Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

Angelus
By : TwilightAlien
Category: InuYasha > General
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Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.
Chapter List
- 11
- 12
- 13
Author�s note: Let me introduce you to Gwilwileth,
the first person with whom I shared this story. Thanks for your support as a
beta even if what you read at the beginnings was very different from what it is
now! And please everyone, I refused to burden my beta with the tedious task of
grammar and orthograph checking, so each and every error is mine, not hers! Pumpkinpi
thanks for your reviews, I am glad that my ideas
interest you!
And to everyone else who
made it up to chapter 12, know that reviews are highly appreciated!
Chapter 12
The group of young travellers hit the road on
the following afternoon, their packages heavy with the rewards offered by the
Lord and his son and their appetites satisfied for days. A feast had been set
up in their honor and, as they couldn�t stay any longer, the Lord had pushed
his retainers and maids so hard that by noon everything was ready for
celebration. The noble families of the town had been invited, alongside the
heroes who exorcised the young princess, and her betrothal to the young son of
the Lord had been announced during the grand meal.
�May I say, dear friends, that things truly
turned out for the better this time? Now we can go back to tracking our enemy
without worrying about how we will eat or where we will sleep for weeks!�
exclaimed the monk joyfully, patting the purse hidden in his robes, heavy with
coins.
�Feh! If you want my opinion bouzo, I say that
all this was too much trouble for what we gained. If you puny humans weren�t so
fragile, we wouldn�t even need this money to begin with. We would do much better
hunting our food and sleeping outside in the open!�
�Inuyasha, how can you be so rude? We did
great, after all! Without us, can you imagine what would have happened to the
poor Ines?� commented Kagome.
�As if I care� At least we wouldn�t have had to
listen to the insanities that came out of the mouths of these two crazy women!�
�Well, my friend, I have to say that those two
were pretty interesting at times, and even eye opening! Yes, it was a real
awakening to meet them!�
A loud crack was heard as the heavy, bone
boomerang of the youkai slayer met with Miroku�s skull. The man faltered in his
steps and ended up lying on his back in the middle of the road, unconscious.
�Sango! Wasn�t it a little too much? I didn�t
even saw him grope you!� said the small fox child, perched on the shoulder of
the slayer.
�Hear me, wench: I will not carry this lecher
around now that you rendered him unconscious! Deal with it!�
The irate hanyou jumped ahead, leaving his
friends a good fifty feet behind him.
�Kagome-san, I say he received what he
deserves. Let him right there; he will join us when he�ll come around. This
monk is tough.�
As to confirm the slayer�s words, the said monk
groaned and slowly raised his right hand to the back of his head, palpating the
bump that was quickly growing there. Then he opened his eyes, to be faced with
Sango�s angered features.
�Ow. Am I dead? Is this beauty an angel?�
The vein on Sango�s forehead seemed to bulge
out of her skin as Miroku closed his eyes again.
�Beautiful angel, would you bear my child?�
She stomped angrily away from the lecher,
joining with Inuyasha further down the road, while Kagome helped the monk on
his feet.
�You never learn, you idiot, Miroku! Now she is
truly angry.� The high-perched voice of Shippo resonated in his skull as bells
and he massaged his temples, trying his best not to wince.
��Yet, Shippo,
I won�t go back on what I said. This night was one of a kind.�
Looking at him with resigned eyes, Kagome
nodded her assent.
�Yes, I�m glad that we stayed and met with
Kitana-san. Without her we wouldn�t have succeeded, and she would have failed
without us all the same. It was a real teamwork! I wonder if we will meet
again.�
The monk rose and nodded, agreeing with the
young priestess before turning to join the rest of their group.
�The expectance of such a meeting brings joy to
this humble monk, Kagome-san. That it does!�
Nursing his bruised head, the monk recalled the
events that played out on the previous night.
--
Under the touch of Kagome�s sacred powers, the
fragment of the jewel embedded in the girl�s shoulder emerged from the skin, its
deep purple color turning to a pure pinkish white one. She grabbed it and put
it in the jar around her neck, before returning her attention to the princess.
