Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

Transit Umbra, Lux Permanet	By : ChaoticReverie Category: InuYasha > Het - Male/Female > Sessh?maru/Kagome > Sessh?maru/Kagome Views: 3749 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters. All OCs belong to me. I am not making any profit from writing this, it is for enjoyment only.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
- 9
"Please… please have mercy."
Osore stared dispassionately at the pitiful wretch that cowered at his feet, brittle body broken and bleeding. When the filthy creature dared to grasp at his leg with a gnarled hand he scoffed, stepping out of reach.
From all around him came the sounds of their suffering, a symphony of pain that brought a smile to his face. He could see their despair, darkness oozing from them like puss from a festering wound. It rose overhead, slithering like a great vaporous serpent toward the north. "Your anguish will feed my Master well."
Yet he knew it was not enough. The Great Shadow needed more time to recover, more lives to hasten his rebirth. He required an ocean of blood and misery, and Osore would not stop until all the inhabitants of Nihon despaired.
......
Kagome stared down into her bowl, prodding the rice with her chopsticks. She really wasn't hungry… she was just… tired.
The others watched, recalling how lively she'd once been, pained that their friend was reduced to this pale shadow of her former glory. Sango set her bowl aside, standing and approaching the priestess with a wavering smile.
"You wanna join me for a bath?"
Blinking up at the slayer, Kagome nodded eagerly. She would never refuse a good soak. The girls made their way through the brush, and within minutes they arrived at an onsen, the picturesque scene making them both sigh in delight.
"It's beautiful," Sango commented, thinking she'd never quite seen a hot spring so perfectly arranged.
The miko nodded her agreement. "It sure was nice of Sesshomaru to mention this."
"Surprisingly considerate," the taijiya added.
They were in no rush to be anywhere, so they stripped and sat in the steaming waters for some time until their skin had pruned and their muscles were lax. These peaceful moments between the two women often prompted discussion about the things that were troubling them, and Sango hoped that this time would be no different. She was not disappointed.
"Sango… I'm afraid."
"We're all afraid, Kagome. None of us want to see you harmed."
The miko pulled her hands lazily through the cloudy water, watching them dance over the rippling surface. "I'm afraid… I might hurt someone."
"You mustn't think that way."
"Would you have me take the risk, then?"
"Yes."
Kagome sighed, letting her arms drop. "I don't even know how I would do it. When I feel the power swelling inside of me, I just… panic. It's so immense, like it's trying to consume me. Pushing back is almost instinctual."
The taijiya didn't quite know how to respond to that. She had observed the priestess during these episodes but had no idea what she was experiencing. "Whatever we can do to help you… please don't hesitate to ask us. I don't know what, or even if we could be of any assistance, but we'll do all we can; whatever you need."
Kagome smiled in thanks, but the expression quickly melted as something throbbed inside of her.
Ever observant, her friend picked up on the change immediately. "What's wrong?!"
Hand pressing against her chest, she gasped, "That feeling… again… like in Kaede's hut."
Sango rushed to her friend's side, pulling her up onto the bank in case she passed out. Snatching the towels, she draped one across Kagome, wrapping the other around herself as she called for help.
Inuyasha was there a moment later, kneeling beside them. Gently he pushed back her bangs, searching her face with concern. He could smell no blood as of yet. "Is she alright?!"
"She's having another attack."
Kagome reached up and grabbed hold of Inuyasha's sleeve. "It's… not as bad, but still… something doesn't feel right."
When Sesshomaru dropped down out of the sky it startled even the hanyou, who was too preoccupied with his friend's condition to notice his approach.
"Damnit, asshole! Warn us next time!" he seethed, removing his hand from the hilt of his sword.
The daiyoukai spared him a glare, informing them all, "Zetsubou's incarnate strikes a settlement to the north. We must intervene."
"How can you know it's one of them?" the hanyou questioned.
"Bokuseno has seen it."
Inuyasha growled. "Of all the rotten timing!"
The demon Lord's cool, probing gaze slid to the priestess, who remained huddled on the ground, a towel her only covering. She met eyes with him for an instant before addressing the others.
"I'll be fine, guys. We need to go!"
"You're not coming! In this state you'll be a walking target," the hanyou refuted.
"We can't just leave her here!" Sango spat.
"Course not!" he snapped back, looking offended. "I'll take her back to the camp. You get some damn clothes on and we'll meet up!"
