InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Time Soul Exodus ❯ Chapter 26: =Twilight of the Soul= ( Chapter 26 )

Written by: Zelix

 

A/N: This is NOT the beta-read version, when it's been beta-read; I'll re-post it so until then please ignore any and all grammar/spelling errors, okay?

 

 

And now, it is time for the next chapter of my fic, the battle with the insects is over… yet, now the priestess Sumira, a person Arcerdo could trust, is forced to aim her bow and arrow at the very person she intends to save… can she do it? Can she bring Arcerdo aware of himself again, or is it too late, will he take the step towards the path of Asura? The moment of twilight has arrived, the moment when the choice must be made…

 

 

And as promised, here is the review response to all of you who reviewed:

 

 

To those on Mediaminer:

 

 

Velvetnight: Thank you so much for being a supportive reader and reviewer, I truly appreciate the encouragements and things you've said in your reviews, you are one of the reasons I have been able to keep writing without feeling discouraged or disheartened, I thank you deeply and hope you will stick with this fic to the end.

 

Inus kagome forever: Thank you as well for being the second loyal reader and reviewer, I truly appreciate the reviews you have been giving me and I'm glad you enjoy my story. I'm only going to say this to you now: If you thought this is good now, well, we are just getting started so buckle up and enjoy the ride!

 

 

 

 

WARNINGS: Death, blood and action, need I say more? Oh yeah, NOT FOR THOSE UNDER 18… though, that hasn't stopped anyone in the past so why should it work now? LOL… Just remember that you are reading at your own risk!

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that's related to Inuyasha, I do own Arc though and if someone intends to copy him without my permission I'll F*** you up!

 

 

“Talking”

`Thinking'

[Check the bottom for details]

*Flashback/Switch in Time or place*

=Used when mentioning a technique, attack or something important=

 

 

If this was a TV series:

 

Opening: Chihiro Yonekura - Butterfly kiss

 

Ending: Hikaru no go - Bokura no boken

 

 

 

 

Time Soul Exodus

 

 

 

Chapter 26: =Twilight of the Soul =

 

 

 

 

*Modern era*

 

 

She couldn't focus on her work at all. For some reason, most of the day, she find out she couldn't focus on anything… there was something happening somewhere, that was distracting her so badly that it took everything she had just to focus on what she was doing, yet now, even that wasn't helping.

 

 

Her mind felt restless, unfocused and somewhere in the back of her basic instincts, she felt like someone was calling out for her help… yet, this feeling was so fleeting and quiet, that she couldn't put her finger onto who it was at all, it was like trying to find a weeping child in an empty, dark disco hall, you could just faintly hear it yet could not tell where it was coming from or from whom.

 

 

It was irritating, yet, for some reason when she tried not to think about it, a guilty feeling would appear within her heart, almost as if she knew somewhere in her mind that this quiet feeling was from someone important… no, VERY important person to her, and ignoring it made her feel guilty to the core.

 

 

`Who is it that is calling me like this? I know this person, yet it so faint I can't make it out… it is someone dearly important to me, that I am certain of but who is it? The longer I hear it, the fainter it becomes, as if this person is disappearing…'

 

 

Those were her thoughts, and before she knew it, she had stopped typing her computers keyboard and instead began to focus once again in attempts to recognise who it was that was calling her like this…

 

 

“Earth to Kagome-chan!”

 

 

Someone shouted her name, and it was enough to startle her back to reality and look around frantically who it was. After a few seconds of looking around, she recognised who it was and sighed with relief and a little annoyance before saying while rubbing her forehead: “… damn it, Keiko-chan! Don't do that! You almost gave me a heart attack…” She stopped for a moment, remembering something before finishing: “… again!”

 

 

Keiko giggled at Kagome before saying while patting her head: “Sorry about that, Kagome-chan… but you looked so out of it just now, that I couldn't resist, hell, you've looked out of it almost all day but just now, I couldn't stop myself anymore.”

 

 

Kagome grunted in annoyance but smiled a little nonetheless, she just couldn't stay mad at her.

 

 

Keiko Ayatsuki, she was Kagome's co-worker at the same magazine publishing company. Keiko was around 27 years old, so she was younger than Kagome was, so work wise, she was Kagome's senior… but when it came to maturity, well, what had happened just now was just one out of the many times she had played some joke on her or startled her like that.

 

 

From Kagome's point of view, Keiko reminded her of Shippo during their shard and Naraku hunting days… since she was always getting in trouble and playing pranks like this. The office loved her, and her antics made the otherwise dull and slow days brighten up a little.

 

 

Even though she was nearing her 30'ties, Keiko could easily be mistaken to be lot younger than that, if her appearance didn't fool you then her behaviour and way of talking definitely would.

 

 

Kagome sighed before chuckling a little: “You never change, do you?” To which Keiko replied with a grin and made a `jay' sign with her hand: “Nope, and never will!” Which made Kagome chuckle even more. After a moment though, Keiko asked with a bit more concerned voice: “But, seriously Kagome… are you sure you're alright? You look like you can't focus at all, and just now, you looked like you could walk headfirst against the wide side of the barn and not notice it.”