It didn�t take long for the girl to come back
to her senses, Kitana�s poison finally reaching the end of its efficacy. Her greenish-grey
eyes slowly opened to meet with three pairs of eyes full of concern; a young
human girl, a human monk that her hazy mind seemed to associate with danger,
and a black skinned female youkai with eyes of pure gold.
�You��
Her small voice whispered this word, and then
her eyes flew wide open.
�Oh no! You� you truly exist! I thought it was
all a dream��
The young girl closed her eyes again, tightly. Puzzled,
the monk and miko looked at each other, before returning their focus on the
princess.
�Ines, you are not dreaming, not now, not then.
You have been manipulated, haven�t you?� asked gently a concerned Kitana.
Sango kneeled between Miroku and Kagome,
dropping her katana to the ground, and soon Inuyasha himself stopped acting
uninterested and leaned forward to look at the girl.
As she opened up her eyes once again, she
slowly reached for Kitana�s arm. The ebony creature took hold of her arm and
helped her to sit, before releasing her.
�I� I don�t know� It is so weird��
She directed her plain eyes to the Buddhist
monk sat not far from her, furrowing her brows.
�If she was not a dream, then you are not one
either� Did you really hit me with a staff, monk?�
Miroku smiled guiltily, rubbing the back of his
neck with his bead-covered hand.
�Well, you see, you were possessed and I had to
try something��
Kitana took the attention of the princess back
to her, before she could have the chance to throw a fit of anger toward the
monk for his behavior.
�Tell me, Ines � You were not acting by
yourself, weren�t you? Someone was telling you what to do, is that it?�
The girl�s eyes became charged with unshed
tears, glistening under the moonlight that entered through her window. She bent
her head toward her feet before answering.
�I� There was nothing I could do to stop it� I
knew it was dangerous to wander alone to the hot spring and I didn�t want to, I
was really afraid, but I had no choice. Then when you appeared, I spoke words as
if someone else was speaking through my mouth. I am so sorry� I acted like,
like a whore! Really that�s what I did! But��
Inuyasha�s nose wrinkled with disdain as the
salty scent of tears reached his nose.
�But what, Ines?�
The girl turned back toward Kitana�s
inquisitive and soft gaze.
�But then� I started to like what was happening,
and I stopped fighting. I stopped fighting against the thing inside me that
made do these things! I� I enjoyed it! I loved it, it was like nothing I had
ever felt! It is a bad thing, isn�t it? Am I normal? Am I a whore now, am I
still worthy? What happened to me?�
Tears now flowed freely on her cheeks,
revealing the very tender age and inexperience of the girl. Uneasiness was
palpable in the room as Inuyasha turned sideways, his cheeks burning. Kagome
and Sango were also blushing, and Miroku seemed to be drinking her very words,
his right hand twitching impulsively at his side. Kitana reached for her head, caressing
her hairs gently.
�Ines, you did nothing wrong. It is normal to
like what we did, it did felt good. It was good. And even if you had fought,
you were controlled by a greater power, it was hopeless. Now what we need to
know is who did that to you? Who gave you a shard to control you?�
Kagome brought Ines� attention to her as she
opened her bottle again to show her the shards. The young princess focused onto
them, her brows coming together in concentration.
�I think I saw one of these before, except it
wasn�t that pretty pink. More of a deep purple or magenta.�
Kagome nodded.
�Yes, that�s what we think controlled you.
These are pure now, they are not dangerous� she added as the princess recoiled
from the bottle. �Who gave it to you, Ines-san?�
The girl�s frown deepened, as she became lost
in her thoughts.
�It�s hazy, but I see a beautiful woman with
amazing red eyes. She appeared at my window a few days after you saved me from
the terrible demons that attacked my party. I think that she spoke of making my
wishes come true, I don�t remember the exact words that she said, but she was
very kind. After that, everything is a blur, except for our time together��
It was her time to blush deeply as she
remembered the intimate moments shared at the hot spring.
�Kagura!� yelled Inuyasha from his corner of
the room. �A red-eyed wench, it can only be her!�
The monk was more circumspect though, and
calmed his friend with a stern frown on his face.
