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Camaraderie	By : BlackberryPatch Category: InuYasha > Yaoi - Male/Male > InuYasha/Sessh?maru > InuYasha/Sessh?maru Views: 16228 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Chapter List
- 8
- 9
- 10
9
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Lost

Inuyasha leapt into the high branches of the tree and scanned the forest for as far as he could see. Growling softly in frustration as he didn't find what he was looking for, he sprang away and back into his search. They had been searching for Kagome since midmorning when the village had finally woken up; some strange spell had fallen over the village in the night, keeping them all asleep well into the next day. For some reason the spell hadn't seemed to affect Kirara or Kagome- both had vanished. Upon waking, Inuyasha had followed Kagome's scent into the forest- to the point where it mingled with Kohaku's and then vanished.
He'd silently berated himself for relaxing even for a moment and allowing Naraku this chance to steal her away, and when he'd just gotten her back. If only he'd been a little more alert, it wouldn't have happened he was sure. He'd thought they were safe in the village... and Naraku didn't usually attack so recently after a defeat. But there were no excuses, and it was his fault- he should have kept her safe.
The four demons had been the first in the village to wake; Inuyasha had seen a reflection of his own thoughts on Kouga's face while Shippou had spoken his own self-denouncing diatribe aloud. Sesshomaru's thoughts were unreadable, but it was he who calmed Shippou and commanded the kit to watch over Rin and the others- but especially Rin- while the three of them went in search
of Kagome. And of Naraku, for where they found one, the other wouldn't be too far away; Inuyasha had the feeling that the final reckoning with Naraku was drawing near. Along with Kagome, Naraku had taken all of the shards she had with her, and those, along with the significant portion of the jewel they knew Naraku already had- not to mention the shards Inuyasha was sure Naraku had
gathered which they knew nothing about- would add up to a big chunk. He wasn't sure how much of the jewel that was, but it would be more than two thirds at the least. The fact that there had been no jewel shard in any way attached to Bakenoshyuu suggested that Naraku was pretty damn close to having the entire jewel and had felt that risking one on the monster wasn't worth the chance that the jewel might fall out of his possession.
It was strange how, recently, the Shikon jewel had faded to the back of his mind. Inuyasha couldn't remember the last time he'd really concerned himself with thinking about the jewel, really thought about what completing their quest would mean... not only to everyone, but to him personally. His desire to become fully demon... Was it still something he wanted? Of course, he answered himself without pause, but that answer no longer felt the same to him as it always had before. Before,
he'd seen that as the only way he could gain the acceptance and the power he desired, but many things had changed since then.
He paused suddenly in his wild search through the forest. He wasn't having any luck looking for Kagome- or Naraku. But maybe he was going about it the wrong way... What if the best way to find Naraku... was to know, not where he was now, but rather where he was going to be? And if that hell spawn did have an almost completed jewel, then he would be coming after the few shards that still remained outside of his reach.
Inuyasha caught a scent on the wind and changed his course to head toward where Kouga was.

--

Sango awoke to a deceptive peacefulness.
The room was empty except for her, and the nagging feeling started to grow in her that she had missed something terribly important. She dressed quickly in the illusory quiet and hurriedly went outside in search of news.
What she found was the villagers going about their usual daily life, but with a certain agitation. None of them would meet her eyes and nowhere did she see the familiar faces of her friends.

An elderly woman told her that a member of her party was in the healer-woman's dwelling, but that was all she could get out of anyone. Apprehensively she went toward the healing house, expecting to find Rin there- who may or may not have been a more lucid source of information than the reluctant villagers. Instead she found Miroku sitting by the woman's fire, looking tired as he gazed
into the fire.

