InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Fading ❯ Into The Storm ( Chapter 13 )

I feel bad for leaving you guys with so many cliffies *sweatdrop* It seems that fanfic readers mixed with cliff-hangers does not equal a long life o_O lol anyways once again I'm glad that some of you have stuck with me this far - don't forget, this is my first fanfic ever so I don't know what I'm doing. I haven't heard one bad comment so far though, just praise and helpful tips, and for that I'm grateful ^_^ Thanks, guys, you're the best!

Disclaimer: I swear these are just excuses to torture us poor fanfic writers… *sigh* Nope, still don't own Inu Yasha.

Chapter Thirteen: Into The Storm

The sun had sunken below the horizon a few hours ago, though you couldn't tell because of the ominous clouds still covering the sky. A pall hung over the land, draining everything of its colour and leeching the energy out of anyone brave enough to venture beneath the tempestuous sky. Rain fell in slate-coloured sheets, rain that not only soaked you to the bone but stung when it struck and left angry red marks all over your body.

It was the kind of night that made you believe in nightmares.

A lone figure made its way across the dark landscape, head bowed, black hair whipping furiously in the wind. Her cloak was drawn about her tightly, but when a vicious gust tore it out of her grip, she made no move to recover it. The miserable cold and dampness didn't seem to touch her as she walked steadily on.

It has left me, she thought. In her mind's eye she could still see the bright orb of a soul leaving her body and fading into nothingness, feel the hatred within her dim until it was no more than a memory. For some reason, the piece of my soul that I had possessed has disappeared.

A sudden flash of lightening lit up the landscape, revealing for a split second empty brown eyes in a pale face whose beauty seemed out of place when twisted into such an expression of blank sorrow. Then the light was gone, replaced by the boom of thunder and crushing gloom.

And still the figure walked on.

When lightening again flared across the sky, at last the woman's head came up. In front of her a village loomed, skeletal-looking in the gray veil of the storm. Within the shadows that played about her features, the woman's eyes tightened in memory of losses long gone and a time when she wasn't the creature she now was.

Her breath left her lips in a hiss, one hand reaching over her shoulder as an archer would for an arrow. Then, fingertips encountering nothing but cold, damp air, the woman let her arm fall back to her side in defeat. She squared her shoulders against the onslaught of rain and wind and began walking again, feet moving involuntarily towards the village.

The woman wandered among empty houses, her dead gaze traveling across the desolate sight of the abandoned village. What happened here? she thought. The miko of this village shouldn't have let this happen. Her foot brushed against something and she looked down. With a disinterested look, the woman studied the corpse she had stumbled across. The swelling and greyish tinge to its skin suggested death by some sort of disease. Again, the dark-haired woman wondered why this village's miko hadn't done something if disease had come. Surely they could have gathered herbs from nearby…

A sudden jerk from deep within herself made the woman gasp and pitch forward. Quickly pulling herself together, she straightened and focused her gaze on a point not far to her left. For an instant she could see a long, glimmering thread connecting her to something in the distance. Her eyes burned as the hatred within flared to life. The pull within her grew stronger, almost to the point of pain.

I know this feeling… Tug. It's just like… like… Tug.

…Like the day I died.

Then she was running, feet flashing in and out of the rain as she headed for that spot fixed so firmly in her mind. Her hair streamed out behind her and her eyes seemed to glow with the intensity of revenge as she raced silently across the miles of wet grass, looking like some storm sorceress at the height of her power.

And as she ran, she spoke through clenched teeth. "Fate, you defeated me the first time, but then I was only a mortal, miko or not. I think you'll find Kikyo of the spirit realm a little harder to silence…"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kai balanced on the tips of his clawed toes, green eyes wary as he gazed around at the suffocating blackness. Having been in the world of the dead for some time now, he knew what was happening - the fate-sealer enjoyed toying with its victims, whether or not they were living, and it was never one to pass up such an amusing victim as himself.

I wonder how Kagome's doing, Kai mused, feeling a pang of sympathy for the dark-haired teen. She doesn't have the experience to deal with this kind of torment, and it might break her spirit if she falls for the fate-sealer's tricks.

A sudden movement within the blackness brought his head sharply around. There was someone out there… someone familiar…

"Shippou!" Kai called before he could stop himself. He fell silent, cursing inwardly. One of the first rules about being dead was to never believe what you saw - the spirit world was full of false images and mind traps.

The kitsune watched his as his son toddled forward, realizing that this was a younger Shippou than the one he knew now. With this revelation, the blackness about him suddenly flooded with colour. Kai was now standing in a forest, springy grass under his feet and budding trees all around him. With a pang of sorrow he saw the small cottage that used to be his family's home standing in a grove of trees nearby. The young Shippou continued to waddle along happily, babbling away to a figure that had appeared beside him.