�Well, Inuyasha, I would not expect Kagura to
be the only youkai with crimson eyes around. Although she may very well be the
only one able to give away jewel shards, I can�t see why she would have done
that� If it was just to try and seduce Kitana, she would have removed the
shards when the deed was done� But then, what did she do that for? What did she
had to gain?�
�I� I think I know a Kagura. Is she able to fly
on a giant feather?� asked Kitana, her brows knitted together in concern.
�Yes she is. Red-eyed, with a huge fan that she
use to control the winds and lower demons, and a feather to flee when things
become too heated for her tastes� You met with her?�
Miroku�s brain was working at full capacity,
trying to understand the information that was disclosed this night. Kitana
looked him in the eyes and nodded.
�She attacked me twice in the past, but I
thought that she had given up. It�s the first time for weeks that I hear about
her.�
�So, maybe this was aimed at you Kitana-san? Is
that what you are saying? But why? It is an odd way to get to you. Naraku can
be very tricky, but I can�t figure this one out.� Miroku didn�t sense any youki
from Kitana, meaning that she was probably one of the weakest youkai he had
ever met; how she managed to get her hands on three jewel shards and resist
their attraction was beyond his understanding. Naraku was interested in power,
not in puny creatures except when he could take something from them. But what?
It puzzled him.
�Me neither monk, me neither. But it surely
changes things, now that I know that she hasn�t lost track of me.�
This information was very unsettling for
Kitana. She was being followed, or had been, and didn�t sense it. Or maybe she
sensed it, but as she hadn�t been in contact with Kagura long enough to
memorize her energy signature, she may have mistaken her presence for one of
the numerous lower youkai that lurked in the countryside. What was the witch
trying to obtain by implanting a shard into this girl? Why use a girl to seduce
her? Why a red haired girl who looked so similar to her past love? Somehow it
meant that the woman knew things about her that she shouldn�t, and it was highly
disturbing. She returned her attention to the princess.
�Girl, you have been tricked and manipulated by
a foul person, but know that what happened will stay in this room, between
these walls, and will not stain your future wedding if you do not disclose it
by yourself. I will now take my leave if you allow me to; I have matters to
attend to.�
The entire group rose, Kagome helping Ines on
her feet before turning toward Kitana and gripping one of her hands in hers.
�Thanks for your help, Kitana-san. I�m sure now
that the princess will be all better, thanks to you.�
�I certainly hope so, Kagome.�
With a smile she bowed to the two girls and the
monk, Sango, Inuyasha and Shippo still eyeing her cautiously, and left them the
same way she came to them.
--
Sesshomaru was standing on a cliff, his gaze
lost amongst the stars and small clouds scattered across the skies. He could
hear his followers breathing slowly as they slept, exhausted by their day of
walking across the countryside. All day long he pushed them at an unusual
speed, pondering if he should take flight so he could move faster. For a few
days Kitana�s delicate scent came to him disturbingly intermingled with
Naraku�s one, or maybe Kagura�s, only increasing his motivation to find her. Then,
for a whole day she seemed to stay at the same location, not more than two days
of walking away from him, and he had to fought and reason with himself not to
leave his small group and go to her directly. Her travels had been erratic and aimless,
her passage littered with numerous corpses that she disfigured and tortured
greatly before leaving them to rot. If he didn�t know better, he would have
said that for the past two weeks his newest companion had deliberately avoided
him. But how could she, for with a sense of smell rivalling with humans for its
mediocrity, it was not possible for her to detect his whereabouts.
His eyes caught a shooting star, and he
couldn�t help wondering if another one like Kitana could have fallen from the
sky with the star. Her skin as dark as the lost depths of space, her golden
eyes like a sun rising to bring light to the darkness, her deadly claws
delicately holding a young human child to her chest while they hid from an ugly
green kappa, her soft lips that could open up on a kiss as well as on a
nightmarish double set of jaws, she was a living contradiction all by herself.
Looking in the direction were the star could have fallen, he deliberately
turned the other way, decided not to cross path with another creature from
space ever again. One was already too much.
---
On that very same night, another soul was in turmoil.
Kitana was tired. Sitting upon a low branch in
a great tree, she was thinking about what had happened in the last few weeks of
her life. Meeting with the group of exorcists at the princess� castle, feeling
the warm and welcoming gaze of the strange little priestess upon her helped her
realize that she didn�t really want to give up on life. What her heart truly
longed for was acknowledgement, a true place for her to live in, accepted amongst
other beings not as a monster but as herself. It was hard to be truly accepted
by others when she herself was having difficulties dealing with her own nature.
