InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Unexpected Circumstances ❯ The Battle Begins ( Chapter 6 )

“Vermin.”

 

The battlefield remained quiet in the soft sounds of morning as the fighting had come to an uncomfortable halt. The demons looked towards Naraku for any indication as to take up fighting again. Inuyasha held his breath as he kept his gaze on Kagome. His thoughts were treacherous in his mind; `she couldn't have been dead, but then, why did Sesshoumaru use Tensaiga?' At first, nothing happened and he felt as though his heart dropped into his stomach. But then…

 

`Thump, thump.' He gasped and his eyes widened with the initial shock.

 

`Thump, thump.' That was definitely a heartbeat, one that he didn't realize he couldn't hear before.

 

`Thump, thump.' “She's…she's alive. Thank Kami, she's alive,” he said quietly to himself as he let out the breath he had been holding.

 

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at Naraku and began his trek towards him. Now that the miko had been revived, he had to put his effort into the foul being before him; when the girl regained consciousness he would call for her. His steps toward Naraku started out slow, but gained momentum as he went. The fighting once again commenced as Sesshoumaru made his way through the crowd, swiping his sword down on all those who dared to stand in his way. He rushed past the battle; he had only one objective, and that was to kill the bastard in his sight. The fighters took up their battles once again and soon the sound of war cries filled the air. Inuyasha was fighting his way towards Kagome, and with every swing he was able to take down another demon. He felt a gust of wind rush past him and saw white silk out of the corner of his eye. Sesshoumaru dashed passed Inuyasha on his way towards Naraku. Quickly, Inuyasha sliced the demon in half that was in front of him.

 

“Sesshoumaru! Naraku's mine, stay out of the way!” screamed Inuyasha as he ran after his brother.

 

“You will stay out of this Sesshoumaru's way, half-breed, unless you wish to perish along with him,” spat Sesshoumaru. “I believe you have other business to attend to, if I am not mistaken?” he said as he glanced towards Kagome.

 

Inuyasha sneered at his brother and picked up his pace and darted towards Naraku, slicing each demon that got in his way. Sesshoumaru was soon upon Naraku and Inuyasha cursed under his breath at his lack of speed. He ran past a body on the ground and skidded to a halt. He looked down upon the body of Kagome and reached out for her but paused. He looked back towards Sesshoumaru and Naraku fighting, and then back to Kagome once again before making his decision.

 

“Fuck it!” he yelled aloud as he picked her fragile body up off the ground. As much as he wanted to kill Naraku, he could not just leave Kagome lying there defenseless. He picked up her limp, but very much alive, body from the ground and jumped out of the way just before a demon brought its sword down upon them. He ran quickly, dodging blades and claws left and right. He needed to get Kagome to safety, which was the first priority. He landed against the ground roughly after clearing a hoard of demons and then started his sprint towards his other comrades once again.

 

Sango was busying herself with four demons around her. She quickly sliced a lowly looking bird demon in half with her sword. A panther demon, with fur as black as night and eyes green like emeralds, leapt forward at her. It tackled her to the ground and threatened to cut her with its claws. She yelled aloud to gain some adrenaline and then sliced its neck with her arm blade. She back-flipped herself from the ground and regarded the others starting to surround her. The other two demons that had been close to her backed off just a bit, which gave her enough room and time to send her bone boomerang at them; easily cutting them down. However, there was no reprieve and there were soon more demons surrounding her from all sides.

 

Miroku was having just as much trouble with the demons surrounding him. He flung his sutras at numerous beings, which painfully burned their skin and turned them to ash. He was rapidly running out of his sutras and decided to use old fashioned hand-to-hand combat instead. He swung at a horse demon that had crept upon him while fighting another evil incarnate. His fist connected with the horse demon's jaw and it stumbled backward. He then launched his staff at its belly, embedding it there. The demon's eyes widened before it fell and decomposed into the ground.

