InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Blackout ❯ Battlefield: Mount Hakurei ( Chapter 19 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: King Baka 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Adventure / Angst | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 08.03.2014 | Pages: 13 | Words: 8.9K | Visits: 1.2K | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Adventure / Angst | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 08.03.2014 | Pages: 13 | Words: 8.9K | Visits: 1.2K | Status: Work In Progress
Disclaimer: I don’t own Inuyasha or any of
the publicly known characters, plot, etc. I’m just renting
them from Rumiko Takahashi, Viz, etc. I do own the plot of this
story and any original characters I’ve created. I will make
no money from this fic; I write for my own enjoyment and the
enjoyment of my readers.
Battlefield: Mount Hakurei
Inuyasha swore under his breath. Or tried to. In reality, it only came out as a choked gasp, courtesy of his overtaxed lungs. His heart beat rapidly, struggling to pump blood through a body which was steadily bleeding from dozens of sharp wounds. He had lost too much already; his vision was blurring and his limbs were no longer following his brain’s commands. And as he gazed up into Jakotsu’s malevolent visage with as much defiance as he could muster, Inuyasha fervently wished for unconsciousness to swallow him up. As if reading his thoughts, the mercenary smirked.
“Don’t worry, Inuyasha. I won’t let you pass out on me. I want to hear you cry, after all.”
Absently, Inuyasha wondered what he was supposed to cry for. Mercy? A quick death? Probably both, he assumed, just so Jakotsu could have the pleasure of denying each in turn. Because there was no way the mercenary was going to cut this encounter short of his own volition; he was clearly enjoying himself too much for that. But Inuyasha still could not say for certain what was about to happen to him. Sometimes it was clear to him that Jakotsu wanted to slice him up with agonizing slowness, a torturous demise similar to the ‘death by a thousand cuts’ he’d heard rumors of from the mainland. Other times, like a few moments ago when the mercenary had promised to ‘take my time caressing you,’ Inuyasha was forced to imagine that his tormenter might have something more sinister in mind.
But no matter what depraved ideas were swimming around in Jakotsu’s head, Inuyasha knew that his remaining time on this earth was going to be a living hell. Which is why, in a moment of weakness, he’d silently begged for blissful unconsciousness to put an end to it all. Before he remembered what he would lose if he died today. Inuyasha was not delusional. He knew that the chances of him walking out of this cave alive were slim to none. But there was a chance. It was more prayer than hope, but it was all he had to cling to. He had promised himself that he would fight until the very end, and he would damn well do it. If only so he could look Kagome and his unborn child in the eyes when he met them in the afterlife.
Logically, anything he did at this point would be futile. He hadn’t managed to even scratch Jakotsu when dueling with him, sword to sword. Tetsusaiga could stand up to Jakotsutou even in its dull form, but his human arms could not. He lacked the strength and reflexes to handle the initial strike and all of the subsequent iterations when the enemy’s blade would fold over itself and slice him from unexpected angles. Hence the wounds riddling his skin and the not inconsequential amount of his blood seeping into the floor of the cave. His best opportunity had come when Jakotsu let his guard down, believing him to be on the verge of collapsing. He’d suddenly swung Tetsusaiga, aiming for the jewel shard in the mercenary’s neck. But he’d been too slow, his body too heavy and his vision too blurred from blood loss, so he’d missed. And now he found himself struggling to muster the strength to resist, held upright only by his assailant’s grip on his hair.
“Now there’s the agonized face I’ve been looking for!” Jakotsu declared, grinning cruelly. “But you still haven’t shown me true despair. I won’t be satisfied until I’ve seen it.” He pulled Inuyasha up further, so the hanyou was essentially kneeling upright before him, still supported by a lock of hair. Then he leaned down and placed his lips right next to his victim’s human ear.
“So what do you say, Inuyasha?” he whispered. “Shall I be gentle?”
Inuyasha cringed in disgust, as his whole body shuddered at the revolting sensation of Jakotsu’s tongue running over his ear. Then the mercenary took the upper half of the fleshy lobe into his mouth, sucking tenderly as if enjoying a lover’s kiss. Inuyasha’s relief when the unsettling contact finally ended was short-lived, however.
“Or rough?”
Those two words, delivered in a positively sadistic tone, were his only warning before his ear suddenly exploded in pain. He cried out weakly, and was sure that Jakotsu had bitten part of his earlobe clean off. In reality, the mercenary had ‘merely’ inflicted a deep puncture wound with one of his canine teeth. He pulled back, moaning softly to himself as he savored the heady taste of his victim’s blood.
Inuyasha gritted his teeth and fought back his rising panic. At least now he knew exactly what Jakotsu intended for him. Still, his ultimate goal remained the same. He had to get out of this cave alive, and the only way to do that was to remove the jewel shard from his enemy’s neck. The bastard was just mocking him with this ‘be gentle’ crap. Even if he did beg Jakotsu to ‘embrace me gently,’ as the mercenary himself had suggested, Jakotsu was still going to carve him up into tiny pieces afterward. He would expire in a pool of his own blood, all the same. So no, he wasn’t about to voluntarily give himself to Jakotsu. He did, however, need to find a way to get the mercenary to lower his guard, which would be difficult because of his previous failed attempt to remove the jewel shard. The most obvious way to do this was to feign surrender, to give Jakotsu a taste of the ‘true despair’ he was after. So Inuyasha schooled his features, banished the defiance from his eyes, and tried to reflect the very real fear which gripped him.