Kai's clawed hands curled into fists so tight that blood leaked from between his clenched fingers. The slender kitsune smiling at his son was Shika, his dead mate. Her name meant "deer", and rightly so it seemed, for she was as graceful as the elusive animal that was her namesake. Her long honey-coloured hair fell in waves to her waist, and her sleek golden tail was tipped with white. Laughing green-blue eyes shone with pride as they gazed at the small child walking beside her, though Kai knew that those beautiful orbs could just as quickly turn red with fury if her family or her home was threatened in any way.

"Look at me!" Kai wanted to shout, feeling slightly jealous that his son and wife were there together, happy, while he stood a whole world away. But he knew that these weren't entirely his own emotions - the fate-sealer was here somewhere, subtly twisting and warping this black void and everything in it to his own means, including Kai himself.

Taking a deep breath, Kai stilled his thoughts and his feelings. None of this is real, he told himself, repeating it like a charm against evil in his mind. Relaxing his tensed muscles, the kitsune prepared himself for what he knew was coming, but it was still a shock when the images started.

Everything was exactly as it had been that day. Kai supposed he shouldn't be too shocked - these images were being taken from his own memory, after all. Yet he couldn't help feeling a vicious wrench of pain as his gaze took in the cozy, sunlit glade and the smiling faces of his mate and his only child. Kami, please let this be over quick…

The door to the small wooden house opened, and what Kai recognized as a copy of himself walk out. Suddenly, his vision careened wildly and he blacked out for a few seconds before opening his eyes to find himself staring into the beautiful face of his mate. No, not like this! Why does it have to be like this? the fox demon moaned inwardly, but, although he still had control over his thoughts, he was no better than a puppet in some cruel puppeteer's twisted fantasy. Unable to stop himself, Kai walked lazily over to Shippou and Shika, grinning in his usual care-free way.

"I thought I'd find you out here," he said.

Shika smiled at her mate. "I'm surprised you managed to stay in the house this long on such a nice day."

Kai stretched his arms over his head, suppressing a yawn. "Well, after that hunt last night I needed time to recover."

"You fought a big demon, didn't you, Dad?" Shippou asked in awe, his green eyes wide.

The tall kitsune winked at Shika before schooling his face into perfect seriousness and answering his son. "Oh, yeah, I did. In fact, I think it was bigger than that tree over there."

Shippou followed his father's gaze to a gigantic tree not too far away. The huge oak was well over fifty feet tall.

"It was that big?" the amazed kit asked.

Kai nodded, smiling now. In fact, the demon hadn't been nearly that tall, but it had been strong and fast, almost proving to be more than a match for the kitsune. He knew he shouldn't lie to Shippou, but… it felt good when his son looked up at him with pride.

"As soon as your father's finished bragging," Shika cut in, her smile softening her curt words, "then maybe we can start heading for the lake? I thought we could go swimming, since it's so hot out."

"We're going to the lake today? Yay!" An excited Shippou bounded off happily, leaving his parents to set their own pace.

Hooking an arm around his mate's waist, Kai began walking in the direction Shippou had gone. "You really shouldn't have told him so soon - now we'll never catch up," he told Shika. She didn't reply, except to lean in and rest her head on his shoulder.

The part of Kai that was still in control felt like it was being slowly cut to pieces. Shedding tears that no one could see and howling curses that no one hear, Kai tried vainly to block the images assaulting him. Just leave me alone! he shouted. I've seen enough! I know what happens next!

Regardless of whether the fate-sealer heard his voiceless cry, the scene continued to play out.

Just as Kai and Shika reached the edge of the grove near their home, the sky split with lightning. A huge, billowing storm cloud sailed leisurely over the treetops, scattering rain and bolts of electricity in its wake. Thunder rumbled ominously as the cloud began to descend, heading straight towards the two fox demons.

Kai, growling deep in his throat, shoved his mate behind him and prepared for the encounter that was sure to come. No natural storm happens that quick, and the kitsune had a good idea of who was behind it.

Not long ago, Hiten and Manten - generally known as the Thunder Bros - had moved into the area, occupying a cliff-side cave not far away from the forest in which Kai and his family lived. At first, the other demons in the area had tolerated the Thunder Bros' presence, respecting their power and figuring that they would keep any unwanted humans away. But then Hiten and Manten had grown bolder, ranging farther from their new home and challenging other demons for land. Kai had heard the stories of how the two thunder demons worked together to slowly eliminate all other creatures that inhabited their expanding territory.