 

Inuyasha bound towards Shippou, still clutching Kagome in his arms. She was breathing regularly and her heartbeat felt normal. He still could not bring himself to believe that just a short while ago, she lay dead. The person who he trusted more than anyone was dead, he had failed her. Although she was alive now, there was nothing that hurt more than knowing another person he cared about was killed by the hands of Naraku. A question still nagged in the back of his mind however; why had Sesshoumaru, a demon widely known for his loathing of the human race, brought Kagome, a miko, back to life? He had no ties to her, she was not his responsibility, and she was a human! Why the sudden change of heart? Not that he wasn't grateful to his brother, who now probably expected reimbursement in the form of a well known coveted sword, he was definitely grateful; Kagome was alive, safe, and…alive.

 

“How could I have let this happen to you, Kagome? I'm so sorry,” Inuyasha whispered to her.

 

“Ungh,” mumbled Kagome who struggled to open her eyes, a vision of silver hair caught in her sight. “Se…Sesshoumaru?”

 

His eyes widened and he looked down upon the form in his arms. `Why the hell did she ask for Sesshoumaru?!' That was definitely not the first thing he expected to come out of Kagome's mouth the moment she awakened. Although he was suddenly furious, he chose to ignore her slip and proceeded to try and get her to Shippou. He felt something tighten in his chest when he heard his brother's name escape from her lips and he couldn't help the low growl that escaped through clenched teeth. She slowly opened her eyes as her vision steadily came to her. At first, all she could see was the outline of the person holding her. Then colors started seeping into her sight; a red haori, silver hair, deep amber eyes, and dog ears atop his head. Her eyes widened a fraction when she realized her mistake. She smiled slightly in apology then closed her eyes and turned to bury her face into his chest.

 

“Kagome! Are you ok? Can you hear me?” he questioned.

 

“Uh, ah-ha. I'm sorry I made you worry Inuyasha,” she whispered.

 

“Kagome, I'm just glad you're ok. I'm so sorry; I wasn't there to protect you!” Inuyasha admitted.

 

She smiled lightly before sleep claimed her yet again, only this time it was in much needed rest. Inuyasha shook his head slowly and sighed in relief. He had to focus on this battle; it may be the turning point in their less than fortunate quest to return the jewel to its full self. He continued to run forward and finally made his way to Shippou, who was just finishing off a small snake demon. Being the small demon that he was, many sought to overlook him in attempts to get to the more prominent members of their little band. Shippou couldn't say he was too bothered by this fact, the less demons around him the better. The little fox kit looked up from the newly wasted demon in time to see Inuyasha slide to and stop mere inches in front of him, clutching Kagome's body to his chest.

 

“Shippou, I need you to guard her with your life! I'm going to find Naraku; if anything happens, yell for me,” he pleaded.

 

“But…Inuyasha…” Shippou whined. What made Inuyasha think he was capable of guarding Kagome? He didn't want anything to happen to her, what would he do if she got hurt while under his care?

 

“Shippou! You need to be strong…please. For Kagome,” Inuyasha sighed.

 

“R-r-right! I-I-I c-can do it!” Shippou sputtered as he nodded his head furiously. He would let nothing happen to Kagome, he would protect her with all that he had, even if it meant giving up his own life in the process.

 

Inuyasha nodded once in thanks and took off again towards Naraku. The demons didn't seem to be coming after Shippou so much as the others, and Shippou had been showing great improvement in his defenses, not that he would admit that out loud. If he could just kill Naraku, he could put an end to all of this, nobody would have to suffer anymore and he could finally give himself to Kikyo so her soul could rest in peace after so long.

 

Shippou guardedly watched over Kagome as she lay sleeping, no doubt letting her body heal itself. He looked over at her and gave a sad smile. He was so relieved that Kagome was back with them, but she looked so fragile and sick. He gave her a once over to check for any bad wounds that should be attended to. He put his little paws carefully in front of her mouth to make sure she was breathing well, and then tilted his ear to her chest to check her heartbeat. With a nod of approval at the lack of wounds, and good vital signs he brought his glance back to the battle field. Shippou only had a split second to dodge the point of a blade from a sword being wielded by a rat demon with long, bucked teeth. He rolled on the grass and jumped up quickly to find his aggressor. The rat demon was hunched over Kagome with a vicious scowl across his face. Without thinking, Shippou darted in the pathway of the rat and spread his arms out as if to stop him from getting any closer to her. The rat demon sneered at him and went to strike once more at the little fox demon and the miko. Shippou squeezed his eyes shut and threw his hands up in defense, waiting for the inevitable blow. It never came.