Jakotsu seemed pleased, if not entirely convinced, but he did release his hold on Inuyasha’s hair. Then hanyou collapsed onto his back, grateful for the wall of the cave which supported him in a somewhat upright position. The few moments of relative inactivity had rejuvenated him slightly, or perhaps it was just a sudden burst of adrenaline. Either way, some of the strength had returned to his hands and arms, enough perhaps for one more desperate attempt. And none too soon. For in the next moment, Jakotsu had squatted before him, took a fistful of hair at the base of his neck, and slammed their lips together in a brutal kiss.
Inuyasha’s first instinct was to bite off the tongue which he suddenly found invading his mouth. His second was to grab hold of the hardness rubbing against his leg and snap it like a twig. But fortunately, he was in enough control of his emotions to resist those urges, just barely. For either action would only result in Jakotsu becoming angry, which would likely hasten his own demise considerably. Instead, his right hand, which was still clenched around Tetsusaiga’s hilt, shifted the sword experimentally. He was thrilled to discover that the blade was now free; Jakotsu had deliberately stepped on it a few moments ago, but in his excitement the fool had completely forgotten about Tetsusaiga. It was a mistake which would cost him dearly.
Jakotsu stumbled back, clutching his neck with both hands. With wide, panicked eyes he watched his shard of the Shikon no Tama flutter through the air and bounce off the cave floor. Inuyasha smiled grimly, knowing he would genuinely enjoy the sight of this bastard dissolving to dust.
But nothing happened.
Jakotsu laughed, in relief at first, but then quickly shifting to malice. He stood, picked up the fallen jewel shard, and inserted it into his neck once more.
“Too bad, Inuyasha. I forgot that I had another jewel shard on me. I’ll have to thank Oo-aniki again the next time I see him.”
Inuyasha’s spirits sank; he imagined his expression right now was very close to ‘true despair.’ His efforts had been futile all along. Without knowing where the other jewel shard was located, he had exactly zero chance of killing Jakotsu. Now the mercenary eyed him hungrily, like a cat prepared to toy with a helpless mouse.
“You’re one of the strongest guys I’ve ever met, I’ll give you that,” the mercenary declared with a certain degree of admiration. “But they all break in the end. Sooner or later you’ll beg me to put an end to it, and if I’m feeling merciful, I’ll slit your throat. But since you’ve already tried to kill me twice, don’t count on it.”
Inuyasha thought of Kagome and Sango, how terrified they must have been, and what could have happened if Mukotsu had possessed a hidden jewel shard as well. Thinking of Kagome gave him an odd sense of peace. At least it was him who was condemned to suffer and die, instead of her. He only prayed that she would survive, leave this place and raise their child in safety, even if it meant returning to her world and never coming back through the well. She had already done more for him than she would ever know. She didn’t need to avenge his death; taking care of their child was the final thing he would request of her.
“Hm?”
Jakotsu’s confused utterance surprised Inuyasha, but he lacked the energy to raise his head to find out what was amiss. Then he felt it–a surge of power, like the first ray of dawn after a moonless night. The metamorphosis washed over him quickly, an invigorating tidal wave of energy which carried him to his feet and transformed Tetsusaiga into its true form. A vicious growl reverberated in his throat as the scent of his assailant’s arousal put him in an even fouler mood than he already was. But at least he was himself, his whole self, again. Heh, Miroku, Sango…I came in here to save you, but you ended up saving me instead. Somehow, you broke the fucking barrier! He might never tell anyone exactly what the houshi and taijiya had rescued him from, but he would make sure they knew how grateful he was nonetheless.
“Oooh, your hanyou powers have returned, eh?”
Inuyasha glared at Jakotsu, who seemed far too amused by this turn of events, when by rights he should be trembling in fear. The hanyou did notice what had surprised the mercenary–a swarm of youkai flying from the interior of the cave toward the various exits in the rock. The sacred barrier enclosing Mount Hakurei must have trapped them deep inside the mountain, and when it went down the youkai were free to make their escape.
“You’re an idiot, Jakotsu,” Inuyasha retorted. “That you didn’t finish me off quickly will prove fatal to you.”
“Well, I couldn’t help it. Unless I take my time, I don’t get any stimulation,” he replied, smiling licentiously. “Besides, there’s plenty of time left. I still intend to hear you cry!”
The snake-like blade lanced out, in a strike far faster and more formidable than any he had sent at Inuyasha’s human form. Probably because he knew that if he wanted to have the hanyou at his mercy now, he would have to inflict a truly serious injury. But there was one thing different about this battle and both of their prior encounters. Previously, Inuyasha had always started a significant distance away from Jakotsu, and had been forced to attempt the unenviable task of closing said distance against a long and unpredictable sword. Now, however, courtesy of the sudden reversal of fortune, the two adversaries were already very close together, separated by no more than a few meters. It was an opportunity which Inuyasha could not miss. Before Jakotsutou had a chance to fully unfold, he leapt forward and smashed it aside with Tetsusaiga. The snake-like blade crashed into the cave wall and stuck there, leaving its wielder completely exposed.
Part of Inuyasha wanted very much to cast Tetsusaiga aside and tear Jakotsu apart with his bare hands. Piece by bloody piece, seeing if he could make him cry and beg for mercy. And maybe emasculate him for good measure. But even with what the mercenary had tried to do to him, the thought of reveling in such wanton slaughter proved revolting, though still tempting. He would dishonor himself, prove that he was the monster the majority of the world imagined him to be. Most importantly, he would dishonor the woman who claimed to love him and carried his child.
