InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Yume ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 10 )

Disclaimer: I no own, you no sue. But unless Sesshoumaru gets off his high horse, I'm gonna tell his momma about what an SOB he's been to this poor, toiling writer!

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I've never had to write so much action before, and this is my first battle scene. Please be kind!

And without further ado...

Chapter 8

As he neared the cacophony of guttural roars and harsh battle cries, Sesshoumaru analyzed the myriad of scents now pouring along on the breeze. Beneath the metallic tang of blood and fear lay the unmistakable odors of his fool brother's group, Kagura, and that mindless slave Kohaku. The reek of hundreds of lesser youkai overrode all other scents in the area, and Sesshoumaru briefly spared a thought to wonder at his brother's stupidity. How could his nose have missed such a stench?

The buffeting wind from Kagura's wind blades ceased for a moment, and in the lull, the taiyoukai caught the normal scent of the area. Wrinkling his aristocratic nose in distaste, Sesshoumaru tried not to breathe in the rotten-egg smell issuing from the direction of the volcano just visible over the tree line. Well, what remained of the tree line.

Very clever of Naraku to shield the scent of his pitiful army with the natural odors of the area, Sesshoumaru thought.

Of course, he would never have let such slip past him. The demon prince's opinion of his half-brother slipped down another notch. Fool.

Catching sight of the struggle in progress, the Western Lord halted just inside the remaining tree line, deciding to observe the action for a moment. He took in the scene in an instant, noting how the boy and Kagura did not involve themselves in the battle except to direct the youkai army's movements against the three humans formed in a loose group, or to prevent any rebellious stragglers from escaping the group. Sesshoumaru's acute olfactory senses did not register any sign of Naraku himself, only that of his slaves. As much as his demon blood was screaming for release, perhaps this battle was not worth his time, then.

He contented himself to simply observe and see who the major players in this scene were. The stoic lord did not intend to waste his precious time and energy on useless pursuits. Besides, this would give him a golden opportunity to devote his undivided attention to the human miko, to ascertain whether or not she was the woman from his dream. If she was not, then he would move on to his next alternative. If she was...then he would simply wrest her from his brother's foolish influence.

Sesshoumaru's gaze immediately caught sight of the slight form of the girl Kagome. He annoyed himself by feeling a spurt of disappointment at her obvious non-involvement in the battle. She stood with a tiny ball of auburn fur on her shoulder he knew to be the kitsune child, armed with a bow and arrows, but not doing anything more than holding one nocked and ready. Judging by the positions of the monk and taijiya, she was clearly being protected by them.

His gaze followed the progress of the demon exterminator for a moment as she battled wave upon wave of youkai. Despite his usual contempt for humans, the taiyoukai had to admit her lithe figure and accurate movements were impressive. With timed precision, the dark-haired warrior flung her centipede-demon boomerang into the attacking hordes, mowing them down like sheaves of barley before the scythe.

He had never witnessed her huge weapon in action before, and Sesshoumaru's slender brows rose slightly despite himself. Her technique was a study in feline grace and economy of movement. Though the bone weapon was no doubt heavy, she flung it easily, inflicting maximum damage with minimum effort.

Just as the taiyoukai was considering revising his opinion of this one human upward, though, a single youkai snaked under her latest attack, the boomerang whistling over its knobby head with mere millimeters to spare.

It dove past her bodyguard, the fire-cat, and was about sink a vicious row of poison-coated fangs into her shoulder when a metal staff connected unexpectedly with its head. Its eel-like body dropping like a stone from the harsh blow of the shakujou, the vile thing convulsed once, black, viscous blood spurting from around the concave wound, then spreading in a slow pool to join the rest of the gore on the slick ground.

"Houshi-sama!" he heard her gasp, no doubt intensely grateful for the timely rescue.

The idiotic monk that had no doubt just saved her life moved to stand beside the taijiya, closing ranks around Kagome during a brief lull in battle. Sesshoumaru watched as he inquired after her welfare, leaning in close on the pretense of solicitous concern. The youkai lord swore he heard the monk inhale her fragrance deeply, and his lips twitched at the besotted man's telling actions. To take the time to indulge in his baser lusts in the midst of battle, this human was either incredibly confident in his ability to protect himself from oncoming enemies, or incredibly stupid.

