InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Bad Week ❯ Chapter 2

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

The tragedy began to overwhelmed Inuyasha. His body and heart were screaming in pain. He felt his blood being to boil as the rage built within his core. His muscles tensed and his fangs bared. He began to breath faster. A feral growl rumbled from his throat as he lunged towards the demon formation. Inuyasha's eyes glowed with demon fury as his claws tore into his enemy, digging out the frightened Kohaku from the mound of flesh. Surprisingly enough, Kohaku still had the Kusarigama in his hand, and had suffered only burns from the digestive acid of Mouryoumaru's body. He looked a mess, but he was alive!

Inuyasha flung the boy towards his sister and the houshi. A low hiss came from the hanyou as he turned back to Mouryoumaru's form. The demon had begun to reclaimed his former shape, and this really pissed off Inuyasha.

"STAY ... BACK", he commanded to the humans behind him.

Reunion hugs where exchanged between the siblings, then Kohaku helped Sango lift the now unconscious Miroku on to Kirara. The giant cat demon took off with the houshi, and Sango grabbed onto Kohaku for support, rushing towards the area where Kagome and Shippo were sheltered.

In the clearing, Kagome went to work on Miroku to try and stop the bleeding. She was grateful yet again to have a First-Aid Kit from her own modern time in her bag. Sango held desperately to her brother, torn with emotions of happiness over his rescue and grief for Miroku's mortal wound, she had become almost incoherent.

Kagome expertly packed Miroku's wound with sterile gauze squares and then wrapped his chest and stomach with dressings to hold the gauze in place. Her adrenaline aided her in lifting up the full grown man's body despite her smaller stature. Once the gauze was in place, she wrapped the houshi's body in a thicker ace bandage, trying to get it as tight as possible without restricting his breathing. Kagome used her bag to prop Miroku's feet up, and covered his body with the blankets they had all used for sleeping.

Miroku hadn't moved or made a sound. Kagome was concerned and checked his pulse. It had steadied a bit, because he wasn't losing anymore blood but he was going to die if they couldn't get him to the village and a healer.

Kagome looked to Sango and Kohaku. They both stared with blank eyes at the houshi, Sango trembling slightly. Kagome walked over to the siblings to try and comfort them, but her attention snapped back to Inuyasha when an explosion erupted from the area where the rest of the group had escaped from.

Inuyasha watched the humans move away, and he turned back to his target. He grabbed the hilt of Tessaiga, now oblivious to the pain thanks to the fury taking him over. He raised the Ryuurin no Tessaiga over his head, not waiting for Mouryoumaru to attack this time, and swung it down.

"KAAAAZE NO KIIIIZU!"

The blast ripped through the air and hit Mouryoumaru hard, and split off a good section of swarming tentacles. The demon retaliated by shooting out his flesh at the hanyou in a similar fashion that he speared the houshi.

Inuyasha dodged easily and with an evil frown, sliced his Tessaiga through the air with another Kaze no Kizu attack. Not waiting for it to hit, Inuyasha sent out another Kaze no Kizu, and then another, and then another. He was swinging his sword side to side like a pendulum, blasting attacks at his enemy. He was letting his anger and his demon side get the best of him.

A pained Mouryoumaru loaded his own attack to try and counter the endless barrage of energy flying at him from the hanyou's sword. He knew this might be used against him, but he had to do something before Naraku's heart was destroyed. Mouryoumaru didn't want to die.

With every bit of strength he had left, Mouryoumaru basted his attack towards the humans and kitsune, hoping that Inuyasha would become distracted and counter that attack rather than refocus it back on him.

Inuyasha was just a bit too smart to fall for Mouryoumaru's trick. He jumped in anticipation of the demon's attack, sensing his move ahead of time by the motion of the demon's body. Inuyasha saw Mouryoumaru's eyes trace over to his band, and that made him REALLY angry.

He was in the path of Mouryoumaru's blast before the demon could react.

"BAKURYUUHA!", Inuyasha swung.

The full force of Mouryoumaru's attack was absorbed into Tessaiga and then forced out in a terrible wind tunnel. Naraku's incarnation burst open before the demon could even cry out in pain. A baby inside of him was revealed: The form of Naraku's heart! The thing looked at Inuyasha spitefully and then raised a small pale hand. A cloudy, swirling portal opened up in the sky above Mouryoumaru; the portal to escape back to Naraku's hidden palace.

Inuyasha snarled at the baby trying to escape and readied his Tessaiga. He noticed now his hands were smoking and blood from his palms was sizzling down the handle of his sword. Inuyasha lifted his arms and aimed for the shield surrounding Naraku's heart. He wanted to destroy it before it had a chance to escape.

That's when Tessaiga began to shake. The blade trembled with a terrible hum as Inuyasha struggled to hold it. He wouldn't be defeated, not again! He fixed his face and clenched his jaw, but he couldn't move his arms! The sword was shaking even more violently now. The hanyou lowered the blade a bit to see if the tremors would dissipate.