Within moments, it was all over. The Kaze no Kizu had torn into Jakotsu’s body and buried him under a mound of rubble. Inuyasha took a step forward, intent on making sure the mercenary was really dead, but froze as a faint but pervasive scent invaded his nostrils. Naraku! It was coming from the interior of the cave, where the random lower-level youkai had emerged. Forgetting all about Jakotsu and the jewel shards he carried, Inuyasha sprinted off in pursuit of the dark hanyou.
Battlefield: Mount Hakurei
Inuyasha swore under his breath. Or tried to. In reality, it only came out as a choked gasp, courtesy of his overtaxed lungs. His heart beat rapidly, struggling to pump blood through a body which was steadily bleeding from dozens of sharp wounds. He had lost too much already; his vision was blurring and his limbs were no longer following his brain’s commands. And as he gazed up into Jakotsu’s malevolent visage with as much defiance as he could muster, Inuyasha fervently wished for unconsciousness to swallow him up. As if reading his thoughts, the mercenary smirked.
“Don’t worry, Inuyasha. I won’t let you pass out on me. I want to hear you cry, after all.”
Absently, Inuyasha wondered what he was supposed to cry for. Mercy? A quick death? Probably both, he assumed, just so Jakotsu could have the pleasure of denying each in turn. Because there was no way the mercenary was going to cut this encounter short of his own volition; he was clearly enjoying himself too much for that. But Inuyasha still could not say for certain what was about to happen to him. Sometimes it was clear to him that Jakotsu wanted to slice him up with agonizing slowness, a torturous demise similar to the ‘death by a thousand cuts’ he’d heard rumors of from the mainland. Other times, like a few moments ago when the mercenary had promised to ‘take my time caressing you,’ Inuyasha was forced to imagine that his tormenter might have something more sinister in mind.
But no matter what depraved ideas were swimming around in Jakotsu’s head, Inuyasha knew that his remaining time on this earth was going to be a living hell. Which is why, in a moment of weakness, he’d silently begged for blissful unconsciousness to put an end to it all. Before he remembered what he would lose if he died today. Inuyasha was not delusional. He knew that the chances of him walking out of this cave alive were slim to none. But there was a chance. It was more prayer than hope, but it was all he had to cling to. He had promised himself that he would fight until the very end, and he would damn well do it. If only so he could look Kagome and his unborn child in the eyes when he met them in the afterlife.
Logically, anything he did at this point would be futile. He hadn’t managed to even scratch Jakotsu when dueling with him, sword to sword. Tetsusaiga could stand up to Jakotsutou even in its dull form, but his human arms could not. He lacked the strength and reflexes to handle the initial strike and all of the subsequent iterations when the enemy’s blade would fold over itself and slice him from unexpected angles. Hence the wounds riddling his skin and the not inconsequential amount of his blood seeping into the floor of the cave. His best opportunity had come when Jakotsu let his guard down, believing him to be on the verge of collapsing. He’d suddenly swung Tetsusaiga, aiming for the jewel shard in the mercenary’s neck. But he’d been too slow, his body too heavy and his vision too blurred from blood loss, so he’d missed. And now he found himself struggling to muster the strength to resist, held upright only by his assailant’s grip on his hair.
“Now there’s the agonized face I’ve been looking for!” Jakotsu declared, grinning cruelly. “But you still haven’t shown me true despair. I won’t be satisfied until I’ve seen it.” He pulled Inuyasha up further, so the hanyou was essentially kneeling upright before him, still supported by a lock of hair. Then he leaned down and placed his lips right next to his victim’s human ear.
“So what do you say, Inuyasha?” he whispered. “Shall I be gentle?”
Inuyasha cringed in disgust, as his whole body shuddered at the revolting sensation of Jakotsu’s tongue running over his ear. Then the mercenary took the upper half of the fleshy lobe into his mouth, sucking tenderly as if enjoying a lover’s kiss. Inuyasha’s relief when the unsettling contact finally ended was short-lived, however.
“Or rough?”
Those two words, delivered in a positively sadistic tone, were his only warning before his ear suddenly exploded in pain. He cried out weakly, and was sure that Jakotsu had bitten part of his earlobe clean off. In reality, the mercenary had ‘merely’ inflicted a deep puncture wound with one of his canine teeth. He pulled back, moaning softly to himself as he savored the heady taste of his victim’s blood.
Inuyasha gritted his teeth and fought back his rising panic. At least now he knew exactly what Jakotsu intended for him. Still, his ultimate goal remained the same. He had to get out of this cave alive, and the only way to do that was to remove the jewel shard from his enemy’s neck. The bastard was just mocking him with this ‘be gentle’ crap. Even if he did beg Jakotsu to ‘embrace me gently,’ as the mercenary himself had suggested, Jakotsu was still going to carve him up into tiny pieces afterward. He would expire in a pool of his own blood, all the same. So no, he wasn’t about to voluntarily give himself to Jakotsu. He did, however, need to find a way to get the mercenary to lower his guard, which would be difficult because of his previous failed attempt to remove the jewel shard. The most obvious way to do this was to feign surrender, to give Jakotsu a taste of the ‘true despair’ he was after. So Inuyasha schooled his features, banished the defiance from his eyes, and tried to reflect the very real fear which gripped him.