As the holy man snaked a rosary-sealed hand out to slide over the sleek curve of the woman's flank, the demon lord watched the wench stiffen, then swing her returned boomerang down with harsh force upon his obviously thick skull. Sesshoumaru noted with amusement that his question had been answered: the monk was stupid. And also incredibly hard-headed.

Amazed at the resilience of the human skull, the taiyoukai observed as the recently beaten houshi recovered quickly and swung once more to face a fresh wave of oncoming youkai, all business once more.

Not very effective in battle without his Air Void, Sesshoumaru thought with an inner smirk.

He had noted that the monk refrained from removing the sealing beads from his cursed hand, no doubt painfully aware of the poison insects hovering on the edges of the battle, patiently waiting for the chance to dive into the welcoming darkness of the vacuum. The Western Lord grimaced slightly at the sight of them, remembering how he himself had released the saimyoushou upon the monk for the first time. It was a painful, infuriating reminder of how he, Sesshoumaru, had been used by Naraku to accomplish his twisted, self-serving goals.

A growl of repressed rage bubbled up in his chest at the memory of the lowly hanyou's temerity at attempting to use him-him! Eldest son of the Great Demon Lord Inutaisho-to eliminate Inuyasha.

The only being who will erase that halfling from existence is this Sesshoumaru, he vowed again, leashing his straining temper and repressing his building fury.

The demon prince's wandering attention was returned abruptly to the battle when he registered a harsh shout from the monk. The foolish human had gotten himself separated from the questionable protection of the taijiya, and was currently being pressed back into the blood-soaked mud by the hairy bulk of one of the ugliest youkai Sesshoumaru had ever had the misfortune of viewing.

Just as one great, club-like arm swung down to dig glittering talons into the houshi's tender human flesh, a bright streak lit the air like a comet, embedding itself into the attacking youkai's chest. In a sizzling flash of pink-white light, the reeking flesh of the unfortunate demon disappeared from the force of purifying energy moving in a wave from the point of impact outward.

Shifting his eyes along the path the light had followed, Sesshoumaru located the source. He was not surprised to find Kagome poised with the bowstring still vibrating from the force of its recent release, and she was already reaching back for another arrow to fire. The young priestess seemed much more confident in her abilities than last time he had seen her use a weapon (against him, he thought sourly)as she stood, legs spread and slender arms pulling the string taut once more.

The display of her much-improved miko power-and aim-struck Sesshoumaru as encouraging, but he did not dare to believe that this small demonstration proved the troublesome little spitfire was the woman from his dreams.

A determined expression graced the delicate features of her face, but her skin was pale with tension. He could smell her fear, and his heart lurched unexpectedly at her distress. To avoid the uncomfortable sensations the sight of her invoked in him, the demon prince resolutely turned his attention away from the beguiling sight of the little miko and assessed the tide of battle.

The humans seemed to-through some miracle of heaven-be holding their own against Naraku's hordes, but Sesshoumaru could see the noose slowly tightening around the small group. Inuyasha was still no where in sight, and the youkai lord wondered what could be distracting enough to separate the overbearingly protective hanyou from his miko.

As this thought filtered through his mind, Sesshoumaru's acute vision caught sight of a flash of white between the trees before it burst into the clearing, followed closely by Inuyasha.

Naraku, his instincts screamed, but he held himself back from lunging at his long-sought target.

His patience was rewarded when his senses caught up to his rampaging reflexes.

There was indeed a strong hint of Naraku's spoor emanating from his brother's opponent, but it was only a hint. The overriding odor was one of dark shadows and black, twisted magic. This was not Naraku himself, then, but another one of his puppets.

Coward, he spat to himself, turning his full attention to the figure shrouded grotesquely in the pelt of a white baboon.

The kugutsu was sprouting woody tentacles and aiming them with javelin-like accuracy, then dipping and swaying evasively like a crazed marionette trying to fly. Inuyasha followed it closely, swinging Tetsusaiga hither and yon, managing nothing more damaging than leveling the surrounding forest. The demon lord noted the hanyou was bleeding profusely from several wounds, and his handling of the fang seemed even clumsier than usual. It was almost as if it had grown heavier.