He looked up at her as she came in and smiled tightly. "Apparently I wasn't as ready as I thought I was to go chasing across the country after demons and whatnot." He tried to let his smile drift into one of his disarming grins, but she could see through it to the weariness and pain pulling at his
features.
She dropped to her knees beside him, her hands going to his face, holding it between them. "What's wrong?" she demanded, her heart in her throat.
He waved his hand dismissively. "A slight fever."
Sango frowned. His face felt like he was on fire.
"What's going on in the village?" she continued, changing the subject. "Where is everyone else?"
He gestured across the low fire and she saw Rin, still asleep, lying in a pile of blankets. "Shippou asked me to watch her while he patrolled the village. Seems Sesshomaru told him to keep an eye on the girl, and everyone else, and he's taking the responsibility seriously. He should be back soon." At Sango's look of slight impatience he sighed and continued. "Kagome was taken,
in the middle of the night. Shippou says Naraku's behind it, and until, through some miracle, my nose gets as good as his I'll have to take him at his word. Inuyasha, Sesshomaru, and Kouga are out looking for her."
"They didn't wake us?" Her eyes flashed dangerously, but Miroku held up a restraining hand.
"Apparently the entire village has been under some sort of spell. Demon blood doesn't seem to be as affected."
It was then that Sango realized part of what had been bothering her all morning. "Kirara."
Miroku's expression was empathetic. "Shippou said she had disappeared during the night too. We're hoping that she was able to follow Kagome somehow."
Sango nodded, but was still scowling. She stood to pace in the small space by the fire. "How did Naraku manage to capture Kagome without alerting any of the rest of us? She was sleeping right beside me."

"Ah." Miroku turned his eyes back to the fire and continued softly. "I was hoping you wouldn't think about it too much."
She stopped her pacing and stared at him. "Miroku." She could feel her heart beating in her throat. "What happened?"
He sighed. "Shippou said Inuyasha followed her trail out of the house where we spent the night and out into the woods. They think she got up and went for a walk, and saw someone. She chased him out into the forest, and that's where her scent disappears."
Sango wasn't slow, even if the answer was one that her heart did not want to accept. "Kohaku. She saw Kohaku and she followed him... and Kagura carried them away." She dropped to her knees, her fingers curled into fists and pressed against her thighs. She wanted to break something... Damn Naraku!
"Sango," Miroku said softly, and she turned her eyes, still burning with hatred and sorrow, on him. "Inuyasha thinks Naraku must have an almost completed jewel." He wet his lips before he continued carefully, his manner almost pleading. "Sango..."
But she cut him off as she stood. "I'm going to kill him. There will be no more running away for him- it will end here."
Miroku's eyes slid shut as he nodded. They opened again to watch Sango leave, but then flew open wide in surprise as she held out her hand to him. He took it and she pulled him to his feet. He wavered slightly, closing his eyes as dizziness threatened to overcome him, but he regained his balance and followed her out of the house; if there was going to be a final confrontation with Naraku, he was going to be there. She watched him, worriedly, but when his eyes met hers she smiled and said, "It'll be hard without Kirara, but keep up or I'm leaving you behind."
A roar suddenly filled the air and Sango looked up with joy as the aforementioned firecat descended on the pair, rubbing her face against Sango's with a rumbling purr. "Kirara," she murmured, burying her fingers in the cat's thick fur. "Where were you?" Kirara whined softly, offering Sango her shoulder. The demonslayer quickly leapt onto the firecat's back, pulling Miroku up behind her. He held onto her tightly as Kirara took to the air, and she shivered as he pressed his lips softly to the back of her neck.

"One way or another, Naraku will not see tomorrow," he murmured in her ear, and she sought his hand in sudden apprehension, her fingers twining with his. She felt the beads of the rosary against the palm of her hand and she shivered again; something about what he'd just said made her think he
wasn't planning on living through this either, and that thought filled her with a dark foreboding.
--
Kouga evaded the attack and faked left before he dodged back to the right and put on a burst of speed, aiming a kick at Kagura's head. He was pretty sure it was going to connect too, but his ears caught the rattle of a chain and he had to drop back to avoid the sickle blade attached to the end
of it. Dropping into a crouch he eyed his opponents.