Jakotsu seemed pleased, if not entirely convinced, but he did release his hold on Inuyasha’s hair. Then hanyou collapsed onto his back, grateful for the wall of the cave which supported him in a somewhat upright position. The few moments of relative inactivity had rejuvenated him slightly, or perhaps it was just a sudden burst of adrenaline. Either way, some of the strength had returned to his hands and arms, enough perhaps for one more desperate attempt. And none too soon. For in the next moment, Jakotsu had squatted before him, took a fistful of hair at the base of his neck, and slammed their lips together in a brutal kiss.
Inuyasha’s first instinct was to bite off the tongue which he suddenly found invading his mouth. His second was to grab hold of the hardness rubbing against his leg and snap it like a twig. But fortunately, he was in enough control of his emotions to resist those urges, just barely. For either action would only result in Jakotsu becoming angry, which would likely hasten his own demise considerably. Instead, his right hand, which was still clenched around Tetsusaiga’s hilt, shifted the sword experimentally. He was thrilled to discover that the blade was now free; Jakotsu had deliberately stepped on it a few moments ago, but in his excitement the fool had completely forgotten about Tetsusaiga. It was a mistake which would cost him dearly.
Jakotsu stumbled back, clutching his neck with both hands. With wide, panicked eyes he watched his shard of the Shikon no Tama flutter through the air and bounce off the cave floor. Inuyasha smiled grimly, knowing he would genuinely enjoy the sight of this bastard dissolving to dust.
But nothing happened.
Jakotsu laughed, in relief at first, but then quickly shifting to malice. He stood, picked up the fallen jewel shard, and inserted it into his neck once more.
“Too bad, Inuyasha. I forgot that I had another jewel shard on me. I’ll have to thank Oo-aniki again the next time I see him.”
Inuyasha’s spirits sank; he imagined his expression right now was very close to ‘true despair.’ His efforts had been futile all along. Without knowing where the other jewel shard was located, he had exactly zero chance of killing Jakotsu. Now the mercenary eyed him hungrily, like a cat prepared to toy with a helpless mouse.
“You’re one of the strongest guys I’ve ever met, I’ll give you that,” the mercenary declared with a certain degree of admiration. “But they all break in the end. Sooner or later you’ll beg me to put an end to it, and if I’m feeling merciful, I’ll slit your throat. But since you’ve already tried to kill me twice, don’t count on it.”
Inuyasha thought of Kagome and Sango, how terrified they must have been, and what could have happened if Mukotsu had possessed a hidden jewel shard as well. Thinking of Kagome gave him an odd sense of peace. At least it was him who was condemned to suffer and die, instead of her. He only prayed that she would survive, leave this place and raise their child in safety, even if it meant returning to her world and never coming back through the well. She had already done more for him than she would ever know. She didn’t need to avenge his death; taking care of their child was the final thing he would request of her.
“Hm?”
Jakotsu’s confused utterance surprised Inuyasha, but he lacked the energy to raise his head to find out what was amiss. Then he felt it–a surge of power, like the first ray of dawn after a moonless night. The metamorphosis washed over him quickly, an invigorating tidal wave of energy which carried him to his feet and transformed Tetsusaiga into its true form. A vicious growl reverberated in his throat as the scent of his assailant’s arousal put him in an even fouler mood than he already was. But at least he was himself, his whole self, again. Heh, Miroku, Sango…I came in here to save you, but you ended up saving me instead. Somehow, you broke the fucking barrier! He might never tell anyone exactly what the houshi and taijiya had rescued him from, but he would make sure they knew how grateful he was nonetheless.
“Oooh, your hanyou powers have returned, eh?”
Inuyasha glared at Jakotsu, who seemed far too amused by this turn of events, when by rights he should be trembling in fear. The hanyou did notice what had surprised the mercenary–a swarm of youkai flying from the interior of the cave toward the various exits in the rock. The sacred barrier enclosing Mount Hakurei must have trapped them deep inside the mountain, and when it went down the youkai were free to make their escape.
“You’re an idiot, Jakotsu,” Inuyasha retorted. “That you didn’t finish me off quickly will prove fatal to you.”
“Well, I couldn’t help it. Unless I take my time, I don’t get any stimulation,” he replied, smiling licentiously. “Besides, there’s plenty of time left. I still intend to hear you cry!”
The snake-like blade lanced out, in a strike far faster and more formidable than any he had sent at Inuyasha’s human form. Probably because he knew that if he wanted to have the hanyou at his mercy now, he would have to inflict a truly serious injury. But there was one thing different about this battle and both of their prior encounters. Previously, Inuyasha had always started a significant distance away from Jakotsu, and had been forced to attempt the unenviable task of closing said distance against a long and unpredictable sword. Now, however, courtesy of the sudden reversal of fortune, the two adversaries were already very close together, separated by no more than a few meters. It was an opportunity which Inuyasha could not miss. Before Jakotsutou had a chance to fully unfold, he leapt forward and smashed it aside with Tetsusaiga. The snake-like blade crashed into the cave wall and stuck there, leaving its wielder completely exposed.
Part of Inuyasha wanted very much to cast Tetsusaiga aside and tear Jakotsu apart with his bare hands. Piece by bloody piece, seeing if he could make him cry and beg for mercy. And maybe emasculate him for good measure. But even with what the mercenary had tried to do to him, the thought of reveling in such wanton slaughter proved revolting, though still tempting. He would dishonor himself, prove that he was the monster the majority of the world imagined him to be. Most importantly, he would dishonor the woman who claimed to love him and carried his child.