 

 

****

 

The two wolf brothers busied themselves with a group of demons near their wolf tribe leader. They had all seen the transaction between Sesshoumaru, Naraku, and the unconscious Kagome and it gave them new resolve. Kouga struck with a deadly force, and any demon that got in his way was sent flying by his brutal kicks. His superior speed helped him maneuver effortlessly through the hoard of demons, striking them down swift and true. He and his two comrades were fighting demons relentlessly as they sought to avenge their `woman' and `sister', as well as their fallen comrades. Though Kagome was now alive, her life had been heartlessly taken by Naraku, and they would see to it that it would be properly addressed. But first, the unfortunate task of getting through the demons.

 

Although Hakkaku and Ginta had not been in many battles themselves, their skills were none to be laughed at. One-on-one they were not formidable, but as a team, they were a force to be reckoned with. Using their unique fighting skills, the two wolf brothers were able to relieve as many as thirty demons of their less than honorable lives. The two wolf brother's moves were skilled and practiced as they jumped, kicked, punched, and bit the group of demons that had surrounded them. Although they were indeed making a fabulous effort, the numbers were definitely not in their favor. Ginta had just come down from being tossed by Hakkaku to reach a bird demon above jumping distance, when he was unceremoniously punched in the gut by an offending lizard demon. Taking advantage of his prone hunched position, the demon was quick to raise his knee into the face of the poor wolf. Kouga saw this and was quick to give punishment to the lizard demon that had effectively given Ginta a nice bloody nose. With a swift kick to the head, he felled the demon.

 

All three wolf demons once again took up their fighting positions and readied themselves for the next onslaught. To onlookers, the sea of demons seemed endless, coving the grounds of the castle like a thick blanket. From an aerial viewpoint one could clearly make out the charges of demonic power coming from two distinct swords, one a bright gold and the other an icy blue. Carvings resembling three claws littered the ground, the result of Tessaiga's `Wind Scar' technique and the golden light. The other light was a distance away from the previous sword, this one sending currents of frosty blue power towards an unyielding bright purple barrier surrounding the coordinator of these hostilities. But perhaps the most interesting light that was even further from these two swords was a bright green orb covering a small area of roughly seven square feet.

 

 

****

 

Shippou clenched his eyes and prepared himself for the sharp steel of the sword. When a minute had passed he got up the courage to open his eyes; what he saw nearly had him squealing in childish joy. For before him stood erect a bright forest green barrier shielding him from the continuous slices of the rat demon's sword. At first he wondered where the barrier had appeared from, but then he noticed his tiny paws glowing the same green color, and quickly put the pieces together; it was him. He looked down at his paws and flipped them over and over again for his inspection and then cautiously lowered them to his sides. The barrier remained intact and Shippou could not resist the urge to stick his tongue out at the demon beyond it. He honestly could not figure out how he did it, but he managed to conjure up this small source of protection, which would no doubt be useful considering all the demons they had to fight against.

 

Puffing out his chest proudly, Shippou looked down upon Kagome who was sleepily smiling at him with nothing short of pride in her eyes.

 

“Kagome! Did you see what I did, did you see?!” Shippou asked jumping from foot to foot.

“I sure did kiddo, I knew you had it in you.”

 

“I'm so glad you're awake! Are you strong enough to stand?”

 

“Yeah I think so.”

 

Kagome slowly stood, expecting to feel the pain that she felt earlier from Kagura's wind blades. She was pleasantly surprised that instead of pain, she felt better than she had in a long time. Although a little tired, she stood solidly testing out her limbs to gauge her strength. With a deep breath she turned towards the demon that was still, without success, attacking the barrier. Raising her hands in front of her she let out a small blast of purifying energy, effectively destroying the ugly demon.