And now it seemed they'd come to claim the forest.

The cloud had reached the ground by now, and Kai had to work to restrain himself from attacking the two figures that stepped gracefully from their perch to the forest floor. Well, one of the figures - a tall, black-haired man carrying a long pike - stepped gracefully. The other, which looked more like some kind of toad than anything else clambered down awkwardly.

The red-haired kitsune waited until Hiten and Manten were a few feet away before barking, "What do you want?"

"There's no need to be hostile," Hiten answered smoothly. "My brother and I are simply here to inspect the latest addition to our territory."

Kai snorted. "You're territory? Since when do you need half the land to be you're territory?"

Hiten - the unofficial spokesperson for the Thunder Bros - gave him a withering look. "It seems you're under the impression that your pathetic forest actually counts for something in these lands. It's simply another tiny piece of land that my brother and I plan to add to our own. You would do well not to resist."

The enraged kitsune opened his mouth to swear at the two thunder demons but his mate beat him to it.

"Fuck off," Shika said in a low voice, her eyes glittering dangerously. She took a step towards Hiten and Manten, firmly pushing Kai out of the way. Her mate stared at her in undisguised shock and awe, allowing himself to be shoved to the side. Kai hadn't ever heard her use those words before, but the tone he knew well - it was one he'd come to associate with much pain and violence.

No, don't talk to them, Shika! the kitsune pleaded, although he knew he was merely a spectator in this painful memory. Run, go find Shippou! Maybe you can still save yourself…

Meanwhile, the Thunder Bros' attention had turned to the angry vixen in front of them.

"What was that?" Hiten said, frowning slightly.

"I said 'fuck off' " Shika replied slowly, as if speaking to half-wits. "You don't need this forest and we don't need you. Now get the hell out of here before I do something I'll regret. Or not regret," she added as an afterthought, idly scraping her claws together.

A grudging smile of admiration had appeared on Hiten's face. He glanced at Kai. "I'll give you one thing, fox - you sure know how to pick your women." His gaze wandered back to Shika with an interest that made Kai's growl grow louder. "Maybe if the vixen comes back with us, we won't kill you."

"Are you deaf or something?" Shika asked in that coldly angry tone that only she could manage. "Or did I use too many big words for your tiny brains? I believe I told you to leave."

Hiten smirked while Manten chuckled stupidly. Swaggering forward until he was right next to Shika, the older brother placed a familiar hand around her waist. "We're not finished here yet. Why don't you and I-," he began, but was cut off by Shika's full-armed slap - a slap that not only had demon strength behind it, but a handful of steely claws and the force of her anger.

" 'You and I' will never be used in the same sentence," Shika hissed, her blue-green eyes beginning to mist over with crimson.

Hiten slowly raised a hand to his cheek, trying to suppress a wince as his fingertips grazed the five deep, jagged cuts. Blood trickled down his face to the corner of his mouth and the thunder demon slipped his tongue out to catch the red liquid in a kind of perverse pleasure. The sky darkened slightly and thunder once again boomed in the distance. "You'll pay for that, bitch," he said softly. "One of your loved ones' lives for every cut on my cheek. I'm afraid there won't be much left of your family when I'm through with them."

Shika was tired of bandying words, however. The vixen's vision went red as her demon mind registered this threat to her mate and child. Kai, sensing this, tried to stop her from attacking Hiten, but he was too slow. Shika slipped through his grasp and collided with the thunder demon, snarling the whole time.

Hiten was caught off guard for a minute, being used to less aggressive females, and he went down with Shika in a whirl of claws and fangs. The slender kitsune, knowing that her weight put her at a disadvantage, instinctively went for his eyes, thinking to disable him early on. Hiten flung his arms over his face, gasping as her claws bit deep into his forearms. Oh well, better his arms then his vision, right? With a grunt of effort he worked his feet under Shika's stomach and rabbit-kicked, shoving her off of him and winding her in the process. Hiten rolled over backwards, coming to his feet and grabbing his thunder pike from the ground where he had dropped it.

He had expected the vixen to back off for a few seconds and get her breath back, but Shika apparently knew this and immediately lunged for him again. He could hear her laboured breathing mingle with his own as he used the length of his pike to shove her off again, trying to gain a little space. His weapon was not meant for close combat, and her claws were proving more effective than he'd originally thought. Aiming a swift kick at Shika he managed to catch her shoulder, knocking her off balance and making her stumble back.

It was pure chance and a cruel twist of fate that a small stone in the forest floor happened to be behind her, and Shika, already unbalanced, caught her foot on the rock and fell over backwards. Hiten darted forward, placing the blade of his pike against her throat. Shika growled at him but had the sense not to move.