Within moments, it was all over. The Kaze no Kizu had torn into Jakotsu’s body and buried him under a mound of rubble. Inuyasha took a step forward, intent on making sure the mercenary was really dead, but froze as a faint but pervasive scent invaded his nostrils. Naraku! It was coming from the interior of the cave, where the random lower-level youkai had emerged. Forgetting all about Jakotsu and the jewel shards he carried, Inuyasha sprinted off in pursuit of the dark hanyou.
* * *
Kagome glanced anxiously at Mount Hakurei, for at
least the fiftieth time in the past fifteen minutes. Had it really
only been that long since Inuyasha’s departure? Logically, it
would likely take him longer than that to return from his mission
even if everything went according to plan. But she couldn’t
shake the foreboding feeling that both of them had missed
something, failed to comprehend a critical piece of information
which would have made all the difference in the world. She resumed
her pacing, hoping that eventually her brain would enlighten her as
to the reason behind her vague fear. Then the world started to
spin.
“Whoa,” she muttered, stumbling a bit as she rested her hand against her temple. Kouga was by her side in an instant, helping her to a sitting position on the ground.
“Are you all right, Kagome?” he demanded, clearly worried. The miko took a moment to gather herself, breathing deeply until her sudden dizziness subsided.
“I’m fine, Kouga-kun. The pregnancy book said it’s normal to get lightheaded, especially when stressed.”
Kouga, who had absolutely zero experience with pregnant humans, had no reason to doubt her words. He nevertheless grabbed a bottle of water and pressed it into her hands, just in case dehydration was part of the problem as well. Kagome thanked him for the trouble and downed about a quarter of it. But she knew she wasn’t dehydrated; this probably was just a case of a little too much stress on a pregnant body. To paraphrase one of the book’s consistent themes, ‘Your body is working hard through this entire nine-month process. Rest when it tells you to rest.’ She sighed, knowing that she could never stop worrying about Inuyasha, but also realizing that she needed to listen to the nameless author’s advice.
“Feeling better?”
Kagome turned to meet Kouga’s concerned gaze with a sincere smile. “Much better, thanks.”
He nodded, clearly relieved. He drew away from her then, just slightly, so his arm was no longer draped around her shoulders as he sat next to her. Now that her dizzy spell was over, he would go back to limiting their physical contact in order to respect her choice. Kagome drew her legs up and leaned her cheek against her knees, gazing over at him thoughtfully.
“You’ve handled this so well, Kouga-kun. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”
The wolf prince snorted, suddenly unable to meet her gaze. He looked like he wanted to get something off his chest.
“Not that well,” he admitted. “I’ve…wished for his death, at times. Since finding out you were carrying his child.”
Kagome digested that information silently. It was obviously something he felt guilty over, and from his expression it appeared that he expected her to be angry or hurt. Ultimately, she was neither; she knew what unrequited love felt like.
“It’s all right, Kouga-kun.” When he only stared at her in shock, she shook her head and smiled sadly. “You see, I’ve wished for Kikyou’s death at times, too. I always regret it afterwards, thinking what a horrible person I am. But it’s only natural, when you love someone… But you actually had Inuyasha’s life in your hands, and you chose to save him. I like to believe that if I ever have Kikyou’s life in my hands, I’ll do the same. But I can never really know until it happens. I actually envy you, in a way. You’ve been tempted and you overcame it, because you wanted me to be happy. I hope I can be as strong as you, if I ever face the same temptation.”
“You’re strong, Kagome. Stronger than you know. Now…who’s Kikyou?”
She blinked in confusion, suddenly feeling quite foolish. Oh, right. We never told Kouga-kun about Kikyou, did we? If not for this conversation, they probably never would have done so. But she couldn’t brush off his question now, not after she’d confessed to desiring the death of this mystery person. There’s no way he would let it go after hearing that. So she relayed the abridged version of the story of Inuyasha and Kikyou, providing just enough detail so Kouga would know who the dead miko was and why she’d occasionally wished for her death.
The wolf fingered his chin and made a sound of self-enlightenment, as if pieces of a puzzle were falling into place for him. The day he’d found out that Kagome was pregnant, he’d later recalled how shocked Inuyasha had appeared at her declaration that she saw the hanyou in a romantic light. It was part of the reason he’d decided to seek her out, and then at the temple she’d confirmed that Inuyasha didn’t yet know that she was in love with him. So now he felt he had a fairly good grasp of the situation. He didn’t know exactly how Kagome had come to be carrying the hanyou’s child, but it wasn’t after mutual declarations of love. Something had still been holding Inuyasha back from openly reciprocating Kagome’s obvious feelings for him–obvious to the rest of the world, anyway. Heh, I thought he was just an idiot, but this actually explains a lot…he’s still a giant idiot, of course.
“Kouga-kun,” Kagome hedged, sounding somewhat nervous. “Please promise me that you won’t hassle Inuyasha about this.”
“It’s not my business,” he answered simply. “But Kagome, you deserve his heart. If he won’t give it to you, the whole damn thing, then…don’t settle.”
With that, Kouga rose to his feet and stalked off to rejoin his pack mates. A cold wind blew through, causing Kagome to shiver. She suddenly felt very alone. She recalled Inuyasha’s last encounter with Kikyou, and how the hanyou had betrayed her trust. The dead miko would always have a place in his heart, but that wasn’t what Kouga meant. If Kikyou owned a spot in Inuyasha’s heart beyond what was customarily reserved for a past love, then that was too much in the wolf prince’s eyes. It wasn’t giving her, Kagome, his whole heart. She didn’t even need to wonder if she enjoyed such a thing now; the answer was painfully obvious. Kouga’s words rang in her head. Don’t settle…don’t settle…but when do I make that decision? And how?