The daiyoukai agreed that the attack could not have come at a more inopportune time, but they needed to move quickly if they hoped to reach the village before it was completely destroyed. He could buy them a few extra minutes. Nodding to his brother, he leapt up through the canopy, condensing his youki into an orb and taking flight.
Removing his robe, Inuyasha wrapped it carefully around the priestess, pulling her into his arms and grabbing her clothing from beside the onsen. He departed without another word, glancing down into Kagome's face. He was relieved to find her still conscious. "You stay put with Shippou. We'll be back as soon as we take care of this bastard."
"But… I can help."
"Not like this, you can't," he denied. Her heart was in the right place, but her vulnerable state could jeopardise all of them.
Upon his return to camp had the kit was scrambling up onto his shoulder, peering down at the miko's face with fright. "What happened?!"
"She's in pain, but she says it's manageable. Shippou, I need you to protect her. Come get me if anything happens!"
Miroku stood at the ready. "We are needed elsewhere?"
"Sesshomaru says a village is being attacked by one of these new demons. We need to find out what we're up against," he confirmed, settling his companion by the fire. He placed her clothing next to her. "Stay put."
She frowned, but when he turned to go she called out, "What about your robe?"
"Hold onto it for me," he responded, knowing he hadn't time to waste. Already he could see the taijiya approaching with Kirara.
Kagome watched them go, clutching the rough, red material tightly as she tried to calm her racing heart and push back the feeling of the jewel's power.
......
Sesshomaru frowned minutely as he studied the smirking demon. All of his attacks had proven ineffective against this creature, passing through him as though he were made of the mist he seemed to be excreting. He'd yet to make an attack of his own, preferring to hover motionless, his expression smug. Below, in the village, the cries of its inhabitants rang out. He seemed pleased by this.
"Is it not an enchanting sound?" Osore purred, unfazed by the daiyoukai's lack of response. "Soon these lands will belong to my Master, and the songs of their suffering will go on without end."
The demon Lord felt his brother approaching. He spoke firmly but softly, knowing the hanyou would hear. "Physical attacks are ineffective."
Inuyasha snorted. "We'll see about that."
Brandishing Tetsusaiga, he unleashed an Adamant Barrage on the smarmy-looking bastard, growling when the shards passed straight through. He paid his elder sibling little mind when he got shot the insufferable 'I-told-you-so' look.
When Sango and Miroku caught up, their focus was immediately drawn to the village, where a hazy fog was slithering across the road. They watched, horrified, as a young man was caught in its path, crying out in agony and dropping to the ground as it surged over him. His flesh melted away, and the fog moved on, seeming to have a mind of its own.
The monk contemplated using his wind tunnel but thought better of it. The likelihood that this mist might devour him from the inside out was too high to risk it.
"How the hell do you beat something you can't hit?!" Inuyasha bellowed.
Sesshomaru pondered the question himself. Tenseiga had proven ineffective as well, for his foe was not dead, and seemed to lack a true, corporeal form. Yet, everyone had a weakness. It was simply a matter of observing and deciphering.
......
Kagome stared hard into the flames, frowning and fidgeting. The little fox stole nervous glances at her all the while, not certain what to do. She'd said next to nothing since her abrupt return from the onsen, though she had regained enough composure to dress.
The young priestess worried her lower lip as she waited for the others to return. The feeling in her chest persisted, making her feel like something was horribly wrong. This was the first time they had faced one of Zetsubou's incarnates, and Inuyasha was vulnerable without the fire rat robe. The more she thought about it, the tighter her grip on said garment became.
'I shouldn't have let him leave without it,' she fretted.
The sensation did not ebb, fluctuating wildly, making her wince and gasp. Finally, after nearly ten minutes, she could stand it no more. Pulling herself to her feet, robe in hand, she turned to Shippou and announced, "I have to go."
"What?!" he spluttered, leaping to his feet. "But Inuyasha told us to stay here!"
"I know he did, but he needs this, and I can't shake the feeling that I should be there."
The kit squirmed uncomfortably when she stared down at him, her eyes wide and beseeching. He tried his hardest to ignore the pleading look but lasted a mere five seconds before cracking. "All right, fine! I'll take you there! But you're just gunna give him his haori, and then we're turning right back around!"
She smiled. "Thank you, Shippou!"
He opted for the form of a bird, foregoing his usual method in favor of something faster. When Kagome was securely aboard he took to the skies. 'Inuyasha is gunna kill me,' he bemoaned.
