in sudden weakness when the youki of his father's will released him. Kohaku lay on his back, his eyes blank and cold as he stared up at the perfect blue sky.

 

"You disappoint me, Sesshomaru," a voice said quietly. "That you would suffer such insults and expose your weakness to me so completely. What a fool to harbor such sentimental feelings. I had expected better."

 

He glanced to his side, unsurprised to see a white baboon pelt half hidden in the shadows. It faded away slowly, only an image, a puppet that disappeared like smoke escaping from a funeral pyre. It left nothing but ashes in its wake and Sesshomaru tasted their bitterness on his tongue.

 

Sickened, he realized that he had been manipulated and looked down at the boy he had nearly slain. The pale face, the bruises, and the way the boy's eyes seemed to hold pain like a vessel would hold water or wine. Those eyes were blank as if Kohaku's soul had been sealed away, but the resemblance was enough to trigger more than just the desire to spare his life.

 

For the first time, he realized that Kohaku had his sister's eyes. This pain was something he could recognize; he'd seen it when he'd cast Sango from his life. Those eyes should have been filled with passion and love, but he had betrayed her. Just as he had nearly betrayed himself in a moment of rage.

 

How had he failed to notice that the boy was again under Naraku's spell? He had been tricked, nearly made a puppet to serve the wicked master's needs. Nothing could have made him angrier; in sheer fury he should have destroyed this boy. And in doing so, he would have only destroyed the woman that he loved.

 

Loved?

 

I love her?

 

"I am tired of your games, Naraku," he whispered, holding his voice smooth and emotionless by sheer will. Inside, he wanted to scream and rend, destroy the world and everything in it. Destruction could not serve him now.

 

Slowly he stood, leaving Kohaku on the ground and turning away. "I am not such a fool as you may think," he said bitterly. "If you wish to destroy the exterminator's feelings for me, you could have chosen a less obvious way."

 

More than ever, he needed to find her, look at her, and speak to her. He may have been made a fool, but he was a fool by his own choice in this regard. His palm slipped to the hilt of Tenseiga as he stalked into the forest. A demon that had looked for solace in nothing found himself strangely comforted by the familiar shape.

 

oOo

 

He had a feeling that this wasn't going to end well. Jano grit his teeth, resisting the urge to run. The aura of evil that radiated from the monster was overwhelming, all of his instincts screamed at him to run away from this unclean thing. He couldn't do it; he had a promise to keep. He would defend Sango or die trying.

 

"So," he said, keeping his tone light and mocking. "You only fight women? I can't say I blame you, they're much easier on the eyes, but it does strike me as cowardly."

 

"Are you challenging me?" the monster hissed, flicking sharp claws in his direction.

 

Jano laughed, exuding humor that he didn't feel. "Challenge you? Not hardly, a challenge implies some kind of contest, respect for one's opponent. I'm just thinking that you're starting to stink up this nice, clean forest."

 

To his surprise, his insult seemed to amuse the monster. "There will be no contest, I don't have time to really enjoy a fight with you. If you run away now, I might forget to follow. Then you won't have to taste a painful death."

 

Jano scratched his head, pretending to consider the option. "Sorry," he said at last, shrugging as he pulled his blade. "I'm really not smart enough to run away. Looks like I'm just going to have to annoy you with making you fight."

 

The monster moved like a flash, sending a bright streak of youki at him. Jano rolled to evade it, coming up well inside the bastard's guard. He landed a hard punch to the ravaged white face, using his hilt of his blade to strike him between the eyes. To his utter surprise, the monster didn't even flinch or react.

 

A thin trickle of blood slid down the dark youkai's face and Jano found himself staring as his opponent brought a finger to it and wiped it away. His stomach twisted slightly as the monster licked thoughtfully at the blood, seeming to relish the taste.

 

"I don't suppose you'd like to surrender now?" Jano asked.

 

Licking his pale lips, the monster smiled, showing impossibly long and sharp teeth. What the hell is he, Jano wondered furiously, gripping the hilt of his sword. That blow should have dropped him in his tracks. At the very least he could have cursed or something.

 

"I think," the monster said softly, his eyes like black flames that wanted to burrow into Jano's body and eat his very soul. "That I'm already tired of you. This ends now."

 

"What?" Jano glared at him, fuming. "I'll take your ugly head off and cram my fist down your filthy neck!"

 

He rushed again and the youkai turned away from him, blocking him with a shoulder that seemed made of stone. Sudden pain tore though Jano, exploding between his ribs like the fires of hell. He looked down and realized that the creature had buried his claws in his belly. A strange floating sensation filled him and he realized that his opponent had released a corrosive poison inside his body. He stood frozen as the monster pulled his hand back, his fingers gleaming wetly with blood.

 

"I told you I didn't have time to play, " the dark demon said, reaching out to touch Jano's face with bloody fingers. Jano shuddered, unable to move, his body already going numb save for the burning, gnawing agony in the pit of his belly.

 

He fell heavily to his knees, looking down in abstract fascination as he watched his entrails slide from the mortal wound and flop wetly to the ground. Interesting, he'd never thought to see something like that. Makiko was going to be absolutely furious with him for dying like this.

 

"The poison works quickly," the demon told him as he stepped aside. Jano could only watch in paralyzed anger as the dark monster lifted first Kagome and then Sango to his shoulders.

 

"If the poison doesn't kill you first, you will have the pleasure of watching yourself bleed to death," the beast informed him pleasantly as he walked away. "I suggest you take the time to make peace with your soul. A slow death leaves much more time for reflection. You may consider it my gift to you, for amusing me with your foolish challenge."

 

The hell, Jano thought sullenly as he fell over on his side. A huge pool of blood was already surrounding him and he couldn't tell if it was loss of blood or the poison that was making him dizzy. His vision was fading quickly, darkness falling in the bright light of day.

 

Makiko was definitely never going to forgive him for this, he decided. With an effort, he managed to mouth an apology to the empty air and felt his eyelids slide closed as he fought to imagine her face for one last moment.

 

There were worse things to see in death.