Kagome was not surprised when the answers to those questions eluded her. She would likely never know exactly when she would reach her breaking point with Inuyasha, until she reached it. Or if she would ever reach it at all. She had shown a remarkable capacity to forgive when it came to her hanyou love interest, in her own opinion. Who knew if she would one day become frustrated enough to put her foot down and force him to make a decision, or if she would continue to ‘settle,’ as Kouga feared. Part of the problem was that for much of the time, it didn’t feel like settling. Her current relationship with Inuyasha made her ridiculously happy sometimes. But at moments like this, she was reminded that there was something missing, something she desperately longed for. How long could she content herself with hopes for the future, when that future seemed so hopelessly uncertain?
She gasped as the ground shook beneath her, a paradigm shift taking place in the world around her. Almost in a single instant, the overwhelming purity of Mount Hakurei vanished, to be replaced by a terrible youkai aura. It brushed against her subconscious, as unsettling as it had always been. Naraku. Somehow, her friends had brought down the barrier! Kirara sensed this as well; she leapt down from Kagome’s arms and transformed, then glanced at the miko expectantly. Shippou was also feeling better, and Kouga was of course raring to go. In short order, the four of them were off, Kagome and Shippou riding on Kirara and Kouga running ahead of them, at a speed which quickly left his pack mates far behind. But Kagome was not about to ask him to slow down; she too felt a certain sense of urgency. Something big was about to happen, and she would do everything in her power to be there when it did. She could do no less, since her friends had already risked their lives by going inside the barrier. If they were still alive, she would find them.
“Kagome!” Kouga called to her over the wind whipping past. “Do you sense any jewel shards?”
She focused on the mountain, immediately noticing a large concentration of the Shikon no Tama’s energy about halfway to the top, and seemingly deep within the rock. She drew in a breath to shout an answer to Kouga, but froze as a much smaller signature registered on the very edge of her awareness. She had been focusing on the mountain, but now that she shifted her gaze, she noticed that this new signal was coming from behind a rocky outcropping just ahead of them. It was probably only one or two shards, but this was dangerous; Kouga was about to pass the outcropping. Her view of him had been obscured by light smoke for a few seconds now, which the person waiting in ambush had probably used to mask his scent. With dread, she realized who they were likely running into.
“Look out, Kou–”
Her warning turned into a terrified shriek as Kouga was enveloped in a fiery explosion. He careened out of the expanding cloud of dust and smoke a moment later, impacting the ground with his head and shoulder and rolling into an awkward heap, where he lay unmoving.
“Kouga-kun!”
Heedless of the danger, Kagome directed Kirara to land next to the wolf prince. He was breathing steadily, and appeared to be simply unconscious. The blast had torn him up pretty badly, but his youkai blood would heal him. He did not stir when she nudged him, but that wasn’t all that surprising. Between the shock wave and the fall, his brain had endured enough trauma to kill a human outright. Even a full-youkai would need time to recover from that.
“Heh, is he out cold or dead?”
Kagome spun towards the voice, to see Renkotsu emerging from the smoke twenty meters away. Kirara growled low in her throat, and Kagome nocked an arrow as she moved forward a few paces to place herself protectively in front of her fallen friend. Renkotsu grinned in amusement, clearly not impressed. He had probably already reloaded the shoulder-mounted cannon which had wounded Kouga. And Kagome was displeased to discover that he now possessed two shards of the Shikon no Tama, one in his neck and the other in his left shoulder. Probably Ginkotsu’s shard, she reflected; it had never been found after the last battle, and had likely been flung back inside the barrier by the tank-man’s self-destruction. An unfortunate break for her, as it turned out. For she would now need two perfectly-placed arrows in order to kill Renkotsu, instead of just one. The obvious degree of difficulty aside, she could not even be certain that the mercenary would allow her to get off two shots. It seemed impossible, but she resolved not to give up. Kouga’s life hung in the balance.
Buoyed by that thought, she smoothly drew back her bow and fired, hoping to catch her enemy by surprise. But Renkotsu was ready, sidestepping the projectile while keeping the cannon aimed squarely at the ground under her feet. Kagome saw the flash from the barrel, but with her decidedly human reflexes, she could do nothing but close her eyes and wait for death.
Her feet were suddenly lifted off the ground, just before the sound of the detonation set her ears to ringing. She was momentarily shocked to find herself in one piece, until she heard Kirara’s cry of pain. The fire-cat had carried her off by the back of her sailor fuku, shielding her from the effects of the explosion with her own body. She managed to set Kagome on her feet before reverting to her kitten form and writhing on the ground in agony. The miko’s first reaction was to pick the feline up, but she quickly reconsidered. She was still Renkotsu’s main target; the farther away she was from her friends, the better. So she took off at a run, choosing a course which would take her at an angle away from her attacker.
Renkotsu led her with his next shot, but she anticipated this and changed direction just before he fired. Her own projectile whizzed past his left side, much closer to its intended target this time. She wasn’t exactly the embodiment of grace in motion, but she was young and fairly athletic from months of chasing–and being chased by–youkai in the feudal era. Still, this wasn’t a fair fight. Her little bow and arrow could hardly compare to Renkotsu’s cannon, since the mercenary wasn’t a youkai and couldn’t be purified. He could reload his weapon nearly as fast as she could reload hers, and he seemed to have a large supply of ammunition in the pack strapped to his back. No, things were not looking up for our miko. She had to remain in a constant state of unpredictable motion to dodge the explosive shells, while Renkotsu could remain fairly stationary and dodge her arrows with relative ease. But she dared not close the distance between them, lest her human reflexes fail her.
