InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Their Daughter's Journey ❯ Something Precious ( Chapter 10 )

“Are you sure it was alright to let him go?” Kikyou questioned as she leapt from tree to tree. She watched down below at her two human companions as they traced along the forest's muddled path. The distance between her group and their pursuers was growing; no doubt, it was thanks to her family keeping them at bay. Still, she could not help but worry for the albino twin she left behind. He held little combat experience, so she had no choice but to believe her parent's would keep him away from harm. Instincts could only protect him for so long.

“We had no choice,” Satoshi's speed increased as he grasped tightly to his sibling's hand, “he would have left no matter what we did. He's like your father that way.” She had to agree with that. Their looks were similar, and their personalities even more so. If they had tried to stop him, no doubt he would have resisted. Shirou was persistent. He always needed to have his way. “We have to hurry. There's no telling how long they can hold them off.” Even saying what he did, he remained calm. Is this what it meant to be a veteran?

“But Sato, where are we headed?” Kazumi panted, trailing close behind her elder brother. How long could they run like that? Humans did not have even remotely close to the stamina demons did. They could only keep it up for so long.

“As far away as possible. You heard Kagome. If we don't keep running, we could be in serious trouble.”

“But what about our families? What if we go too far? We may lose our way!”

She pleaded with her brother to think rationally, not given an answer. He looked towards the hanyou in the trees. With her senses, they could make it back. A more appropriate question would be to ask when they could go back.

InuYasha stared intently at his adolescent son with rage-filled eyes. Naturally, to a hanyou with a short temper, his only outlet was to bark his complaints to the white haired boy to his left.

“The hell were you thinking? This isn't some game, Shirou!” He sliced at another youkai, growling deep in his voice.

“I know that!” retorted the young son, stepping in to once again join the battle, “I can fight too, damn it! I'm not some weak human! I can take care of myself.” He shredded a snake-like creature with his claws, staining his already red haori will the deep crimson of blood.

“No you can't!” His father's words pierced through him. He sunk back, eyes wide, shocked that his father did not trust him. InuYasha shoved him to the side, slicing an insect creature with his sword.

Shirou lowered his claws, allowing the blood to drip down his arm and soak the ground beneath. He could see through the hoards the darkness' approach, warned by the oranges of the setting sun. As nightfall drew near, the youkai would grow more vicious. That did not matter to him.

He hung his head, his silver hair reflecting the pinks, yellows and reds of the sky. Clenching his crimson fist, he growled low. “You just don't understand, do you, Dad?” His voice was a mere murmur under the screeches and roars of the beasts before them. InuYasha heard.

He looked to his right at the miko and demon slayer giving their all in this fight, risking their lives for the sake of their children. He looked to his left at the monk, doing his best to protect everyone from the current threat. Then he looked forward at the man who destroyed all those in his path, slashing his foes down with one mighty swing, never swayed by thoughts of his own life. One might say he was reckless, that was true. You could call him a fool, which was also true. These were what made Shirou aspire to be like him. He also wanted to find his place among his family. He wanted to feel a sense of pride that only the greats felt. As a human, but even more as a demon, he wanted to surpass the man that he had always followed behind.

“You just don't understand!” yelled out the hanyou, arms hacking away at the flesh of the youkai one after another. A large bird swooped down and dug its talons into the boy's back. He winced at the sudden throbbing that rushed over his abdomen and back as the claws deepened into his flesh.

“Shirou!” screeched Kagome, salty tears forming behind her eyes. She aimed the arrow at the beast twice. Both of her shots were misses and she watched, collapsing to her knees, as the creature carried her boy off into the distance.

InuYasha flung his sword over his shoulder as he readied the wind scar. For fear of hitting the child, he stopped. The bird flew off into the setting sun, Shirou still within its possession. They watched; the two were shot out of the sky, unbeknownst to them just how. They saw the speck of what was their boy's corpse falling beneath the trees.

“Damn it!” shouted InuYasha, shoving Tetsusaiga into the ground, leaning all his weight on it. “I couldn't…”

Kagome's hands hit the ground with her tears following suit. She did not blink; she feared that it might be true. “Shirou…” His life could not be lost that easily. He was a hanyou, after all. He was his father's son. Was that not the case? InuYasha had survived worse. All of them had. Then why was she unable to shake this quivering in her heart?

She shot back to her feet, firing an arrow at the youkai once again, watching as their bodies vanished in its pink glow. She had to hurry. What if he was okay? What if he needed help?

My boy…

The miko dashed into the clearing she had made as the fiends began filling the gap. InuYasha grabbed hold of her wrist and she snapped back as the hole she had made disappeared. “Let me go! He needs me!”

“There's nothing you can do for him right now!” Her eyes enlarged once again. The tears stopped. She did not like what InuYasha was saying. “At this point, he only has himself to rely on. He'll either make it out on his own or…or…he won't…” InuYasha bit his lip. That could never happen. He could not lose another son. It was his fault, both then and now. He should have been more careful. Why was he paying so little attention to his son? He knew he was too weak to protect himself! Back then, as well: why had he not noticed that witch's presence when she came to take Sesono? Everything fell on his shoulders.

His mate saw the look in his eyes. She understood, she did not accept it, though. Picking her body off the ground, the miko pulled herself together. He was right; there was nothing she could do right now.

Sango cried out in pain as a youkai jabbed her shoulder with its horn.

“Sango!” Miroku rushed to her aid, erecting a small barrier to defend the two. “Are you alright?”

She looked up at the monk, forcing a smile. “I'll be alright. You should help the others.” She motioned to the silver hanyou and his priestess who were being taken back by their foes' persistence.

“I won't leave you.”

“Miroku, you don't have a choice! We both have to fight!” With that, she grabbed tightly to Kirara's fur, the giant cat sweeping her into the sky. She cringed at her own agony as she once more moved into battle. She never wished to see one of her children in Shirou's position. She had to fight.