 

 

Kagome stopped her smiling before sighing, even though Keiko acted like a kid a lot, her intuition and ability to observe other people was amazing… she was like a walking human mood radar. She then slumped her shoulders before saying: “… I don't know what's wrong with me today, I can't focus on anything. Just now, while I was trying to focus on writing this article, it happened again!” She then held a hand to her forehead and continued: “It's like there is something in the back of my mind that's telling that something is wrong and someone I know is in trouble…”

 

 

Keiko looked thoughtful, before she asked: “Could it be that idiot husband of yours again? He has a knack of getting in trouble, doesn't he? He is an idiot most of the time, though I think he is hot as hell…” To which Kagome immediately replied with a: “Don't even think about it, that hot piece of male is mine!” To which they both giggled again, Keiko always made that comment when talking about Inuyasha and Kagome always made that reply, it was now something they always did.

 

 

After they finished giggling, Kagome said with a shake of her head: “No, it isn't him, i could tell if it was him but this feeling… is new, I can't put my finger on it at all.” Keiko thought about this too, she had known Kagome long enough to realise and understand that she, her husband and her son had a very unique connection, she could always tell if her husband or son was in trouble of some sort, at first she had thought it was nothing at first but after seeing her being right many times, she began to believe it.

 

 

She looked around while thinking, then her eyes landed on one of the pictures on Kagome's desk, it was a copy of the picture where the whole Higurashi family and all their friends were on that trip all over Japan. When her eyes landed on it and she saw Arcerdo's figure on it, her mind clicked and she asked: “Hey, what about your son? It's been a few days since he left for… where did he go again?”

 

 

Kagome heard that question and her eyes widened a little, she then replied: “Oh yes… he went studying overseas with his girlfriend, Kagura, he left a few days ago and won't be back for a while.”

 

 

That was the official explanation they had all come up with to explain where Arcerdo and Kagura had gone, and this explanation was the best they could get because of one lucky break: It seems like Ako's father was a close friend of the principle of the school where Arcerdo attended, and with a little work and asking favours, they got themselves the official documents of Arcerdo's transfer overseas. They were faked of course, and would not hold out if someone dug deeper than the surface, but it was the best they got.

 

 

Keiko then snapped her fingers and nodded: “Oh yes that was it! Maybe… you're just worried about him, you know? It isn't easy to adapt to the situation when someone dear to you goes far away like this, it could be that you are just too worried about him to focus properly.”

 

 

Kagome thought dryly: `Keiko, you have no idea… studying overseas would be a hell of a lot than where he as really gone to…damn It.' before replying after a small pause: “… you know, you could be right, Keiko. Arc is my baby, and this is the first time he has been gone this long from home, much less with a girlfriend. He has grown up so much while I was not looking, but I still fear for him, he is so frail on the inside that I worry he will break if I'm not there for him…”

 

 

If being a mother was not enough to make her worry about her pup, but adding the fact she was a hanyou's mate and the mother of a quarter Youkai pup, her mother instincts were so much higher than a humans ever could be and it was at times like these, that she hated it, this worrying, this anxiety, this restlessness… if only she could go through the well and go after him…

 

 

Keiko put her hand on Kagome's shoulder as an act of sympathy, if there was one more thing she knew for certain about Kagome, it was that her love for both her son and husband was so strong you could feel it just by talking to her. Just now, when she talked about her son like this, only proves how much she loves him… but it must also be painful to love her son so much, especially in times like these.

 

 

She then said to her: “Kagome… don't worry yourself so much, it isn't good for your health. I can only imagine how worried you are about him, but… err… this is like so corny to say but… you have to have more faith in your son, he is no longer a little boy, and he needs to learn to walk on his own two feet sooner or later.”

 

 

To this, Kagome replied with a tint of anger and frustration in her voice: “I know that! But… I can't help this feeling; I can't make it go away…” To this, Keiko thought for a moment, before she said: “Well, instead of thinking if he is in trouble, try thinking that he will pull through it instead, if you can't be there for him in the flesh, at least believe in him from here, with the connection you two have, I'm sure it will reach him.”

 

 

At those words, Kagome stilled for a moment, before breathing out with a small relief and after a moment said with a warm voice: “Keiko, I need to ask you something…” She raised her eyebrow, waiting for her to ask whatever it was, and she did: “How do you always know what to say like this?” To this, Keiko grinned and said: “Well… I have about 5 siblings myself, of which I'm the second oldest, I've always been fond of my brothers and sisters, yet I constantly worry about them. But, instead of worrying about things I cannot control, I decided to instead think that they can do whatever it is they are doing, so I can sort of sympathise with what you are going through, since my eldest brother is also in college overseas.”

 

 

Kagome then nodded her head before saying with a `ah': “Oh yes, I remember you telling me about him… thank you, Keiko, I think I can focus a little more now.” Keiko smiled and held out her hand before saying: “Give me five, my girl!” and she did, they always did this too after talks like these, then she continued: “Now I'll have to get back to work, before the boss walks in and starts chewing my ass off again!”

 

 

With that, she waved her hand at Kagome and walked away back to her desk, leaving a little more relieved Kagome behind, who was in thought once again: `Thank you, Keiko-chan… you helped me more than you know. Arc, my baby… there is nothing more I can do for you, except believe in you. So, if you can somehow feel or hear this, here goes: I love you, my pup, and I know you will succeed in your mission to find your mate, and no matter what is happening to you and no matter what kind of obstacles you run into, I believe you will make it through them, I know it…'

 

 

With that, she returned back to her work, still smiling and thinking about her pup, how much he had grown and how much she loved him… and also, she believed he was okay, and doing his best no matter what it was he was doing now.