The rejection she felt when Sesshomaru surprised her while she fed was clearly
a sign that she had not fully come to term with herself, as she had thought.
For this rejection had not come from solely the taiyoukai, but from her as well.
Sighing, she cursed her fiery temper. If she
did not keep it in check in the future it could cause greater harm to her than
her hunger for blood, which she felt clearly now. Driven by her anger and
desire to die, she had slaughtered every bunch of miscreants unlucky enough to
come upon her without ever thinking about feeding. Now that she was ready to move
on and needed some sustenance, there was none to be found for miles around, as
rumors of a strong beast murdering every criminal in the region was already
spreading amongst the community of bandits, thieves and throat-slitters. Not exactly
the sort of people to rally against a common enemy, they had deserted the area,
leaving for more promising and less dangerous lands.
She would have to resort to eat from a regular
youkai or human with a low-level of energy, and it was an alternative that she
did not appreciate at all as many of these beings were needed to satiate her
appetites. Smacking her forehead in self-loathing, she suddenly remembered
feeling a great, ominous energy near a lake she crossed earlier in her travels.
Mentally searching for the being that emitted this dark signature, she found
out that he was not very far from where she was; and not very far from a
certain Taiyoukai she had been trying to avoid either. If she departed right
away, she could reach the area in the afternoon and sustain herself. Only after
that she would let Sesshomaru come to her, confront him again and wait for his
justified anger and judgment.
---
A couple of days after leaving the castle of
the so-called possessed princess, Inuyasha and his group were walking through a
forest, following what was supposedly a shorter way to reach a village they had
heard about. From this place came rumors of a murderous lake-dwelling demon
that devoured most of the people from the village and every traveller who tried
to cross the lake to reach the small hamlet. A demon that these people had
worshipped for generations and that never posed a threat before suddenly
starting to eat his worshippers and anyone foolish enough to help them. The
possibility that this demon had found or received a shard of the sacred jewel
was very real and needed to be investigated. Or, as Inuyasha pointed out,
exterminated. However the person who told them the way to the plagued village
surely never tried his own shortcut, as after two days of walking they would obviously
have reached the place have they gone on the main road.
The small forest track they were following
finally seemed to orient itself in the direction they wanted to go, when a foul
odor offended their noses. Used to find battlefields amongst their travels,
with the accompanying procession of scents, insects and other carrion eaters,
they covered their noses and continued despite the ever stronger smell. What
they came upon, though, was not what they were expecting.
The scene was far from fresh, the blood that
soaked the ground underneath their feet had long clotted and insect larvae were
thriving in the foul, thick liquid. What was singular was that not a single
body was in sight, until they raised their eyes to the higher branches of the
surrounding trees. There they found the source of the stench and blood: about
five youkai had been exterminated, hung by their guts to the tree branches like
sinister Chinese lanterns. Putrefaction was well on its way, accompanied by a
cortege of maggots and insects, gas and liquefaction. The flesh of the dead demons
looked waxy and bloated, ready to explode under the pressure of the emanations
it contained.
Their stomachs barely supporting the sight, the
humans, hanyou and youkai passed quickly through the clearing when they were
stopped in their retreat by a highly unwanted appearance. The graceful form of
Inuyasha�s loathed half-brother was walking toward them from the forest ahead,
acting like he did not notice the carnage at all.
Inuyasha wasted no time; he unsheathed his
Tetsusaiga and pointed it menacingly at the approaching taiyoukai. Behind him,
Sango and Kagome also reached for their respective weapons, Shippo hiding
behind Kagome�s legs, while Kirara took on her larger battle form. The monk had
not reacted yet, waiting to see what would unfurl from this unwanted meeting.
Menacingly, Inuyasha shouted to the taiyoukai.
�Sesshomaru! You bastard, what are you doing
here? Things won�t go like last time I promise you, you�ll feel the bite of the
Tetsusaiga if you come any closer!�
Giving a disdainful look at Inuyasha, Sesshomaru
asked him, �Where is she?�
He was calmly sifting through the numerous
scents that came to his sensitive nose, no matter how offensive they were.