Could that be why he is here, where Toutousai was last known to be? Sesshoumaru wondered to himself, Did he break the fang again? Does his stupidity know no bounds?

But the more he observed his brother's movements, the less that theory seemed sound. Truly, Inuyasha had never displayed anything close to finesse wielding Tetsusaiga, but since he had learned the technique, he had always preferred to release a showy series of Kaze no Kizu attacks over simply hacking and slashing as he was now.

Was he perhaps afraid of unintentionally injuring one of his absurd companions? His brash young brother did seem to be trying to lead Naraku's puppet away from his companions.

Fool, came the demon prince's automatically contemptuous thought, to place the welfare of companions over the chance to obtain victory...it simply underlines his lack of anything remotely resembling wits.

He ignored the fact that, should Inuyasha indeed injure the wench Kagome, he, Sesshoumaru, would be unable to verify if she was the miko who could harness the Tetsusaiga for him. That would never do.

I do not wish to see her harmed, he resolved to himself, then started as the double meaning of the thought's loose phrasing sank in. Only because I may have use for her, he assured himself quickly and firmly, not because I carry any feelings for the wench. What I have felt today is only a result of this damnably long hunt for that traitorous bastard Naraku making me restless. He didn't pursue the natural progression to find out what he was restless for.

Just as these worrisome reflections flitted across the surface of his increasingly chaotic mind, a sudden surge of movement near Kagome snapped his attention away from Inuyasha's continuing struggles against the kugutsu's seemingly endless tentacles.

A wave of youkai rabble had swept in behind the small group of defending humans in a flanking maneuver, surrounding the miko and cutting her off from her companions. Sesshoumaru could hear the taijiya and monk screaming her name in warning, but knew they had no hope of reaching her in time to prevent the mass of demons from slashing her to bloody shreds. The taiyoukai's heart was inexplicably in his throat, and he had unconsciously taken one step forward, eyes widened in growing horror, when a blinding flash of light burst forth from the center of the tangled, writhing knot of attackers.

In a glowing, growing bubble of holy energy, the offending demons were immolated into cinders. Sesshoumaru's golden eyes widened at the phenomenal display of power and he stood, transfixed by the sight of Kagome posed, remote and beautiful, in the fading light of her deadly counterattack. This was not the weak human female who followed his worthless brother around blindly; this was the powerfully seductive temptress from his dreams.

As he watched, awash in conflicting emotions and uncomfortable truths, the steel seemed to melt from her spine and she dropped to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut, her energy clearly having deserted her. The remaining youkai did not waste the opportunity presented and surged forward once more, a collective scream of imminent victory issuing from a hundred throats.

Before he was aware of moving, the demon prince found himself airborne, flying toward the barely-conscious miko in a desperate bid to reach her-save her-before she was torn to pieces by the blood-crazed masses of the enemy. As he drew Toukijin from his sash, slashing through bodies before they could reach Kagome, her dark, wide-eyed gaze locked with his own. The demon lord was unaware of the red seeping into his amber irises.

She seemed utterly shocked by the turn of events, but he did not take the time to wonder if it was her amazing display of power or his sudden appearance between herself and the enemy that astonished her more. The taiyoukai continued to incise a path of death and destruction through the youkai horde attacking his prize, intent only on protecting what was his.

Never again will Naraku lay his filthy hands on what is mine! He vowed fervently.

Sesshoumaru was within feet of reaching the fallen miko's side, shouts of "Hiraikotsu!" and "Kagome-sama!" following him through the forest of bloody limbs, when a roar of utterly infuriated rage and horrified desperation seeped through the haze of his blood lust.

"Kagome!" he could hear Inuyasha bellow.

The taiyoukai did not break his concentration from defeating the remaining enemy, now beginning to flee before the bright edge of his sword, but a prickle of awareness shivered up his spine, causing the fine hairs all over his body to stand on end. A sense of evil intent so strong it was almost stifling had Sesshoumaru twisting in midair, sword arm coming up instinctively to block the blow from a tentacle that had been inches from him.