 

 

{ It was also atthose thoughts, that the voice in the back of her mind quieted completely… but was this a sign that he was safe, or… that he was lost? }

 

 

 

*On the battlefield*

 

 

 

 

= For backround music: =

 

 

Anime: Mai-hime

 

Track title: Mezame

 

Artist: Kajiura Yuki

 

 

 

 

 

If Sumira needed a word to describe how she was feeling right now, that word would be… intimidated. Yes, that would fit, considering what she was doing right now: She was looking into the eyes of a Youkai, who had just destroyed 4 insects that even the moon priests could not best, and not to mention those eyes themselves were beyond anything she had ever seen before.

 

 

Those celestial silver, glowing eyes surrounded by red more red than blood was, accompanied by those wolf claw marks across them… she found herself having hard time keeping her gaze on them, her mind was telling her to look away for some reason, just like how an animal always directs its eyes away from a humans. It was almost as if she was looking into the eyes of a being superior to both Youkai and humans alike… or… perhaps it was something more than that, perhaps it the simple intensity of those eyes alone that made her look away, since looking at them made her feel like they were reaching out deep into her own, all the way to her soul, as if they could see everything about her and there was nothing she could do about it.

 

 

Yet, this being in front of her that intimidated her so much, it wasn't just any being, it was Arcerdo, the person she had sworn to save from this… madness, darkness, whatever it was, that he was losing himself to, she had sworn she was going to save him from it and by the gods above, she would.

 

 

She aimed her arrow at him, yet could feel it trembling in her hands, along with her bow, she couldn't help this intimidating fear that was coursing deep in her… it was a primal fear of a prey fearing the predator, mouse fearing the cat… human fearing the monster… and Arcerdo, was the one invoking this fear deep within her, the person who had saved them and fought for them with his life, was now making her fear for her life, it felt like a huge joke played by fate, or the irony of ironies.

 

 

This was going to be the hardest trial Sumira has ever had to take during her life as a Miko, she had to bring Arcerdo back from whatever it is that was consuming him and soon, yet she had to do it while trying to avoid not to kill him or him killing her. The good thing was that his You-ki and holy powers seemed to be at their limit, for even now she could see it around his body, still frighteningly strong yet clearly weakening, so she had a chance at this.

 

 

The bad news though, was that even though it was weakening, his You-ki was still more than strong enough to kill her in an instant if he got close enough, not to mention, she didn't know how much holy power she could use in her arrows to make it effective while keeping it from being lethal. The You-ki was not the problem when it came to her arrows, but instead it was the fact he had holy powers himself, and considering he was able to fight on this sacred ground without any hindrance, there was no telling how much he could resist without feeling any damage at all.

 

 

Too much, and she would kill him, too little, and she would be the one to die, a true trial for her.

 

 

Her eyes locked with his once again, and she could still feel that wave of fear within her whenever she did so, yet now, she said to him with a firm voice, not really sure whether he could hear her or not but she tried anyway: “Arcerdo, if you can hear me, I'm asking you now: Please, wake up! If you don't wake up now, it will be too late for you, is that what you want? To attack us, after all you did to help us?” After saying those words, she could see something change in his pose and eyes… almost like a small amount of… recognition had passed by them. Seeing that, she hope with all she had he would stop now, the anticipation of what was to happen next was immense, she could hear her own heart beating in her ears, each throbbing sound becoming more and more louder until it drowned out everything else except the sound of her own breathing: `What will you do now, Arcerdo? Please… please wake up, don't succumb any further to your hate… please…'

 

 

Arcerdo's eyes were locked onto the miko in front of him who had dared shoot that arrow at him, trying to hurt him. Within his mind, he didn't see her as the woman he had known, who he had confided with about his reasons for being here… what he saw right now, was a threat, an enemy who had tried to harm him.

 

 

{§ She tried to hurt me… I will not forgive… I will kill… kill, before she hurts me again… §}

 

 

He could hear that voice again, except this time, I was so clear that it felt like that voice had BECOME him, almost like someone's mind was taking over his own and he let it happen, and now, he could no longer tell the difference between this voice and his own mind… he was losing himself, or was he? He didn't know anymore, nor did he care, all he cared about was carving this new threats heart out and squeezing the life out of it with his claws before tearing her body into tiny, bloody pieces.

 

 

He could feel his body being at its limit, yet now with the new surge of hate and anger coursing throughout him, that feeling was disappearing, his mind began to shut the exhaustion out. He was already stretching his claws and was getting ready to attack, when he heard a voice… a familiar voice…

 

 

The voice was so faint, he could barely hear it yet it was there, someone was talking to him, someone he knew… words, so familiar, and that it tickled his mind to know where they were coming from and from whom. For the briefest of instances, a feeling of recognition ran throughout his heated mind, and he also felt a pulse somewhere deep inside of him, as if something was trying to draw him out… out… from where? Where was he being drawn to? Who was drawing him…?

 

 

… And then, there was pain, agonizing… pain…

 

 

Sumira lowered her bow and arrow slightly, as her eyes widened in shock and alarm when all of a sudden; Arcerdo placed both his hands to the sides of his head, closed his eyes and began to shake his head violently from side to side, while growling out of pain.

 

 

Arcerdo could not understand it, where was this pain coming from?! He had first felt like he was being drawn somewhere, then suddenly his head was filled with agonizing pain unlike anything he had felt before: It was like his existence was being pulled into two different directions, neither side willing to let go of him. He recognised both sides, yet because of the pain he was feeling he could tell which was which, which one had been drawing him away and which one was now pulling him back…

 

 

The pain only continued to increase, and with each second that passed, his growls of pain became more and more intense, until finally, he couldn't take it anymore, and he howled out of pain.