......
Inuyasha cursed as his attempts to aid the humans were again thwarted, the mist seeming to cut him off wherever he went. After it had become clear that attacking the bastard was doing them no good, they had decided on another course of action. Save as many of the villagers as they could while Sesshomaru distracted the demon – Osore, he had called himself. Yet even that task seemed impossible. This fog was alive, they had quickly realized, seeking people out as they fled, toying with them as a cat did a mouse. Most of them were already dead.
Adding another oddity to their current dilemma, a cloud of black vapour seemed to be rising up from the village and had begun to drift further North. When he had drawn near it his hackles had instantly risen, the choking stench of fear nearly rendering him breathless.
They were fighting a losing battle, and their enemy knew it. All he'd done thus far was taunt them, smirk broadening whenever Sesshomaru attempted to land a blow. He didn't appear overly concerned with harming any of them; rather he seemed to enjoy their frustration at being rendered so helpless.
Suddenly the scent of rain and purity caressed his nose, and he turned sharply, scowling when he saw the kit and miko approaching. "Get back, you idiot!"
Osore lifted a brow at the sudden fearful exclamation, taking note of the newest arrival. "A priestess? My Master would relish the taste of your despair."
He lifted a hand in her direction, and the mist shifted, a long tendril shooting from the cloud mass and heading straight in her direction.
Shippou squawked, turning sharply to the side to avoid being touched by the slithering projectile. Unable to hold on, she slipped from his back, plummeting a short way to the ground where she landed with a pained grunt.
Four voices called out in unison. "Kagome!"
Pushing herself to her knees as quickly as she could, she watched as the cloud slipped closer, feeling its malicious intent. The kit was circling back, trying to reach her before the mist did. She saw it churning; saw it reaching up toward him as he neared. "Get back, Shippou!"
The fire rat robe lay only a few feet away from her, and she reached out for it, hoping it might shield her. Before she was able to the mist engulfed it, circling around her like a serpent.
"No, Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted, prepared to leap into the flesh-eating-vapour to save her.
"Stay away!" she told them all, flaring her reiki. It seemed to do the trick, but as the seconds rolled by doubt began to fill her, and her light wavered, allowing the fog to seep a little closer.
"This one is beloved by many, it seems," Osore crooned, noting that even the daiyoukai seemed to grow tense. "The most treasured flowers are always the most satisfying to pluck."
"No!" Sango called from Kirara's back, knowing they had no way to reach her. "Run, Kagome! Please, run!"
She tried to stand but seemed rooted to the spot. The fog came closer. Suddenly the feeling in her chest surged and she doubled over, trying to withhold it as it strained for release. The pain was overwhelming, forcing a scream from her lips.
"Such a beautiful song you have, little blossom," Osore purred, earning a glower from the inu Lord.
Inuyasha surged forward, his skin sizzling the instant he touched the mist. Miroku and Sango both grabbed hold of him, lifting him from the ground and out of the cloud. He struggled against them, but they held fast.
"You'll die if you do that! We'll figure out another way!"
"We don't have time!" he argued, though he knew the slayer was right. Panic flooded his veins, sorrow crushing his lungs. He had to save her! She couldn't die like this!
Kagome struggled to keep her reiki controlled while fighting the feeling inside of her, realising with dread that she would not be able to hold on much longer. Her consciousness began to fade. 'No! Please, not now!'
Now she was completely surrounded, and the voices of the others fell away. Fear engulfed her, and darkness followed. As her life slipped away, her reiki dissipated, and the mist slithered across her skin. It burned along every one of her nerves – cold like she'd never felt before. She opened her mouth to scream in agony, but it pushed its way past her lips and down her throat, eating through her like acid.
Amid the hissing of the fog she heard a pulse from within her, steady like a drum, but quickly fading. Awareness dimming, she focused on its source, not surprised to find the glowing, splintered sphere hovering in her mind's eye.
'I can't! I'm afraid of what might happen to me, what might happen to them!'
It continued to devour her, the pain from within melding with the pain from without until she could feel nothing else. She had been so sure of herself before when questioned about her choice, but now that she was faced with the reality of her decision her certainty wavered. Could she really allow herself to die like this; to give in and leave her friends to fight on their own? Shippou, Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha… she couldn't give up on them!
The barrier she had placed the jewel's power shuddered as she took a deep, rattling breath… and then she let go.
Yup… it's one of those.
- 7
- 8
- 9
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