*PULSE BEAT*

A terrible blast of youki burst from Tessaiga with an explosive bang. Inuyasha was flung backward into the ground and crushed under the power contained within his blade. The youki tore at his clothing, his skin scorching from the heat. He screamed out in agony as his body nearly came apart. He felt like he would die. How could he survive such a blast?

In the distance another demon picked up the scent of battle. His sword rattled in its scabbard as an anguished cry was picked up by his demon ears. He began to walk towards the scent when a small voice called out to him.

"Where are we going now, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Rin, stay here", he commanded without ever halting his stride.

A giant smile spread over the small girl's face as she looked to the only other member of their group.

"We get to play together again, Jaken!", she said with glee.

The toad demon next to her groaned in frustration, but was still awarded a big hug from Rin.

Kagome ran towards the battle scene after hearing the blast. She could see that Inuyasha was down and heard his scream, but she couldn't tell how hurt he was.

When she reached the spot near where he was laying, she had to actually climb down because the force of his Tessaiga's backfire had pressed a crater into the surrounding earth.

She toppled down in her haste and gasped at Inuyasha's body. His clothing was ripped as if my massive talons, and his exposed skin was black from being burned. The tender flesh had split open in parts, oozing and raw with blood. His eyes were closed and he was not moving. Kagome saw no breath rising in his chest and she began to panic.

"Sign of life, sign of life, must find a sign of life," she muttered over and over like a mantra while she fumbled for a pulse. Not being able to locate one in his wrists or neck, she resorted to placing her ear to his chest.

She left it there for what seemed an eternity. Her own heart was pounding so loudly in her ears that she couldn't have heard his anyway. Kagome didn't really know why she was trying, she knew when she saw Inuyasha laying there that he was already dead. His life force was gone. The heat, the vibration, the aura of life had all ceased.

Kagome left her head on his chest as the tears formed in her eyes. She bit her bottom lip and screwed her face up in vain to stop the impending realization from reaching her heart.

Sesshoumaru reached the main group of Sango, Kohaku, Shippo, and the dying Miroku first. He silently entered the clearing and glanced unemotionally at each member of Inuyasha's band.

He saw the dreadful state they were in and surmised the houshi's impending death. Sango, Shippo, and Kohaku all stared at Sesshoumaru with weary eyes, not even responding to his presence, they seemed to stare right through him.

He didn't need to ask about his brother, Inuyasha, because he could already tell the direction the hanyou was in, and that he had already died. The demon lord stared off in the distance towards the Inuyasha's body, never looking at any of the others' eyes as he spoke.

"He's dead", Sesshoumaru stated matter-of-factly.

Sango's eyes jumped to Miroku's sleeping form and noted his steady breathing, then looked at Sesshoumaru with a moment of confusion. Then the realization hit her and she gasped, "Inuyasha!".

Kohaku face contorted and Shippo began to cry loudly.

Sesshoumaru walked off without another word and began to close the distance between him and his father's other son.

Kagome was trying too hard not to lose control against the flood gate of grief threatening to drown her in that moment. She didn't see or hear Sesshoumaru's approach.

Moving down the side of the crater, he found his brother's body decimated by a very powerful attack. Sesshoumaru's nose crinkled slightly at the stench of death and blood. He saw Inuyasha's wench with her head on his chest.

"Move", he commanded at the human girl.

Kagome jumped at the sound of the deep voice, she looked up at Inuyasha's half-brother, and whelped in fear as he drew out his sword and pointed it at her. With clumsy movements the scrambled out of the way and up the embankment out of the crater created by Inuyasha's body.

Sesshoumaru continued to point the sword in the same direction after Kagome left. It had not been a threat to her, he was using his sword Tenseiga to see if the soul harvesters had come for his brother's soul.

He watched Inuyasha's body for a few moments standing like a regal statue, never moving his arm that gripped his sword, Tenseiga: the gift of his father. A sword that could only give life, and not take it. Seemingly a waste to Sesshoumaru, who wanted to power, but in times like these, he was secretly grateful to his taiyoukai father for passing it to him after his death.

Kagome stared intently at Sesshoumaru, waiting for him to swing his Tenseiga, bringing Inuyasha to life. She prayed to Kami that it wasn't too late, and clutched her hands together with white knuckles.

"Dammit! Was this Sesshoumaru too late?", the thought rang through his head.

Sesshoumaru began to frown. No. The soul harvesters haven't appeared yet, he was sure. Inuyasha's soul was somewhere near by, he could almost sense it.

Just then Sesshoumaru caught a movement out of the corner of his eye, without ever changing his position, he swept his arm up in the direction of the movement and sliced three soul harvesters into halves. Kagome jerked back, seeing the demon speed of Sesshoumaru's blade running the side of the crater so very close to her.

"Why the heck did you swing that thing at me, Sesshoumaru!", Kagome yelled.

Sesshoumaru glared at her, but for a different reason. "Why was Inuyasha's soul so far away from his body?"

Sesshoumaru almost made a sound of amusement, but all that came out was, "Hmph".