 

 

… And the howl was so violent, that it tore into souls and hearts of everyone who heard it.

 

 

Sumira couldn't help it, she dropped the bow and arrow from her hands in order to cover he ears from that howl of pain, if his battle cry had been something that made her soul tremble from fear, this howl of pain was enough to make her heart and mind clench so tightly it felt like they were going to get crushed at any moment.

 

 

During the middle of that howl, she peeked her eyes open to watch what was happening to Arcerdo, and she saw it, his aura… it was… twisting and turning, as if it was attacking itself, confused about which it was supposed to be.

 

 

After a while, the howling stopped and Arcerdo fell onto one knee, holding himself up with his hand on the ground while panting hard and harshly. Seeing this happen, Sumira carefully, while still ready to notch her arrow if needed, began to slowly walk towards Arc.

 

 

Arc did not stop panting for a while, but after his breath began to settle down, he found his mind to be totally blank, as if he had forgotten what he had been doing or who he was… until, he heard her voice again: “Arcerdo… are you… alright…?” was Sumira's voice, talking slowly, uncertainly.

 

 

When her voice registered in his mind, his eyes turned to look at her and for an instant, it seemed like he recognised her, making her sigh with a small relief… but then, his eyes landed on the bow in her hands and at that instant the voice returned:

 

 

{§ She tried to hurt me… her arrow was aimed at me! I… I… §}

 

 

As the voice said those things, Arcerdo could feel his mind filling up again, the most recent feeling returned to his mind: the hate. It filled him rapidly, violently, burning his mind inside out as he bared his fangs at Sumira and growled dangerously.

 

 

{§ … I will kill! I will kill, before I am hurt again!! §}

 

 

And with that, he suddenly lunged towards Sumira, crackling his claws before bringing down his right hand towards her with a violent, hate filled battle cry.

 

 

At first, Sumira had been relieved that recognition had began to return to Arc's eyes, yet, in an instant, she had felt that hate coming back with a violent vengeance and had seen the recognition fading from his eyes yet again, replaced by that same hate filled look that could not tell the difference between friend or foe, and his aura as well had returned to the state where the hate was eating it away, spreading yet again.

 

 

Then, when he had suddenly lunged at her and brought his claws down on her, she had barely managed to dodge them by rolling away to the left, but could not escape without taking damage, since he had caught her off guard.

 

 

She could feel the slicing pain on her right arm, the claws had cut down the first small part of her arm below the shoulder, the wound wasn't deep but it was bleeding, not to mention it felt like it was burning, it must be that violent You-ki that cut her as well as his claws, and her own holy powers were now trying to expel that very same energy from her wound, she briefly wondered if Arc even realised how lethal this cut would have been if it had hit any deeper? If it had hit any deeper, she could have lost use of her arm in this fight.

 

 

She had no further time to think, because almost as soon as she finished rolling away, she saw him attacking again with his left claws this time, aiming for her head. She just and just managed to lower her head to avoid them, before rolling forward this time. Due to the momentum of Arcs left claws swinging forward, she managed to roll behind him and before he could stop himself and turn around completely, Sumira quickly out of reflex pulled out an arrow, notched it and fired, remembering just barely to lower the amount of holy power she imbued it with.

 

 

She had aimed for his arm, since if she could use just enough holy power to cause his arms to go numb, she could stand a chance of stopping him long enough to wake him up again.

 

 

However, the full Youkai Arcerdo, was not that easy to stop.

 

 

The arrow had been shot at a minimum range, against a target that was still trying to regain its footing to completely turn around, by all that was logical it should have hit with a bulls eye, and yet… it didn't.

 

 

Before the arrow had hit, it had collided with… something in mid-air, as if it had run into a barrier of holy power, it had collided with Arc's remaining holy power! The arrow and the barrier crackled for an instant, barely even a second, before the arrow passed through it and hit him, except that instead of hitting him completely, the robe he was wearing simply caused it to bounce off, causing it fly into a random direction.

 

 

And at that instant, Sumira realised it: `No… that can't be! The holy power I had imbued the arrow with was… nullified? The instant before it hit, his own holy powers nullified my own, making it return to being a normal arrow again, and that robe he has, he did mention it was specially made but… I didn't think he meant like THIS, the arrow didn't even scratch it, it just bounced off. This is bad, if he can still nullify my power even when his own is already so worn out… this is bad, very, very bad…'

 

 

She had no more time to think, because now Arcerdo had finished turning and attacked again, completely unfazed by the arrow just now. This time, Sumira knew she had no time to dodge, so she did the only thing she could do: she focused all her holy power around her to create a quick barrier to repel off Arcerdo, but…

 

 

The instant Arc's right claws came in contact with the barrier, the same thing that had happened with the arrow happened: It crackled for an instant, before his claws tore through without slowing down. It all happened so slowly in Sumira's eyes, her eyes widened with shock as it happened, the claws in his right hand coming straight towards her chest, to pierce her through her heart…

 

 

*Where Heitaro is*

 

 

Heitaro's eyes widened as well when he had seen what happened: It was amazing enough that the arrow's holy power was nullified in an instant, but for that same thing to happen when attacking as well?

 

 

`Arcerdo… you… just what are you? This is something that I have never heard of happening before, a Youkai that can nullify the holy powers of others with his own in an instant, sure, powerful You-ki could penetrate it, but his You-ki is no longer that strong! It must be… yes, it is the [Negating force] phenomenon, that is the only explanation, yet how does he know exactly how much power to wield in order to do it fluently? Is it intentional, or is it by mere chance, instinct perhaps?'