Typical of Naraku to strike an enemy when his back is turned, he sneered even as he flew, parrying a lightning-fast series of jabs from the dishonorable hanyou's kugutsu.

A blur of red and white caught the demon lord's peripheral vision as Inuyasha flashed toward where Kagome lay, weak and exhausted and whimpering in distress. As his half brother surged past him to reach the fallen human, Sesshoumaru noted with deep shock that Tetsusaiga was no longer transformed. Now, perhaps when it was needed most, only a rusty, useless strip of neglected steel stood in the stead of their father's great fang of protection.

Inuyasha valiantly hacked at the myriad appendages shooting closer and closer to Kagome with deadly intent, but the dull blade did little more than bounce off the `flesh' of the magic puppet. A thin tendril, snakelike and quick, slithered past the two brothers to wrap around the immobile girl's ankle. With a high-pitched scream of alarm, Kagome found herself being dragged roughly along the ground, pulled inexorably toward the waiting embrace of Naraku's tool.

"Kukuku," it chuckled evilly, the first sound the vile thing had made, "It seems you are wanted by both noble brothers now, little miko. But they cannot have you just yet. I have too many wonderful, enjoyable plans to give you up so easily."

"Naraku!" Sesshoumaru's control snapped at the taunting of his self-declared mortal enemy, and his eyes flashed crimson, "You will not have what is mine!"

"Yours?" the kugutsu repeated with Naraku's voice, "Since when did she become so important to you, demon lord? I believed that girl child to be the only being you cared for-besides yourself, of course," it continued, sounding truly puzzled-and delighted-by the ruthless taiyoukai's sudden passion for a human.

Sesshoumaru was pulled up short by the accusation, abruptly and coldly aware of how volatile and uncontrolled he had allowed himself to become over a human wench whose only worth to him lay in her resemblance to a woman from a dream.

What ails me? He thought in bewilderment, I had dismissed it before as utterly ridiculous, but has the witch cast some sort of spell over me?

He was jerked out of his disturbing thoughts by the sickening thud of flesh impacting flesh, followed by a groan of surprised agony.

Immediately turning his attention to Kagome, certain she had been the victim of some violence, he was relieved she still appeared to be in one piece. But her dark eyes were huge and staring, and a choked scream of denial was issuing from her pale, parted lips in a thin thread of sound. Following her horrified gaze with his own, his breath caught involuntarily at the sight that met him.

Reacting without thinking, Sesshoumaru pivoted fluidly, bringing his sword across his body to gain momentum for the overhead swing he brought down on Naraku's kugutsu, severing the baboon head from its grotesquely deformed body. It disappeared in a shower of scattered ash, following the sudden retreat of Kagura, Kohaku, and the remaining youkai army.

The taiyoukai fought the urge to pursue his prey. He had more pressing business here.

Naraku's taunting laughter echoed around the battlefield.

"We will meet again, Western Lord," he called, "and I will have your little miko then."

Sesshoumaru stood, still and silent, letting the fury of battle wash away from him. Taking in several deep, calming breaths, he felt his usual control lock back into place. Once he felt the cold mask of his usual nature slip over his elegant features, he allowed himself to turn his full attention to the small knot of people surrounding the collapsed bundle of red stretched out on the bloody ground.

Kagome's shirt was washed crimson with spreading blood, her raven-dark head bent so the ends of her hair lay fully in the gory mud. The demon lord ignored the tightness in his chest, the inexplicable feeling of opportunities lost, and kept himself purposely aloof from the scene. There was nothing he could do, anyway. But something about the crystal tears pouring from Kagome's liquid eyes caused his stomach to clench for some unknown reason, and he couldn't stop his feet from carrying him over to her.

Halting beside her slight, shaking form, he rigidly retained his painfully erect posture, refusing to bend his pride by lowering himself to her side. Her breath was coming in ragged gasps, and she was shuddering with the force of her pain. Her slender, delicate fingers moved repeatedly, spasmodically, smoothing over the tangled silver hair of the man cradled in her lap, a gaping hole in his chest oozing blood with each increasingly sluggish heartbeat. During a fatal lapse in attention, the hanyou had been impaled by a tentacle with deadly accuracy.