He'd had a rather uneventful morning... up until the point Kagura had dropped on him from out of nowhere. As much as he'd have loved to hand her her ass on a platter, she was using the boy, Kohaku, to full advantage as a shield and he hadn't been able to land a single good blow. She hadn't landed any either; they were both just dancing around each other, and Kouga had
to wonder if Kagura's heart was really in this fight. She was usually more forceful in her attacks; overextending herself allowed him openings to attack. He was getting bored, and a little tired, and there wasn't any blood to show for it.
Time to change things up a little.
He paused, crouched where he was, and panted a little for effect. It must have worked, because Kohaku pressed an attack, flicking his long chain so that the blade came right at Kouga. His hand shot up, deflecting the blade, and Kouga reached out his other hand to grab hold of the chain
and yank it. Kohaku stumbled off balance, and Kouga, seeing an opening for an attack, took it. He dove at the brains behind his opponent, feinting high as he came at Kagura but struck low, sweeping her off her feet. The demoness let out an indignant yelp as she was dumped in an ungainly pile, but she rolled quickly to the side as Kouga followed up with a second blow and she managed to dodge it. With an annoyed growl, he dived and grabbed her wrist, trying to wrestle her fan from her grip. She hissed in anger, her eyes flaring with hatred as she slammed him with a gust of wind, throwing
him away from her.
He broke a few small trees as he flew through the forest, and mentally reminded himself that finding an open area in which to fight was usually a good idea. Though, he seemed to have broken through Kagura's mysterious restraint; that was good, maybe now they could get down to some real fighting. Regaining his feet, he immediately slipped around behind Kagura, looking for an opening. He was focused on her, to the point that he lost track of anything else, so he didn't see Kohaku as the boy crept up on his side.
The rattle of the chain made him look up, and he saw the sickled blade coming toward him. He knew instantly he couldn't avoid it completely, but his thinking immediately switched over to ways he could minimize the damage.
The shining arc of a sword came down between him and Kohaku, and the boy's deadly blade slid harmlessly off the Tetsusaiga as Kouga glared at Inuyasha. "What the fuck are you doing here, dog breath?"
"Saving your sorry ass," Inuyasha shot back. "And you're welcome by the way."
"Nobody asked you to," Kouga growled, turning to face off with Kagura as Inuyasha kept an eye on
Kohaku. He felt a thrill of excitement fill him; with the boy otherwise occupied, he was going to
make that bitch bleed. All his muscles tensed as he prepared to throw himself at her, but today just didn't seem to be Kouga's day.
Inuyasha tensed also, his nose to the wind. "You smell that?"
Hesitating for a moment, Kouga caught it too. It wasn't really a scent, rather a slight differentiating in the air around him- like the heaviness before a storm. Damn, he thought. Naraku.
A force slammed into the pair, smashing them to the ground; a sheer, elemental force that felt so much stronger than any demonic aura Kouga had ever encountered. He groaned as he tried to pick himself up off the ground, but he was too slow to escape- he looked up to see Naraku's familiar and unwelcome face leaning over him with its usual sneer, and at the same time he felt a tentacled limb of the creature wrapping around his ankle.
--

Inuyasha shook his head to clear it, dazed from the impact. Glancing up he saw Naraku about to make off with two more shards... and forced himself to his feet to stumble toward Kouga. He swung Tetsusaiga half-heartedly at Naraku, and was surprised when the demon actually moved away, shooting Inuyasha an evil glare. Naraku hadn't been expecting such a sudden attack from an
opponent he thought he'd taken care of; or at least Inuyasha thought that was how he'd caught the bastard unaware. Kouga kicked at Naraku viciously, freeing himself, and he circled around behind
Inuyasha, putting some distance between himself and Naraku as he looked for an opening to attack.

Inuyasha flicked an ear at a familiar sound but kept his eyes on Naraku; so Naraku was paying
attention to him and only barely had time to dodge the flung form of Hiraikotsu, the boomerang whizzing through the air, mere inches from decapitating him. Naraku smiled, a slow, dark expression, as Kirara landed, discharging her passengers. Sango caught Hiraokotsu easily and charged at Naraku, ready to try another strike. Kohaku appeared, from out of nowhere, to counter her. Sango fended off his chain blade, her expression grim and set.