 

 

As he watched Arcerdo's claws ripping through the barrier, he kept asking himself: “Is this is it then, Arcerdo? Have you truly chosen the path of hate then…?”

 

 

*Back on the battlefield*

 

 

Sumira could not think, her eyes saw everything happening so slowly… Arcerdo tearing through her barrier, his claws coming towards her chest, his eyes narrowing in focus, she could even hear her own heartbeat: It sounded like a thunder was booming in her ears, and the intervals between each thump felt like an eternity. She knew it, if she did not move, she would be killed! Yet, she couldn't move, everything was happening so slowly that she felt like she could dodge his attack with ease if her body would just move but that was the problem right there, her body wasn't responding at all! Her mind was moving far too fast for her body to follow, and Arc was simply coming at her too fast to be able to dodge anyway… she was going to die… die…

 

 

… Die…

 

 

The claws were approaching…

 

 

… Die…

 

 

His eyes had narrowed, his fangs were bared…

 

 

… She would die; he was going to kill her…

 

 

… And then he was going to kill everyone, and lose himself forever.

 

 

… `MOVE, NOW!!!'

 

 

Sumira's mind was finally able to form those two simple commands, and her body finally responded. As if by some sheer miracle, she was able to sidestep to the right just in time to avoid the lethal blow of his claws to her chest, but could not avoid the attack completely: Before she could get her left had completely out of the way, she felt his claws tearing at the back of her hand, deep enough to cause two bleeding cuts across it, which made her grit her teeth in pain, god it stung and burned so badly…

 

 

And worst of all, the wounds caused the claws had hit a nerve on her hand, causing it to lose its grip on the bow and even though the pain caused her to squint her eyes quite badly, she could see it dropping out of her hand and hit the ground, before Arc's foot stepped on it and breaking it in two within an instant: `Oh no…My bow!'

 

 

Yet at the instant those thoughts hit her mind, she noticed something else as well: Arc's foot, or the way his foot was pressed onto the ground… `No… it ca-` but before she could finish her thoughts though, what she had realised would happen, happened.

 

 

It seemed like Arcerdo, in though in Youkai form, was still capable of VERY quick thinking: Somehow, he had known Sumira would dodge his first claw attack, so had prepared for it, the way his foot was planted on the spot where her bow had just been snapped by it, had enabled him to stop his advance forward and instead force himself to stop and turn towards her instantly!

 

 

Sumira had absolutely no chance now to dodge, her sidestepping had left her slightly unbalanced and the injury she received had made sure she could not regain focus or balance in time to dodge what was coming next. Using the momentum of his turn to add more force to his attack, Arcerdo used his left claws to slash Sumira across her stomach, tearing her miko robe from there open and leaving behind 5 deep gashes that began to bleed instantly.

 

 

Beofer she could cry out of pain though, Arc immediately used his right hand again to grab Sumira by the throat and pushing her down onto the ground on her back hard enough to cause a small dust cloud to push out around her and then keeping her pinned down by her throat with his right hand, his claws digging deep enough to cause small trickles of blood to start coming out. Her sound gurgled and groaned from the pain of having her stomach nearly cleaved completely open, being strangled before she could scream from the pain and then being slammed onto ground. Her vision was blurring rapidly, which was not a good sign, she knew if she lost consciousness now, she would not wake up… yet, even if she did keep her consciousness she would be killed any second now anyway…

 

 

Her arms were so numb, she couldn't feel them at all… not even the burning pain on her left hand which was injured by him, even the pain in her stomach was reduced to mere throbbing feeling due to the numbness, she was going to die and there was nothing she could do to stop it anymore, she had tried and failed… the only thoughts that she could form anymore were: `Chizu, Renko, Arc, everyone… I'm sorry… I couldn't do it… I'm sorry…'

 

 

Sumira looked into the silver red eyes of Arcerdo, seeing no recognition in them anymore, only hate and killing intent. Seeing his eyes like those, and remembering how his eyes looked like before this, how they had gone from so warm and sad, to this cold and murderous, made her failure cut even deeper than she realised… she had failed to save an innocent from the path of Asura, when he killed her and then those in the shrine, he would never regain himself again… and that thought, somehow made her find the strength to say these words to him, they were so low and barely audible, yet she managed to say them as she felt her breath being cut off from her:

 

 

“Is this… what you truly want… your mate to see you as… Arc…?”

 

 

And those words, that triggered it…

 

 

Arc was squeezing her throat, he could feel her pulse and breathe slowing down with each second, his instincts were chanting `kill, kill, kill…' over and over again as his body was burning with the joy of victory over his opponent, he could feel the hate inside him growing, his consciousness fading into that red haze, losing all form of reasoning…

 

 

And then, he saw her mouth moving, she was saying something… perhaps pleading for mercy? Asking to be spared? No matter, he would not let her go, she tried to hurt him, kill him, and so he would kill her!

 

 

Yet, the look in her eyes didn't match those words he thought she was saying, her eyes didn't show pleading for her life nor fear of being killed: Instead, they looked like he was trying to reason with him… why? Why would she try to reason with him, and for what? Then, something else happened.

 

 

When that small confusion entered his mind, it cleared it just enough for him to hear words, faint, yet they were there…

 

 

“… -is… -ou tru-… yo-… mate… see… Arc…?”