 

“Shippou, can you drop the barrier, even just a little? I need to get to Inuyasha and the others; we need a plan. There are just too many demons to be fighting so recklessly.”

 

“I'll try, just be careful Kagome.”

 

Shippou concentrated on a single part of his barrier allowing some of his energy to part a little in order to create an opening big enough for Kagome to pass through. She hastily took her leave of the small compound and waved back to Shippou in assurance. When she was far enough away from the barrier, Shippou closed it once again. Kagome looked around quickly for something to use as a weapon and stooped to pick up a large stick just to her left. Charging the stick with her purification powers, she set off to find her friends in hopes of regrouping long enough to create an attack strategy and maybe letting them rest a little.

 

As soon as she stepped from the barrier, the demons that had been waiting, more or less, patiently for their turn at attacking the small group of fighters looked towards her and smiled; finally something to do. Five of them came upon her and she did not hesitate to swing at them with her stick much akin to a baseball bat. Her swings were true, and although the stick did in no way have the sharpness of a sword, it did its job well. One by one the demons around her fell, some clutching the more tender parts of their anatomy, while the others were knocked out cold. Kagome allowed herself to smirk at them, that'll teach them to mess with one Higurashi Kagome. She continued on her path towards her friends, every now and then batting another demon. The first she came upon was the monk Miroku. She could tell by the look of him that he was exhausted, with a sheen layer of sweat on his brow. Jogging the last few steps toward him she finally reached his side.

 

“Miroku!” she cried.

 

“Lady Kagome! It is wonderful to see you are well, I must say you are a sight for sore eyes!” he said between jabs to a demon.

 

“Yeah, yeah, listen,” she said hurriedly as she swung her stick, “Shippou knows how to create a barrier, it's not much but it will do the job. Make your way towards him so we can regroup and form a plan, I'll go inform the others.”

 

“An excellent idea I must say. Don't worry about finding Sango, I'll let her know.”

 

“Thank you Miroku, be safe!”

 

“And you as well.”

 

They went their separate ways while still fending off the oncoming attackers, Kagome's new found strength helping her make her way through the crowd. In the distance she could hear Inuyasha's war cries which brought a smile to her face. As she beat through the demons she could distinctively see the red of his fire rat robes which helped her pick up her pace. Her smile quickly turned into a face of horror as she watched a demon approach from behind Inuyasha. She screamed his name to no avail and renewed her efforts to push through the crowd. As fast as she was, she knew she would not make it to him in time. Kagome watched as the demon brought his ball and chain weapon down in a slash and she couldn't help the scream that came from her mouth.

 

“Inuyashaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!”

 

Just before the sword came into contact with Inuyasha's unsuspecting back, a bright pink arrow lodged itself in the back of the offending demon. Kagome whirled her head around to find the source of the arrow that had saved Inuyasha, instinctively already knowing whom it came from. Kikyo, the undead priestess, stood a few yards away with her bow at the ready. She had already notched another arrow into place and prepared to release it into the masses.

 

Although Kikyo wanted nothing more than to bring Inuyasha into hell with her, she still could not watch him die at the lowly hands of no name demons. Kikyo's inner thoughts were contradicting in her love to help her hanyou and the desire to see him dead. `Inuyasha, even in my strongest efforts I have yet to be able to dispel the love once felt for you, I give you my protection willingly and find myself unable to finish the job which I am destined to fulfill.' With no expression on her face to give her feelings away she let loose the arrow which parted a pathway to Kagome. Taking careful strides she reached Kagome in no time. The undead priestess could see the apprehension in the young girl's face and the way her hands balled into fists, ready to protect herself at any minute. With no words between them, Kikyo reached back to retrieve a spare bow and handed to Kagome along with some of her arrows.

 

“Th...thank you Kikyo,” said a bewildered Kagome.

 

“Girl, you should be more careful around those who wish you harm, Inuyasha will not always be there to save you,” replied Kikyo cryptically.