Inuyasha lifted his sword to make his own strike at their collective nemesis, but Naraku suddenly reached out and snatched Kagura with two of his limbs. Her eyes flew open in shock as she tried to fight his grip, but he held her tightly. Still smiling, Naraku held up a small, pulsing object in his hand.
Kagura gasped, but anything she had been going to say disappeared as Naraku closed his fingers around the object in his hand and Kagura stiffened, then went limp as the life left her. Naraku cast her body aside casually, and it dissipated, drifting away on the wind.
Kouga's eyes flashed red as a growl of rage worked its way up from deep in his chest. "I was going to kill her; she was going to pay for what she did to my clan. You fucking bastard!" He flung himself at Naraku, kicking him in wild fury.
Inuyasha tried to grab him as Kouga ran past him, but the wolf evaded him. "Idiot," he murmured to himself. "He did it just to provoke you." And where was Kagome? Inuaysha thought to himself as he decided to give Kouga a hand. She had to be close by; he couldn't imagine Naraku leaving her anywhere alone.
--

Sango felt her heart beating in her throat as she carefully evaded Kohaku's attacks, gradually leading him further and further away from Naraku. If she could just keep him away from Naraku...
That monster had killed Kagura, his own flesh, without much of a second thought; Sango didn't want him to remember Kohaku- Kohaku whose blank eyes made her want to cry and scream and rend Naraku into shreds in her despair. What that monster had done to Kohaku... She shook tears from the corners of her eyes and concentrated on leading her brother as far away from the one who'd hurt him as she could.

Naraku and Kohaku seemed to catch on to what she was doing at the same time; her brother stopped, glancing back to where Inuyasha and Kouga were battling Naraku. Naraku narrowed his
eyes at Sango, grinning in victory as Kohaku ran back to him. Sango refused to acknowledge the breaking of her heart as she raced after Kohaku, determined to keep him away from Naraku one way or another. But he was faster than her and outdistanced her as he came closer to where the demons were fighting. She stopped running and cried out in anguish, but a familiar form stepped out from the shadow of a tree and struck Kohaku across the back of the head, her brother falling to the ground unconscious.
Miroku... Sango was chagrinned to admit that she'd been so absorbed in trying to save Kohaku that she'd forgotten about Miroku. He hadn't really joined actively in the battle as of yet, but she couldn't blame him for that- the Saimyoushou hovered around Naraku like flies on a rotting carcass. But now
Miroku stood in front of Kohaku's still form and stuck his staff in the ground before them like a ward as Naraku came at them with a vengeance. The demon had one set of tentacles attempting to snare Kouga but he now directed the majority of his attention at this lone, injured human who stood between him and what he considered his. His left arm still strapped against his side, Miroku calmly pulled the rosary off his other hand with his teeth, raising the hand and opening it before Naraku. The demon's eyes widened in anger as the black hole that was his own creation began to pull him in.
Sango screamed, but she was sure no one heard her over the roar of the wind. She started running toward Miroku, desperate to stop him; along with Naraku, he was pulling in the Saimyoushou- he was going to kill himself before he would be able to destroy Naraku this way. She couldn't lose him- not like this! She ran on, to where everything that was left in her world was, together, about to be destroyed by the creature that had taken everything from her. Screaming again, she pushed herself faster, but she had the horrible, sinking feeling she was going to be too late. Sure enough, as she watched, Miroku fell to his knees, overcome by the insects' poison, his face grey with the strain as he gripped his staff and tried desperately to hold himself up long enough to complete the job. Finally she was there, just as he seemed to recognize that he wasn't going to be able to finish; his fingers curled shut as he sank to the ground. Sango pulled him into her arms anxiously, her hands on his face as he gasped for breath, murmured her name, stiffened, and lay still.
Time seemed to stop as she felt the warmth start to leave his body. She touched his face again in desperate hope, but she already knew the man she held was dead.

--
- 8
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- 10
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