Kai, meanwhile, had been busy trying to get past Manten to help Shika. The large, toad-like thunder demon was toying with the kitsune, not openly attacking him but simply keeping him from reaching his mate. When Kai saw Hiten poised to kill Shika, however, he shoved past Manten in a burst of fear and rage.

"Wait!" he shouted. "Don't hurt her!"

Hiten's gaze slid from Shika to Kai, but he didn't lessen the pressure of steel against her throat. "Why shouldn't I?"

"Because… because…" Kai couldn't come up with any reason that the Thunder Bros would consider, or even listen to. His mind working furiously, he blurted, "Because I have a better idea."

"Really." Hiten's expression didn't change but his voice sounded slightly curious. "And what would that be?"

"A wager," Kai said, sounding more confident than he felt. "If I win then you have to leave this forest and my family alone. If…" He swallowed hard. "If I lose, then do what you will. I only ask that our deaths be quick."

"This should be interesting, Hiten," Manten said, speaking for the first time as he picked himself up off the ground where Kai had pushed him. "Give the fox his wish and then we can truly say we won this forest for our own. None would question the outcome of a bet."

Hiten started to grin again, his eyes dancing maliciously. "I will only agree to this, fox, if I can name the wager."

"Anything," Kai said desperately. You fool, the real Kai thought bitterly from the dark corner of his mind.

"A race, then," Hiten said. "From this side of the forest to the lake."

The lake! But that's where Shippou is! Kai heard his memory's thoughts echo around him. It was an unnerving experience.

"Not the lake," Kai said quickly. "To the mountains, where you live."

Hiten frowned, narrowing his eyes as though suspecting a trick. But, thinking of no reason why the kitsune should want to go to the mountains, he finally smirked and held out a hand. "You've got yourself a deal, fox."

Kai grasped hands with the thunder demon, each trying to grip harder than the other. Finally, Hiten scowled and broke the handshake. There were finger-shaped white marks on his hand identical to the ones on Kai's, though neither would admit to any pain. "Let's get this over with," he snapped.

Manten, gripping Shika by the throat so she couldn't escape - and so Kai wouldn't try anything stupid - would start the race, then ride on his storm cloud to the finish line. Hiten had gouged a thin ditch in the dirt that both demons would start at. There was no set course, no path that they had to follow, so basically whichever knew the fastest way to the mountains had the upper hand.

Kai shrugged out of any excess clothing that would catch the wind and slow him down. Hiten, not wanting to give the fox demon any edge over him, did the same. Both crouched down at the crude starting line, Kai on the left and Hiten on the right, muscles tense as they waited for the signal.

"Three… two… one…" Manten counted down. Kai had to push down the hysterical impulse to laugh at the fact that Manten could even count to three, much less backwards from it. The kitsune was beginning to sweat from the tension that crackled through the air like lightning. He shuddered at the comparison, trying not the think about what would happen if he lost.

A sudden movement to his right made Kai whip his head around. Hiten had taken off before Manten was finished speaking, and all that could be seen of him now was a rapidly disappearing flash and a few stray flames. Kai had forgotten that Hiten's speed was largely due to the fiery wheels attached to his feet.

"Shit!" Cursing the Thunder Brothers but knowing that he was helpless to do anything now, Kai dug his feet into the hard earth and shoved off forcefully. He exploded out of the clearing around his home and into the trees. The race had begun.

From then on, Kai ran with a single purpose - pass his opponent and win the race. Trees loomed up in his vision with a speed that only the most quick-minded creature could register, but Kai was a kitsune. He knew this forest better than anyone, knew every raised root and low-hanging branch, and he dodged all obstacles with an ease that was incredible, even to him. Maybe it was the adrenaline pumping through his veins or maybe it was the desperation that lent his feet wings, but, whatever it was, Kai suddenly found himself level with Hiten.

The thunder demon glanced over at his adversary in shock, wondering how he could have caught up this quick. Their gazes only locked for a split second but it was enough. Kai smirked as Hiten caught his stomach on a branch with a sharp cry. That was gonna hurt later on…

With this new turn of events, the kitsune felt hope flood through him, spurring him to a breakneck speed as he raced for the mountains. Bounding over a rotting log and twisting in mid-air to avoid a slender tree trunk, Kai lengthened his stride, heart pounding and lungs aching. He had reached his limit, but he was almost there. Just a short stretch of forest left and he would be at the foot of the mountains…

A swath of forest to his right suddenly disintegrated to ash as a bolt of electricity crackled through the trees. It seemed that Hiten had tired of trying to dodge the obstacles and was simply blasting them out of his way. In a spurt of flame and lightning, the thunder demon shot past Kai towards the now-visible mountains.