"Inuyasha's soul was following his wench. That's why", Sesshoumaru answered to himself.

The powerful demon turned to his brother, who looked remarkably better now that he was alive. His clothes were torn almost to bits and he was covered in blood and wounds (to say the least). He seemed confused and completely unaware of his previous demise.

Kagome ran back down to Inuyasha and clutched him around the neck.

"Ack! What was that for?", grunted Inuyasha.

"I'm so happy you are alive, Inuyasha! You were dead until Sesshoumaru came along and used his Tenseiga to revive you!", said Kagome.

As the grateful girl spewed her thanks to Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha stared at his brother in disbelief. He was confused that Sesshoumaru saved him, after trying so many times to kill him. "Well, he had ample opportunity in the past to end my life, but never carried it out", Inuyasha mused to himself.

Sesshoumaru sheathed Tenseiga and returned his younger brother's stare with an unreadable expression.

Kagome spoke again, breaking the silence between the brothers. 'Inuyasha, your rosary has broken!', looking to Inuyasha's neck and then to the ground where he lay.

She unclasped her arms from Inuyasha's neck and started to pick up the black beads that had scattered around the ground, while Inuyasha jumped up and tested out his limbs.

He picked up the Tessaiga, glad to feel it was cool again, and sheathed in back in its scabbard. Then he ran up the slope after his brother who had just left the crater. From the edge he yelled back down to Kagome, "HA! Guess you can't control me anymore with your osuwari anymore!", he jested.

Kagome froze. What will Inuyasha be like now that the rosary's spell was broken? He had worn it for so long, but she constantly need to invoke it's power when Inuyasha got out of control. Once, the rosary had broken when she used it's power to prevent a possessed Inuyasha from killing Rin, and later on when things were back to normal she applied the beads back to his neck without even thinking about it. She knew he wouldn't hurt her on purpose. More often Kagome had used osuwari as a punishment for his insensitivity. Especially when it involved Kikyou. "KIKYOU", Kagome fumed.

Kikyou was really beginning to annoy Kagome. Although she always tried to stay kind and caring to all creatures, she found it hard to have compassion for the dead Miko. Kikyou seemed to always show up to help them in times of need, but on the other hand, she was always sticking her nose into everyone else's business. It was hard to tell which side Kikyou was really on, after all, because she had stolen and turned all of Kagome's Shikon shards over to Naraku!

Kagome frowned at this. She had actually saved Kikyou's UN-life the last time the Miko was nearly destroyed by Naraku, and now she was beginning to regret it. Then there was the past relationship between Inuyasha and Kikyou that never seemed to die. Inuyasha had pledged loyalty to Kagome, but he always ran to Kikyou in secret. "He will just keep running back to her cold, dead arms the second he has a chanc"', Kagome huffed to herself.

"What am I thinking? I should trust Inuyasha. I was the one who allowed him to see her last time. I never asked him to make a choice between us once I saw how much he still cared for Kikyou. If he wants me he will be with me. I told him I wanted to be with him no matter what, even if he truly loved Kikyou and not me. He deserves my FULL trust", Kagome looked at the beads she was collecting and squeezed them as if to elicit response from them, "After all I am a reincarnation of Kikyou. So that would mean Inuyasha technically loves me too, right?".

Her train of thought was disrupted by a raised voice.

"Don't tell ME what to do, Sesshoumaru!", Inuyasha yelled as he pulled out his Tessaiga and pointed it at his brother.

"UGH! He is just TOO impulsive! He was dead five minutes ago and he's already trying to fight with the guy who brought him back to life? What could he possibly be angry at Sesshoumaru for now? Inuyasha is always looking for a fight. He is always so quick tempered. He yells at people and flings his sword around at almost anyone who contradicts him. How could he be so mean after all they had been through and learned? How long will it be before Inuyasha loses his temper with someone and hurts them, or gets killed again, because of his stupid lack of self control?"

Lack of self control. Kagome made up her mind at those words. The rosary must return to Inuyasha's neck. Not just for his good, but for the good of everyone around them! She quickly finished gathering the black beads and held them in her hands. She muttered a prayer she had been taught by Kaede. Glowing blue, the beads flew out of her hands like stars, up out of the crater. On tip toes she saw the beads come together and shoot downward, signaling their readiness.

"OSUWARI!", she screamed, but the satisfying crash that normally followed her command didn't come.

"Did I say the prayer wrong?", she puzzled.

Kagome climbed up the embankment to get a better view. She was sure she saw the beads swirl around Inuyasha's head and slide down around his neck, but from the vantage point of the crater she couldn't be sure.

She reached the top and did a double take.

Sesshoumaru was struggling to remain standing. He growled in anger as his only hand held against Inuyasha's rosary. Inuyasha watched dumfounded at the error, his sword hanging at his side, no longer brandished at his brother as it had been.

Kagome had put the rosary on the wrong Inu!

"Oh, Brother!", she moaned at her mistake.

Sesshoumaru finally came crashing to the ground with a terrific thud.

"You can say that again", Inuyasha said quietly.

... to be continued!