 

 

It was broken, yet, that one word: =Mate= hit something inside him… his mate? He had a mate…? Mate… ***ura… the name, his mate, name… what was it? Where was…?

 

 

As his mind began to clear more due to the confusion, the haze of hate lifting ever so slightly, a face was there, it was hazy and unclear but someone was there. As he tried to focus on who it was, his body loosened up as well and the hand that had been strangling Sumira also loosened, letting her breathe again.

 

 

*Back at the shrine*

 

 

Everyone was at the edge at the moment, even Jei. Something was happening over there, at first Jei had been just about to bolt out as well to finish Arcerdo off himself even though he was exhausted from fighting the insects, yet, the instant he felt his You-ki calming down slightly he hesitated to move. He couldn't understand it, why did he hesitate? It was a Youkai out there that was about to kill a priestess! Yet, why couldn't he move in for the kill?!

 

 

He couldn't understand it; something in him was refusing to kill him! What and why? He was a Youkai! There was something about him right now, that made him hesitate… and he couldn't move because of it, so instead he decided to see what would happen instead.

 

 

Even Chizu was now looking at what was happening because everything went so quiet all of a sudden, so she had hesitantly looked away from her mothers embrace to what was happening. She saw Arc-sama there, above Sumira with his hand on her throat, until it loosened off completely, allowing her to cough and start to breathe again. Chizu could not see the slashes on her stomach at the moment though.

 

 

As for everyone else, they all just looked at what was happening with ever growing tension, not daring to even breathe too loud…

 

 

*Back on the battlefield*

 

 

Sumira was holding her throat while coughing and drawing breathe into her lungs again, her vision swimming for a moment before she felt the sharp pain in her stomach from the coughing, the gashes were burning and hurting and the coughing was making it worse. So she slowly tried to steady her breathe and instead of holding her throat she put her hand over her stomach and pressed the wounds there, hoping to alleviate even some of the pain there. Her eyes after a moment of focusing, turned to see Arcerdo above her and what she saw made her own eyes fill with hope again: `That's it, please… Arc; please find yourself again… please… I know you can…'

 

 

The reason she thought those thoughts, was because she saw Arcs eyes had changed: they were still silver and red coloured but instead of being filled with hate and killing intent, they were now almost blank, as if something had just triggered a shock somewhere inside of him that was strong enough to force his instincts to recede long enough for his mind to start searching again for itself, even his You-ki had stopped flaring up and was now calm and steady instead. Right now, she prayed that he could find himself again, and hold onto himself long enough to wake up again.

 

 

= There was nothing more she could do, it was all up to him now, to find himself… within the twilight of his soul… =

 

 

 

*Deep within Arc's mind/soul*

 

 

Memories, reason… none of that existed here anymore. The only things that were here, were feelings, emotions, sensations, instincts, those were all that remained here. Arcerdo's identity, the core that gave him the sense of self was somewhere in here, deep within this complex web of blended feelings and sensations. A moment ago this entire space was filled with nothing but hate and murder, yet now, when it was not being consumed that hate and murder for the time being… it felt so serene here, like a page that had been emptied of everything to begin anew.

 

 

Yet now, where was he supposed to look? There were sensations and feelings everywhere, scattered and blended with each other and with his ability to remember who he was, he couldn't identify even one of them. It was like floating in the middle of the ocean, not knowing what direction to swim towards to find land again.

 

 

But even though his memory and everything about himself was scattered and broken, when he couldn't even remember who or what he was anymore, one thing was there that tickled his entire being… the name was on the tip of his tongue, yet he couldn't say it… the name of his mate, what was it? K**u*a, the name was less broken, yet he still couldn't remember what it was, how could he not know the name of his mate? Mate… name… why?

 

 

When he thought about his mate's name, he could feel those scattered and blended emotions and feelings becoming slightly clearer to recognise, joy, sorrow, loneliness, happiness, warmth…

 

 

Mate… my… mate… K*gu*a, the name was there, yet why couldn't he remember it?! Mate, when did he meet his mate? Where did he meet his mate…?

 

 

At those thoughts, some of the feelings and sensations began to shape and from into… something. He slowly and hesitantly touched whatever it was that they had formed onto, and the instant he did, his mind felt like a bomb had gone off in there, everything went blank and feelings so strong rushed through his mind that it hurt, it hurt so much it felt like a cold, sharp spear was plunged deep into him, then twisted.

 

 

And then, memories were reborn within him, and the feelings that followed those memories.

 

 

Loneliness, anger, shyness, warmth, the feelings he had felt, when he had first met his mate… in the park, yes, the park! That is where they first met! He remembered now! Yet, her face, her name, he couldn't remember them, only her voice, so guarded at first, then so… lonely, sad… he didn't want to feel it, that loneliness, that sadness, he didn't want to remember it!!

 

 

As those memories came to an end, the next ones began to form before it exploded again, wiping everything blank in his mind again.

 

 

More memories were being reborn and awakened, along with more feelings and sensations…

 

 

Worry, compassion, lust, longing… the feelings he had felt when he had followed his mate to… her home! Yes, her home! He remembered where she had lived now, that place filled with nothing but loneliness, he remembered how badly he had wanted to wipe away that feeling from that place. He remembered the feelings of having her in his arms, how he had lusted for her, how warm her skin had felt and how erotic her voice had been and how her scent had ignited such want for her within him… but, she had not been ready, her scars ran too deep, he also remembered, how he longed to make her scars heal, to make her whole again.