"Inuyasha. Inuyasha," she whispered frantically, voice breaking with grief. Raising tear-washed eyes to the impassive golden gaze of the man beside her, she implored, "Sesshoumaru, please, please...is there anything you can do? I..." her voice trailed off into a fresh wave of sobs, and her shoulders shook with the force of her heartbreak.

The demon lord stood stoically in the face of her emotional entreaty, arms held loosely at his sides, seemingly unmoved by her copious tears. He was fully aware Inuyasha was on the verge of death, but he did not believe any amount of skilled healing would be quick enough to save the hanyou's life. He said as much to the distraught miko.

"There is nothing to be done," he intoned diffidently, unsurprised when her tears increased and a look of horror crossed her face.

"No!" she cried, "I know you hate him, Sesshoumaru, but like it or not, he's your brother! You share the same blood!" She eyed Tenseiga meaningfully.

He wondered how she knew of it's powers, then realized Toutousai must have told the secret.

Damn, he thought, irritated, if I do not use the cursed sword on my wretched brother, she will be stubborn and difficult to manage.

Sighing inwardly, he had prepared himself to give in to her pleas when an idea struck him.

I must be truly addled by her witchcraft not to have considered this sooner, he thought, striking upon the perfect bargaining chip to gain her unconditional and unarguable cooperation in achieving his objectives.

Narrowing his golden gaze on her, he pronounced with clear precision:

"Let us strike a bargain, miko," he said, watching with interest as her eyes lost some of their fear and hope began to glow in the tear-stained depths.

When he had the undivided attention of all in the group-all that were conscious, anyway-he continued.

"I will heal the whelp," a mutinous expression crossed Kagome's features at the demon lord's turn of phrase, but she remained blessedly silent, "but in exchange I will require you," he finished.

For a space of three heartbeats, silence reigned. Then the gasps and exclamations of outrage were heard from the taijiya, monk, and fox cub. Kagome herself remained quiet, thinking, before she shook herself slightly and addressed the taiyoukai with a voice that, to her credit, wavered only slightly.

"Um," she began hesitantly, "you require me...to do what exactly," she asked.

Sesshoumaru suppressed his irritation that she would dare to question him, as if his honor as a Lord was not enough to prevent him from demanding anything reprehensible of her. He also experienced a twinge of pride that she possessed the courage to face his formidable self, but he dismissed the aberrant feeling as the result of the aftermath of battle.

"That is not your concern at this time," he said repressively, "All you need to know is that, in exchange for my services," he grimaced slightly at the demeaning implication of servitude, "I require you, miko."

At the continued look of blank confusion on her face, he deigned to lower himself to clarify. Only to speed this distasteful business along, mind you, not because he wanted to inveigle himself into her good graces by being...considerate.

"I wish you to accompany me for a specific task...Kagome," he hesitated before he said her name, noting how the sound of it rolling off his tongue had her widening those lovely eyes in surprise and flushing slightly. He ignored the urge to repeat it just to see that delicate flush grace her cheeks again.

What have I been infected with? He thought in growing alarm.

Kagome turned her face back to Inuyasha, brow furrowed in concentration. She started when her eyes met her injured friend's and she breathed, "Inuyasha. You heard?"

The hanyou nodded jerkily and opened his mouth to speak, but no sound emerged besides a wet rattle. His lungs were filling with fluid, most likely blood. He settled for shaking his head in denial of his brother's suspect offer, but Kagome would have none of it.

"No, Inuyasha," she said gently, her fingers brushing lightly over his forehead in soft, placating movements.

Sesshoumaru was startled by the sensation of ghost fingers moving over his own skin, remnant memories of last night's dream. He shook off the unwanted fancy.

"I have to do this. It's the only way to save you," her voice rose on the last few words, her shock and hysteria of moments ago returning.

The sound of Kagome's obvious distress quieted Inuyasha's denials, but he pinned his brother with a fierce glare instead. Sesshoumaru understood the meaning, even if the hanyou couldn't say the words.