The two combatants exchanged several volleys. After a particularly close call, Kagome frantically rubbed the dust from her eyes as she stumbled away. She was covered in dirt, breathing heavily and already feeling fatigue in her tired legs. Still she drew an arrow and fired, this one grazing Renkotsu’s chest armour as he twisted to the side. His evasive maneuver gave her a chance to catch her breath, as the Shichinintai member glared at her, showing the first sign of genuine annoyance. She didn’t know if it would be a good thing or a bad thing if he finally started to take her seriously. He was reaching for another shell when his entire back suddenly erupted in blue flame.
Renkotsu’s face reflected confusion for a moment. But though these strange flames were not burning him, he correctly deduced that they could still act as fire, in other ways. With potentially disastrous consequences. Swearing aloud, he dropped the cannon and flung the ammunition pack away, just before it exploded spectacularly. Fortunately, the brave kitsune who had caused this turn of events was nowhere near the blast. He had already scurried away, out of reach of the angry mercenary who looked as though he wanted to make roast fox out of him.
Kagome hated that Shippou had put himself in danger, but greatly appreciated the assistance nonetheless. This changed everything. Now she held the advantage, since Renkotsu’s ability to strike from a distance was gone. In order for him to harm her now, he would have to run a gauntlet of arrows; she would be able to get at least a handful of them off before he was upon her. The only question was whether she would rise to the challenge and hit the target, or choke at the crucial moment. She could not afford to fail again, as she had in Mukotsu’s hut. Sango was not here to back her up this time.
Renkotsu glowered, staring her down. Not once did he appear to consider running away. Kagome could admire such determination, in other circumstances. She met his gaze unflinchingly, equally determined. The mercenary nodded once, indicating that at the very least, she had earned his respect.
He took off in a sprint the same instant that Kagome drew her arrow. The first projectile missed, thrown off by his intentionally zig-zagging course. The next was closer, but likewise sailed wide. Kagome took a slightly deeper breath before the third, allowing him to close the distance a little more. Then she correctly anticipated his move and buried a shaft in his left shoulder, just below the jewel shard. Renkotsu staggered and nearly went down, but managed to maintain his footing and dodge her fourth arrow.
Kagome started to enjoy a real surge of confidence, but Renkotsu was not out of tricks yet. He drew what looked like a primitive stick of dynamite from his robes, lit it, reared back and hurled it at the miko. Or so she thought. She watched in stunned fascination as the projectile missed her by a good ten or fifteen meters, wondering how his aim could possibly be that bad. Until she noticed the small furry lump lying on the ground less than a meter from where the dynamite had come to rest. Oh, no. Kirara would never survive an explosion from that distance, and she didn’t appear able to move on her own.
As Kagome sprinted toward her feline friend, she realized that she was playing right into Renkotsu’s hands. The mercenary had been aiming for Kirara the entire time, for the simple reason that it would take her longer to rescue the fire-cat than it would to dodge the dynamite herself. But the alternative of letting Kirara die was unacceptable. And since she didn’t know where Shippou was, she couldn’t rely on the kit to do the job. He could be hiding on the other side of the battlefield, for all she knew, unable to make it in time.
The fuse was nearly exhausted by the time she arrived, and there was simply no time to pick up the dynamite and throw it away. So, summoning all of her limited soccer skills, she booted the stick as hard as she could. She hit it squarely with the side of her foot, propelling it rapidly through the air. Souta would be proud. He would not be so impressed with the way she, in attempting to shield her eyes from the ensuing blast, stumbled and fell flat on her backside. But then, how clumsy she appeared was the least of her concerns at the moment.
Renkotsu was bearing down on her, with only a handful of running steps before he was upon her. Yet, in the heat of the moment, Kagome’s nerves remained cool and collected. From her prone position, she drew an arrow and fired. The shot took Renkotsu in the neck, passing halfway through before friction finally killed its momentum. At any rate, the light of the Shikon no Tama no longer shone from his flesh; she had driven the shard out the back of his neck. Renkotsu snarled in pain, but kept coming. Kagome reached for another arrow, but there simply wasn’t time. Her attacker raised a fist, which reflected in the miko’s widened eyes as it hurtled towards her. Behind it was an unnaturally powerful body strengthened by a Shikon fragment. If this blow did not kill her outright, it would surely crack her skull. Either way, she was dead.
Salvation came, once again, in a small but rapidly expanding package. The giant pink balloon pushed her to the ground, before being violently smashed away by Renkotsu’s fist. The pitiful sound Shippou made as he was struck sent a flash of sorrow through Kagome, but also fury. Renkotsu loomed over her now, raising his fist for what would finally be the killing blow. But as she gazed up at him, she noticed something which she hadn’t before: her arrow still protruded from his left shoulder. Rising to her knees, she lunged, gripping the shaft with both hands and shoving it deeper. Renkotsu’s body spun away from her as he swung his fist, and Kagome twisted the arrow hard, even as she slammed her eyes shut in preparation for the impact.
It never came. She felt a shower of dust against her cheek, but nothing more. She opened her eyes in time to watch Renkotsu’s shocked and dismayed face dissolve and disperse to the winds.