 

 

Those memories, those feelings… for the first time, he had felt something different from his own loneliness and depression, there had been someone out there who he could relate and bond with, who could understand him and who he could let inside his heart. Those feelings, those memories… the next thing Arcerdo was aware of, were tears that were running down his cheeks, he remembered this feeling too, he was shedding tears for her, for he loneliness and pain.

 

 

He began to remember more and more things, like a broken puzzle was being put back together again and with each piece that found its place, he could feel the hate and murder growing smaller and smaller… he remembered his father, mother, uncle, grandfather, grandmother, Shippo, Ako, Katou, Kouga, Ayame…

 

 

And then, the final memories exploded in his mind: His mate's disappearance, the feelings of being lost and sad because of it, his parents training him, his final farewell to them and how sad he had felt, meeting Chizu, his first battle, his first transformation into a full Youkai…

 

 

It was at those memories and feelings, that he felt his hate growing again… and the pain, the pain he had felt not long ago, like his existence was being torn into two, it was maddening!!

 

 

The pain was so horrible, he wanted nothing more but to make it stop, he wanted to forget it… yet; he couldn't do that, not this time! Last time he did it, he was no longer aware of himself nor did he know what he was supposed to remember or feel but now, now he knew himself again, he just needed to remember that one more thing… the name, the name of the person dearest to him!

 

 

As the pain continued to increase, trying to pull him back the way he came from with everything it had, he felt like his entire soul was being ripped clean of all the skin it had, of the very existence that sustained it, yet, he wouldn't stop, he would reach that last memory, he would not fail, not now… he would remember it, even if his entire soul broke into pieces, he would reach it, THAT FINAL MEMORY!!

 

 

“My mate's…. name… is…”

 

 

His voice was strained beyond anything, each word hurt like trying to swallow balls of sharp glass, just one more word, the one name…!

 

 

He focused all he had, into this last name, and even though the pain was maddening, he straightened out his head and shouted out with everything he had: “KAGURA!!”

 

 

And then, at that instant, the pain faded until it disappeared, the hate that had been there was also receding away, becoming lost in the depths of nothingness yet again. Then, he felt himself becoming whole, the name, the face… it all returned to him, his mind becoming clear again, his sense of self returning, the ability to reason taking hold over the instincts once again, and finally, the first clear thought formed into his mind, and it was…

 

 

*Back in the real world*

 

 

“… What… have I become…?”

 

 

Those quiet words left his mouth, followed by two tears of shame and regret for what he had been doing, what he had almost done and what he had been about to become, the more he thought about it, the more he hated himself. He had tossed it all aside, memories, reason, feelings… all because he couldn't handle his fear or weakness, because he had become intoxicated with his own power he had let himself be consumed by hate and murderous intent, and he had liked, let it happen!

 

 

His entire body felt so numb, just a moment ago it had been burning and flaring with power, yet now… he couldn't find the strength to move any part of his body, he was kneeling on the ground, his arms slack on his sides, his sight completely clear of that red haze of bloodlust and hate, his mind free of that seducing, dark voice. All he could think now was this: `Why did I do this…? Why did I end up like this…? I'm…I'm…'

 

 

As he was thinking those things, he could see from the corner of his eye something moving beneath him, his body tensed the best he could through the numbness he felt as he suddenly remembered what he had been doing: he had been trying to kill Sumira! His eyes and mouth trembled slightly, he was too afraid to look down and see what he had done… yet, he needed to see it. Ever so slowly, his head slowly turned towards the direction of Sumira beneath him, expecting to see something horrifying, something that would be forever burned into his mind.

 

 

What greeted him instead, was Sumira's face, smilingly warmly, relieved at him, and then her words, the words she said…

 

 

*Back where Heitaro is*

 

 

Heitaro sighed with relief, he knew full and well he shouldn't be feeling relieved for the enemy but in this case, he was more than willing to make an exception. He then chuckled briefly before thinking: `Arcerdo, it seems like you've made your choice for now… but I wonder, if it is not the path of hate you choose for yourself, then what will you choose? Will you be able to make a choice after this, or will you end up killing your own spirit in despair and regret? Hmmm… interesting, let me see what your choice will be, Arcerdo.'

 

 

*Back at the shrine*

 

 

Jei was confused, what had just happened? Arcerdo's aura, it was the same as it had been before he changed! Could it be that, he had regained his senses? He immediately started thinking: `Hmmm… he was ready to kill the priestess, yet at that instant, he stopped for some reason, his You-ki calmed down and he just… I don't know how to explain it, it was almost as if he had seen or heard something that triggered his change back, hmm, what is going on here? Arcerdo, just what are you?' As he was thinking those things, there was something that still troubled him: It was not clear that Arcerdo had regained himself and was calm again, yet why… why did he still feel like something huge and evil was heading their way? Where was this feeling coming from, and from what?

 

 

For Arbel, even though still confused and torn between what he should be feeling, he did feel something now that he could not deny: He felt relieved; Arcerdo had regained himself again… “Thank god…” he muttered under his breath, and immediately hoped that neither Jei nor Flint heard it, for if they did, there would be hell to pay. Yet, he did in all honesty feel relieved, this meant that the Arcerdo who had fought with his life for these people and even saved his own life, had returned to them. For the moment, Arbel was able to forget the torn feelings he had been feeling…

 

 

Flint, was also highly confused about what had happened, just a moment ago Arcerdo had emitted enough hate and murderous intent to make all of them tremble with fear, yet now, all that hate and killing intent was gone! Just like that, it had calmed down and disappeared… Arcerdo was a Youkai, wasn't he? A Youkai should not be able to calm down like this from their bloodlust just like that! Yet now, he had, this only made Flint hate Arcerdo even more, because no matter what he was doing, he was defying everything that they had been taught were the absolute truths… it infuriated him to no end to think that this is the person who had not only saved Arbels life but his own life as well, he would not stand for it, he would kill him when he got the chance.