�Who the hell are you talking about, bastard?� Inuyasha
retorted, still brandishing his weapon menacingly at his elder.
Sesshomaru�s eyes became slit-like as what
little patience he had toward the boy was disappearing quickly. �You will learn
your place, hanyou. Do not deny it; her scent is all over you and your companions.
You spent time with her recently. Do not dare lying to This Sesshomaru.�
Miroku decided to take a more diplomatic
approach as he tiptoed slowly to the silver-haired siblings, bowing deeply to
the taiyoukai even though he was extremely nervous.
�Sesshomaru-sama, may this humble monk inquire
about the identity of the person you are seeking? It would probably be easier
to help you find her if we knew her name.�
Slitting his eyes even more dangerously, the
taiyoukai answered the monk.
�I do not need any help from you, monk; only
answers to a very simple question. Where is Kitana?�
The members of the group paused, trying to
decide what to answer. Their encounter with Kitana had not been a really
pleasant one, but she caused them no harm. Furthermore, they were somehow indebted
to her and none of them wanted to see her killed or wounded in a fight against
Sesshomaru; not even Sango or Inuyasha, or the little fox child. As far as they
knew, it was far from healthy to be tracked by the taiyoukai. Without even
talking this amongst them, the decision was taken not to inform Sesshomaru
about Kitana�s presence in the nearby town a few days ago. What was difficult
though, was to avoid redirecting his wrath at them and for that, he had to
believe she was their enemy as well as his own. Surprisingly though, it was the
young Shippo who tried to lure the taiyoukai away from the one they considered
if not a friend, at least a temporary ally.
�Kitana you say?� he said, walking a few steps
away from Kagome. He sniffed, disgusted, and added in a disdainful way, �yeah,
we met with this whore but Inuyasha gave her a good beating and EEEPP!�
In a split-second the fox child found himself
upside-down, peering at a pair of terrorizing golden eyes while his tail was sending
him a painful indication that he was being held by the said appendage.
�You will regret your words, fox, for no one
will sully her honor with such disgusting words,� said the taiyoukai with an
extremely cold tone of voice.
�But-but-but-it-was-Inuyasha-who-said-only-a-whore-could-do-what-she-did-with-the-crazy-princess-and-please-don�t-kill-me-he-said-two-women-couldn�t-be-lovers-it-was-abnormal-please-please-don�t-kill-me!!!�
Everyone was about to engage the dreadful
taiyoukai in the defence of their diminutive friend, even though the outcome
was clearly not in their favor. Bone-boomerang and arrows were readying
themselves, as was the Tetsusaiga. Once again though, it was Miroku who stopped
the violence from escalating.
�Please Lord Sesshomaru, allow us to explain.
We thought you were somehow ill-intentioned toward Kitana-sama. The young
Shippo did not want to endanger her by sending you her way, as she is not our
enemy. She has in fact been truly helpful to us in the past days. His words
were born from his loyalty to her; as a fox demon he can be cunning.�
His eyes were glued to the monk, even though
his body and face were still facing toward Shippo, when Sesshomaru retaliated.
�Explain yourself, monk. This Sesshomaru is
growing tired of your deceit.�
�Sesshomaru-sama, it will be an honor for us to
tell you how we met with the great Kitana-sama. However, may I ask that we
leave this horrible place before continuing our discussion any further? The
scents have a terrible effect on our feeble human noses and makes us confused
and unable to think clearly, my Lord,� said a bowing Miroku.
Sesshomaru looked at them all for a moment,
before letting go of his hold over Shippo�s tail. While the fox fell in the
mud, the taiyoukai turned his back to his enemies and started walking away from
the offending place, not waiting for them to follow him. They wouldn�t go very
far if they ever did a foolish attempt at escaping him, and he did not
considered them a threat to his offered back.