 

“Eh, yeah right. Well, thanks again, um, look; Shippou has a barrier ready in case you need it. I'm trying to get everyone together so we can come up with a plan. You should come too,” Kagome stated as she headed once again for Inuyasha.

 

Kikyo looked on at the girl before knocking another arrow in her bow and taking aim at the mass of demons. If Inuyasha was to be hers and hers alone, she could not let Naraku have his way and destroy him; his death belonged to her.

 

When Kagome reached Inuyasha he had just finished with another one of his “Wind Scar” attacks. Although no one was able to keep track of the number of demons they had all accumulatively brought down, it looked to be just a little more than half were still going strong.

 

“Inuyasha!” she said over the sounds of battle.

 

“Kagome, what the hell are you doing here, you tryin to get yourself hurt again?!”

“No Inuyasha, but I needed to find you and tell you that Shippou found out that he can erect a barrier, we need to regroup.”

 

“Keh! I'm doin just fine, I don't need a break!”

 

“Inuyasha, please, just this once put your pride aside and do something beneficial!”

 

“Yeah whatever, I'm comin. Hop on my back,” he said as he turned around.

 

“We need to inform Kouga, Ginta, and Hakkaku as well, I'm sure they need a break.”

 

“Humph! Fine, we'll go get your boyfriend.”

 

“What about Sesshoumaru?” she asked thoughtfully.

 

“Are you fucking crazy?! Let that bastard fend for himself, he seems to like being on his own anyway!”

 

“Inuyasha,” she said threateningly.

 

“Fine, fine I'll go ask the bastard, damn wench!” he growled.

 

They set off to find the other warriors, killing demons along the way. They came across the wolf brothers first and helped them take down the incarnations they were fighting. Kouga was more than happy to see his Kagome alive and well, although he had a few choice words for Inuyasha for letting his woman get into so much trouble. Kagome on her part was a little irritated at the claiming, but took it all in stride, thanking him, Hakkaku, and Ginta for helping with Naraku. She told them of the plan and they readily agreed before taking off into the distance.

 

Once again Inuyasha and Kagome found themselves breaking their way through a crowd of demons and incarnations. Sesshoumaru had been diligently fighting a cowardly Naraku, trying to break through his barrier and stave off Kagura at the same time. His endless thrashes towards the barrier were causing him to see red. He quickly sniffed out the oncoming approach of his half-brother and the miko and, being the intuitive inuyoukai that he is, he jumped backwards towards them and growled at their intrusion.

 

“What is the meaning of this interruption half-breed?” spat Sesshoumaru, never once taking his eyes off of Naraku or the surrounding demons.

 

“Keh! It wasn't my idea to come over here, you wanna point fingers point them at her!” Inuyasha exclaimed thrusting a thumb in Kagome's direction on his back.

 

“Yeah, well you see, um, we have a barrier and uh, if you want to rest or relax, you can use it if you'd like, of course you don't have to, but well you've been fighting with Naraku and other demons and I thought you might need a break-” Kagome rambled.

 

“Miko, although your worries are wasted, this Sesshoumaru will indulge for the mere fact that you are a means to Naraku's end and should recuperate.”

 

“What the fuck are you talking about means to Naraku's end?! You ain't getting your hands on Kagome, leave her the fuck outta this!” blared an incensed Inuyasha.

“Inuyasha please, it's getting harder to fight off the demons by ourselves, let's talk about this when we're all together,” Kagome pleaded.

 

“Fine, whatever, but don't blame me if Sesshoumaru suddenly has need to sharpen his claws on you!” replied Inuyasha.

 

The three of them set out towards the barrier, being forced to listen to Naraku's pleased laughter as their forms retreated. Yes, his plan was going perfectly, already they are succumbing to their fatigue; this should be easier than anticipated. The surrounding demons decided to take advantage of the break to rest themselves and maybe take down a few of the fighters that stood in their way of the sacred jewel. With the sun setting on the horizon, the first long day of battle was coming to a close. Little did the weary group, composed of five demons, a half-demon, two priestesses, a demon slayer, and a monk know that their battle was a far cry from being over.