 

 

As for the rest of them, this was a moment of great relief, especially for Chizu and Renko. Chizu, even though could not sense spiritual things, even she could see that Arcerdo had woken up, and the relief that followed that knowledge, was beyond anything that could be described in words.

 

 

*Back on the battlefield*

 

 

Sumira felt relieved, Arcerdo, had returned to them… he had found himself again, she could see it in his eyes. The two tears that came out of his eyes, the faint words he had let out, and his aura… it was all the proof needed, he had done it, he had pulled through that hate and refused to take that last step towards the path of Asura.

 

 

As she saw him tense and look hesitantly towards her, she could imagine what he must be thinking right now, he looked so afraid and vulnerable… so when his face turned to stare at her, she did her best to hide the pain she was still in and said with a reassuring tone: “Welcome back, Arcerdo.”

 

 

Hearing those words, Arc could not help it when more tears began to come out, he felt so relieved, that he had not done something he could not undo, that he had avoided killing her… he tried to say something but his throat felt so tight at the moment, so tight he couldn't say anything, only open his mouth to try to talk but nothing would come out.

 

 

Sumira could see Arcerdo trying to say something, and she knew what he must have been trying to say. So, she forced herself to sit up, despite the pain it caused due to her injuries and gently pulled Arcerdo's head against her chest, like a mother would and said to him: “Its alright, Arcerdo, its alright… you've returned to us, so its alright.” She said all that, while gently and softly rocking Arcerdo back and forth with her.

 

 

For Arcerdo, this was too much, he wanted to cry, but the warmth and comfort he felt in her embrace reminded him so much of his own mother. The urge to cry slowly died down and was replaced with a feeling of peace instead; the numbness was slowly leaving his body and he could feel his mind settling down. And finally, he was able to say something: “I'm so sorry, Sumira-san… I'm so sorry…”

 

 

And that is how they stayed for the moment, Arcerdo being held by Sumira, saying he was truly sorry to her, while she was reassuring him he it was alright and he was forgiven. A truly serene moment…

 

 

… But it did not last.

 

 

As Arcerdo's senses began to function properly again, he heard something approaching them, something huge.

 

 

Yet before he could say anything to Sumira, `it' appeared. Through the tree lines, from within the forest, it came crashing through with force, a huge Youkai that looked to be a mixture of spider and scorpion. It came towards Sumira and Arcerdo, stopping just a few feet away from them, the steps it took with its sharp spider like legs were enough to make the earth beneath them tremble, the grey and red black colour of its body was intimidating, as if to show how many it had killed in the past, the scorpion scissor like claws looked like they could snap a human in half in an instant, its tail too… just looking at it gave a reaction in the gut when you thought about it impaling you, its numerous dark blue eyes all locking onto the two of them, making it impossible to escape their gaze, its presence was filled with pure malice and the You-ki it was emitting, was suffocating, it made you feel dread to the pit of your stomach by simply knowing it was there…

 

 

And the stench, oh god, the stench, it was smelled like rotting, burning flesh and the death of innocent life was all around its presence. It did not even feel like they were watching a Youkai, but a true monster.

 

 

Then it spoke, its voice like that of a true monster as well: “Khiäh, so this is the source of that power I sensed? What a disappointing catch… a puny weakling, and a half-dead priestess, a truly disappointment.” Its tone was mocking, as well as arrogant.

 

 

And all Arcerdo could think was this: `Why does this keep happening to me? I make it out of one hellish ordeal, and right smack in the middle of another… crap.'

 

 

*Where Heitaro is*

 

 

Heitaro raised an eyebrow as he saw Kedaru coming out of the forest and walking right up in front of Sumira and Arcerdo, and couldn't help but laugh a little: “You're just plain out of luck, aren't you, Arcerdo? I wonder, even at full strength you probably could not defeat Kedaru, but now that you are exhausted and mentally torn… it isn't a matter of how you will survive through this, but how LONG you can survive, its too bad to admit, but this is the end of the road for you… too bad, you regain yourself, only to come face to face with death again. What will you do?”

 

 

 

To be continued…

 

 

“I have regained myself again…

 

I have escaped that red haze of hate and murder…

 

I don't know if I can ever fight again…

 

… Yet now, what choice do I have? Either I fight, or I will die.”

 

- Arcerdo Higurashi

 

 

 

Next chapter: = Sacrifice, Despair and Hope =

 

 

 

 

A/N: A cliffie again, hehehehe. I love doing those… well, not much to say here, except I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope you review as well. If not, another cliffie awaits! HAHAHAHAHA!!!

 

Anyways, please review.

 

 

 

- Zelix, See ya next time!

 

 

 

 

 

[Negating force]: This is just something I came up with, not sure if it is accurate or a good idea but here goes. Negating force is a phenomenon where two powers of equal size, pulse, wave, etc. collide, when this happens, they cancel each other out. It mostly happens by pure chance, but it is said that some people with unnatural level of skill can perform this at will, this is yet to be confirmed though, since reading ones aura and its strength in the instant of impact, is next to impossible.