�Oy, bastard! Don�t you turn your back on-� �SIT
boy!�
They already have had enough emotions for the
day and Kagome certainly didn�t want another hole pierced in Inuyasha�s
stomach�
The edge of the forest was very close to the
disturbing massacre scene they just left, and soon they reached it. The trees
thinned at the top of a hill and gave way to a meadow that became agricultural
fields on the other side of a lazy, shallow river. Down beside the river, the
group of travellers could clearly see the young Rin, clad in her usual orange
and brown kimono, happily splashing water on a desperate-looking and very wet
Jaken.
�Rin-chan!� exclaimed a very surprised Kagome,
tears of joy making their way to her large blue eyes as she ran down the hill
toward the duo. �Rin-chan, you are alright?�
The other members of the group were more
subdued. Of course Kagome had told them about the disease that affected Rin
some months ago, but they never fully understood what she was talking about and
why she was so sad about the young child. Nonetheless they were now pleased to
see their friend reassured over the fate of the kid. This young girl was
likeable, despite her ill-chosen companions.
The child giggled and bowed to the dishevelled
young lady. �Yes Kagome-sama, Rin is alright, it was just a puddle of mud. And
Rin is almost clean now; it is master Jaken�s turn to bath! Oh, and your
friends too, maybe?�
The child was apparently totally oblivious of
the reasons why Kagome was so excited. It was obvious though that she was in
great health, healthy enough to play in the mud and cover both herself and
Jaken in it. Kagome smiled at the young one�s words and she looked at Shippo
and Inuyasha, answering the child�s question.
�Yes, Rin is right, you too guys do need a
bath. This mud you are covered with is�� and she made a puking movement to make
herself very clear.
�Feh! You forget that my clothes are demonic;
they clean and mend themselves up, Kagome. I am not taking a bath!� answered a
very grumpy Inuyasha, angry at being humiliated in front of his hated brother,
not only once, but now twice in a few minutes.
�Inuyasha! Don�t make me say it! It�s not only
your clothes that are filthy, but your face and hairs too! Don�t you remember
exactly what was that mud composed of? You will bathe! End of discussion!�
Shippo was already in the river with Rin, both
of them now doing their best to drown the now brown, muddy kappa. Inuyasha was
not about to let his guard down around Sesshomaru, but he had to recognize that
the smell emanating from his person was sickening and he cleaned himself slowly
in the river, his gaze never faltering from Sesshomaru�s immobile form, a hand
on the hilt of his Tetsusaiga.
The taiyoukai was apparently completely
ignoring what was going on around him, his mind focused on smelling the breeze.
When the tension came back amongst the group of travellers, he reported his
attention to them. But before he could learn more about Kitana�s whereabouts,
Kagome opened her mouth. It was not his day.
�Sesshomaru-sama, I�m so glad that Rin is
healed! Would you tell me how you managed to do that? It�s great!�
He kept his face completely still, as if he had
not heard her questions. Of course, she thought, he wasn�t going to lower
himself by telling her how he had saved a human child. But she knew he did it,
and she was glad.
Sesshomaru let the tension build up again by
staring at them, unblinking. His tall form was completely dominating them and
soon he got what he was waiting for. The monk started to stutter a watered-down
version of their encounter with Kitana, �forgetting� to talk about the
heavy-handed welcome they gave her, making a point to depict her as a hero who
came to save the day. Sesshomaru had no reaction at anything that was said,
except when the monk tried to clumsily hide the reasons why Kitana had come searching
for the princess. The taiyoukai had stopped his personification of an alabaster
statue and frowned slightly, just enough so that the monk started to sweat
profusely. The effects of the change were evident, as Miroku stuttering
worsened as he hesitated, rubbing the back of his head with a hand while he
tried to conceal his lies by hiding them behind dumb smiles.
�Do not lie to This Sesshomaru, monk. It is
clear that we both know of the exact reasons why Kitana deemed necessary to
intervene at the castle, and it was not to help you exorcise a demon.�
�So, so you know Sesshomaru-sama?� added the
monk. �Yes, yes of course you know, of course!� he completed when the eyes
looking at him became slits. �It was just a very surprising situation for us
all, difficult to accept, to say the least, and I�m surprised, no, not
surprised, I am glad that you don�t care about that Sesshomaru-sama, yes I am
truly glad and it shows your ��
�Monk, stop blabbering insanities. You
obviously know nothing of Kitana. If you knew her, her� preferences would not
bother you in the slightest. Now tell me, when did she leave you, and do you
know where she is now?�
Miroku could not answer, as Sesshomaru suddenly
turned his head to the side, a frown on his face; then a gigantic demonic aura
reached them all, explaining the taiyoukai�s attitude and making the monk,
demon slayer and priestess very uneasy. It was coming from downstream of the
river.