"NO!" How the kitsune managed to force that shout through his dry, ruined throat he never knew. He wasn't even aware of the sharp crack of bone on wood as his arm hit a tree and broke, splintered bone poking through the skin where it had snapped. All he knew was that Hiten was winning and he didn't have the strength to stop him.

With a ragged, triumphant shout, the elder of the Thunder Bros reached the foot of the mountains and skidded to a halt. Manten, still holding Shika captive, grinned broadly as his storm cloud floated to the ground. He jumped off to congratulate his brother while Kai staggered to the finish line and collapsed. Shika gave a despairing cry and twisted free, running over to kneel next to Kai's limp form.

"I'm sorry, Shika," Kai said hoarsely. He choked and coughed, blood appearing on his lips. "I just couldn't beat him."

His mate gently lifted the kitsune's head onto her lap, tears appearing in her eyes. Shika hastily wiped these away - right now Kai needed her to be strong. "It's alright," she said softly. "At least Shippou's safe."

Kai gave a little smile which quickly turned to a grimace as his arm gave an agonizing throb. "I didn't realize it was broken," he said, almost guiltily.

Shika put on her brightest smile although her throat had constricted painfully at the state her mate was in. Her beautiful eyes, the feature that had first drawn Kai to her, took in his sweat-streaked face, bloody lips, and mangled arm. She had just opened her mouth to say something when Hiten and Manten came up behind the two fox demons.

"You ran a good race, fox, but in the end your wager didn't save you," Hiten said, a victorious smirk still plastered on his face. "Are you going to honour the bet?"

Kai nodded, eyes screwed shut at the effort even a small movement like that cost him.

Hiten eyed the kitsune suspiciously. "That's it? No tricks? I had heard you foxes could weasel your way out of anything."

"Tricks?" Kai gave a short, hacking laugh that brought up more blood. "You mustn't have noticed the condition I'm in."

Hiten's smirk faded a little, his expression turning more serious. "I'll admit, you did give it your all."

"Quit stalling," Shika suddenly snapped. "Can't you see he's in pain? Just get it over with already."

The thunder demon gave a mocking bow. "As you wish. Any last words, fox?"

"None for you," Kai told him, his voice growing fainter with the effort of staying conscious. Gripping Shika's arms, he levered himself to his feet, swaying unsteadily. "Just a request - let me die in my true form."

Hiten shrugged. "If that's all you want, go ahead."

Shika, supporting her mate, stood as well. "Are you sure you can do this?" she asked Kai, her worry showing in the way her eyes strayed to his wounds.

"I have enough strength left for this," Kai told her, trying to still the wracking cough that tore through his body. He spat blood out distastefully, and steadied his shaking legs. Kami help him, he would not die on his back in his human form.

There was a warm, reddish shimmer and a large fox the colour of flame now stood where Kai had. The fox's coat was matted with blood and sweat and one foreleg dangled lifelessly, but it lifted its head proudly and faced the two thunder demons. Shika followed suit and shed her human form like a snake sheds its skin. In a red-gold halo of light a sleek, honey-coloured vixen with amazing blue-green eyes leaned up against her mate.

Both Hiten and Manten couldn't help but stare and admire the two beautiful foxes that looked so coolly into the face of death. It would almost be a shame to kill them now. Hiten's eyes hardened as he reached up to touch the healing gashes in his cheek. Almost.

"Ready to die, fox?" he called, twirling his thunder pike expertly.

The larger of the two foxes just gave him a cold look. Hiten grinned and hefted his weapon.

Kai closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to look at the one person who had managed to outsmart him. Instead, he focused his fading senses on the feel of his mate's warm, fragrant fur against his and her steady breathing in his ear.

I love you. It was more of a thought than a spoken sentence, phrased in the thought-speech of animals and demons alike. But still it carried with it more warmth and tenderness than any words could ever convey.

I love you. The reply came.

The world exploded with thunder.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*sobs* Awww so sad… They were some of my favourite characters in this fic! Ah, well, it made a nice long chappy, don't you think? By the way, I know that in the anime the fox pelt around Manten's waist is more of a yellowy colour than anything else, but it didn't fit with my image of Kai, so I changed it a teensy bit. Also, I didn't want to make it out like Hiten was simply an evil bastard (which he is, but I mean even evil guys have to have a conscience… sometimes), so I gave him a slightly more honourable and serious side. Hope you don't mind ^_^ Anyways, as always, R&R!

~SilverMyste~