`As soon as I am able, I will be hunting you down like a fox after a rabbit' and `Harm her and die'.

The youkai prince didn't acknowledge the silent warnings with so much as a blink, but Inuyasha knew his ruthless half-sibling comprehended his message, even if he did not take him seriously.

The bargain was struck, and Sesshoumaru watched his bastard brother with barely suppressed amusement as he reached a hand toward his sash. The fear and speculation in golden eyes the same color as his own was patently obvious. Inuyasha was wondering if perhaps he was about to be dispatched with Toukijin instead of healed by Tenseiga. Sesshoumaru wasn't above eking a little more pleasure out of the situation by letting his clawed hand hover over the hilts of his weapons a moment longer, but the unexpected and demanding pulse at his hip had him pulling his father's fang without further theatrics.

In a single arc of deadly grace, Tenseiga sang from its sheath and bit deeply into Inuyasha's chest, slicing at a clean angle across his torso before being settled home again at its master's side.

The path the enchanted blade took glowed briefly with a light similar to that of Kagome's miko power, then faded into nothingness. The hideous wound in his foolish brother's chest had disappeared, along with a myriad of lesser punctures and scrapes, and the breath no longer rattled and wheezed from his lungs.

Inuyasha was healed.

To the hanyou's complete surprise, Sesshoumaru offered a reassurance to the group at large, though he was certain it was directed specifically at either himself or Kagome.

"While you are with me, you will be under my care. Therefore, I will allow no harm to befall you," he asserted cooly, facing the startled miko without a hint of emotion in his countenance.

"I will give you a moment to gather your things and say your farewells," and with that unexpected courtesy, he turned abruptly on his heel and stalked to the edge of what remained of the forest, putting his back to the brother he had just saved for the sake of a weeping human female.

A human female whose powers I need to wrest Tetsusaiga from my bastard brother. It is the only way to consolidate my power and ensure the future of the Western Lands, he thought, bitter at the need for outside help in his rule, and uncomfortable that he had to remind himself of his purely objective reasons for procuring the wench.

The troublesome thing was, his mind kept inventing subjective reasons for seeking her out. His pursuit wasn't so much about her power and usefulness as a tool anymore, but was evolving into an obsession with her beauty and grace, passion, intoxicating scent and courageous nature.

Even as he ruthlessly squashed those vexatious, unsettling thoughts, he couldn't suppress the relief that welled up in his chest at the sound of her soft footfalls approaching, then stopping beside his tense form.

Without a word, he started off into the woods, suddenly relaxing and breathing easier than he had in a month when she followed where he led without protest.

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TT: *faces audience with triumphant grin* Aha! You thought that I was going to leave things as they were last chapter, didn't you? Go on, admit it. You thought I was going to be evil and leave you hanging after all the building up, teasing, and taunting I did about this long-awaited chapter. Come on, give me some credit! Would I do that to you? After all, I'm such a sweet, accommodating, pleasant person, I could never-

Sess: *suddenly appears beside TT* .........

TT: *jumps, then stares at Sess silently*

Sess: .........

TT: ..........

Sess: *sighs* Aren't you going to at least tell them the truth?

TT: *blushes in extreme embarrassment* Ahem. You mean about how I had to convince you to let me post the battle scene at the same time I did the lemon, instead of waiting?

Sess: *growls* I thought we already went through this. No, about how I had to threaten you with extreme bodily injury if you did not post the battle scene at the same time as that disgusting and completely self-serving gratuitous...*whispers* sex scene. *shudders in remembered horror*

TT: Oh, that. *blushes again, then snuggles Sess's arm* But you didn't complain about engaging in a little private `gratuitous'-ness last night, if I recall. *grins wickedly* Maybe I should put you in more violent situations...it really gets your-ahem-juices flowing!

Sess: *growls at bad playon words* I'm leaving before you get on a roll. *stalks offset in a huff*

TT: *squeals at perfect set-up* Oohhh! I'll give you a `roll'! *chases Sess to his trailer* Wait! I've got a million more where that came from! *turns back to thoroughly bored/disgusted audience* Oh! Push the button for responses! Don't forget to show you care with a review!