�G-guys, I think I feel a jewel shard� That
way,� Kagome said, pointing in the direction of the youki surge. Before the
small group could react Sesshomaru had already departed to investigate whatever
was giving away that horrific aura. It was not, however, the youki that first caught
his attention; the breeze had carried another information to him. Coming from
the same direction as the youki, there was a singular, subtle spicy aroma, much
stronger than he had ever smelled in the last weeks.
--
For the first time in a long, long while,
Kitana was questioning her abilities. Usually she was very good at detecting
the source and measuring the strength of different energy signatures. But now,
she was wondering if somehow the atmosphere of this planet could be affecting
her capacities so drastically. She would have sworn that the energy she felt
coming from underwater was strong when she passed by the huge lake some days
ago, but never that strong. If she had known, she would have passed her way,
bowing reverently to the thing that inhabited the lake, maybe even honoring his
adorned shrine standing by the lakeside by a human sacrifice; or two.
But she hadn�t. Instead, she ignored the small inner
voice that urged her to re-evaluate her decision and plunged in the water
head-on, realizing her mistake only after feeling the full extent of the energy
of the creature. If she could have peed in her pants, she would have.
At the bottom of the lake, a snake-like
creature was coiled in many circumvolutions, its huge body covering most of the
visible lake floor. Her eyes could see nothing of it though; the water was crystalline
but light didn�t reach even half way down the lake. However, the multiple
sensitive heat captors embedded in her head told her about the gigantism of the
thing. They signalled to her also that it was much too late to turn tail and
leave, as an enormous serpentine head was quickly rising from the depths to
meet her.
When her eyes finally distinguished the
creature, she was awe-struck. The first thing she distinguished was the jaws,
slightly opened upon huge sabre teeth and so large that they could easily
swallow twenty full grown humans in one strike. Then there were bony horns that
protruded from the side of its head and a long, flowing green mane covering the
nape of its neck. To her surprise, she discovered that the beast had a
human-like face embedded in its forehead in the form of a mask. Two pairs of
red eyes, one small and intelligent, the other terrifying and feral, were
fiercely looking at her, and two small arms, each sporting three lethally
looking claws, stretched to reach for her as the creature lunged forward.
Shaking herself from her astonishment, Kitana barely
managed to leap out if its way only to be faced with another attack from what
seemed to be the tip of the monster�s tail. Dodging again, she quickly morphed
her clothes to enhance her swimming abilities; the ridges of her tail�s
vertebras elongated and webs of the translucent dark material appeared between
her fingers and toes, enabling her to propel herself through the water much
more efficiently. It was not only a necessity, but the only way for her to
survive the vicious and unbelievably fast attacks from the demon.
She started to swim furiously away from the
beast, using all the strength her tail and legs could give her, to no avail; every
time she thought she would succeed to reach the shore, her way was blocked by a
swipe from the tail, a coil of body or worse, a flash of white fangs and deep
red throat. Pushing herself to the maximum of her speed, she barely managed not
to be directly touched by the attacks, but the violence of the strikes was such
that she was tossed and pushed aside by waves of water every time the huge body
brushed against hers.
In her fight for survival, her body found its
own rhythm and soon her mind appeared to become overly conscious of everything
around her. The iridescence of sunlight upon the great beast�s scales, the tiny
bits of moss and algae growing in its luxurious mane, even the small aquatic
creatures she recognized as tiny larvae of fish and crustaceans became as real
to her as the demon. In this trance-like state, panic evaporated as the very
reason of her presence in this lake came back clearly to her: she badly needed
to feed, and somehow this monster was the closest meal in the vicinity. Turning
to face her adversary, she braced herself for the impact against its terrible
body. It was time for a change in strategy.
- 11
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- 13
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Angelus	By : TwilightAlien Category: InuYasha > General Views: 3232 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Angelus