She collapsed onto her hands and knees, breathing rapidly as she fought against the adrenaline which had kept her alive to this point. Joy and relief manifested themselves in the form of uncontrollable nervous laughter, and her hands refused to stop shaking. But even if she was temporarily reduced to a nervous wreck, at least she was alive. Thanks in large part to those who had given so much in order to help her.
Once she had composed herself, she stood and collected the two jewel shards lying on the ground, then immediately headed over to Shippou. He groaned when she picked him up, gazing up at her with pained and tearful eyes. Kagome sobbed once, but resolved to hold herself together for his sake. In all honestly, he had merely suffered a severe bruise on his chest and perhaps a few cracked ribs, as she discovered when she gingerly pulled open his robes. Shippou had also been struck during the battle against the creature they later identified as Kyoukotsu. But that had been an open-hand slap of annoyance, as opposed to a piercing blow designed to pulverize the flesh and bones of a human. Shippou had undoubtedly saved her life, and she was incredibly thankful that his wounds were not worse than they actually were. Still, to see him suffer tore at her heart.
“Shippou-chan…my little hero,” she cooed, rewarded when the kit managed a drowsy smile. He closed his eyes and quickly drifted off to sleep, which was probably the best thing for him. Inuyasha healed faster when he was resting, and she was sure it would be no different for a kitsune.
She gave Kirara similar treatment, though the fire-cat was not injured as badly as Shippou. On the other hand, she needed to be fairly close to full strength to transform, and it would be some time before she recovered enough for that. She likewise seemed more than content to doze in Kagome’s arms. All in all, the member of the group who might have been in the best shape, aside from herself, was Kouga. The wolf prince blinked blearily at her as she approached, sitting up slowly so as not to reopen his wounds, most of which were already closing. He rubbed his head, unwittingly confirming her earlier hypothesis that he’d been suffering from the youkai version of a bad concussion. Ah, the wonders of youkai blood. Instead of winding up dead or in a coma, one simply took a power nap. Kagome smiled at him, and was just about to ask how he was feeling when his eyes widened in panic. Before she could turn around to find out what frightened him so, a strong male arm wrapped around her waist, and the cool metal of a sword blade pressed against her neck. She didn’t need to go cross-eyed to see that it was Bankotsu’s massive halberd which literally had her life balanced on the edge of its blade.
Kagome cursed her inattentiveness; she had been so worried about her friends, that she hadn’t noticed the approach of Bankotsu’s jewel shards. And though she didn’t have eyes in the back of her head, it certainly felt like he still possessed three in his neck. In fact, there was also one in his right forearm, which rested against her shoulder as he held Banryuu in that deadly grip. He probably used a shard to heal the wound caused by my arrow. Gulping nervously, she hoped her captor didn’t decide to hold that little incident against her. There had to be some reason he hadn’t slit her throat yet, right?
“Very impressive, I must say,” the mercenary declared sincerely, not in the least bit condescending. “For a while there I thought he was going to get you, but you pulled it out in the end.”
“Let her go, you bastard,” Kouga growled, rising to his feet and clenching his fists. His body was somewhat beaten up, but he appeared entirely ready to charge in fists flying.
“Relax, wolf. I don’t really care if this girl lives or dies. Ultimately, it’s up to you. But first, girl, why don’t you hand over Renkotsu’s shards?”
Kagome didn’t see much choice but to obey, so she held up her palm and allowed Bankotsu to claim them. His aura pulsed menacingly as he inserted them into his body.
“Now it’s your turn, wolf,” he told Kouga. “Hand over the shards in your legs, and I’ll let her go.”
Kouga hesitated, glaring at his enemy, clearly trying to decide whether Bankotsu was telling the truth. But despite his casual demeanor, the mercenary did not give the wolf prince more than a couple seconds to consider.
“Time’s up, wolf. I probably could have simply killed you and taken your shards, but you look like you could run around for a while with them in your legs. And I’m in somewhat of a hurry, you see. I know you don’t trust me, but I can promise you that if you don’t give me your shards by the time I count to three, I will slit this girl’s throat. One…”
To punctuate his words, he pressed Banryuu against Kagome’s flesh, drawing a thin line of blood and a gasp from her. Kouga didn’t need to hear or see anything else. He immediately bent down and removed the shards from his legs, tossing them over without delay.
“There’s a good pup,” Bankotsu mocked, as he inserted two more shards into his body. To his credit, Kouga only fumed silently. That is until the mercenary finally pulled Banryuu from Kagome’s neck and stepped back. The wolf prince charged in the blink of an eye, though his speed was nowhere near his previous record when healthy and boosted by the Shikon fragments. As a result, Kagome was able to react quickly enough to intercept Kouga as he attempted to race past her, and sent him careening back with a blast of miko energy. She rushed over to check on him and then turned to regard Bankotsu fiercely, an arrow leveled at his neck. The mercenary grinned at her and drew himself out of his fighting stance, leaning Banryuu casually over his shoulder once more.
“Clever girl,” he said. “That would have been very stupid of him.”
Kagome did not doubt the truth of those words; if she hadn’t stopped Kouga, he would be dead right now. Bankotsu backed away, apparently concerned enough about her archery skills to refrain from turning his back on her until he was at a safe distance. Seeing this, Kagome hastily she blurted out a question which had been on her mind ever since he first appeared.
“Why didn’t you help Renkotsu?”
Bankotsu paused only briefly, still facing away from her. “In response, I’ll ask you two questions. How many jewel shards did Renkotsu have? And what do you think he would have done with Kouga’s shards?”
Then he was gone, jogging off at a quick pace until he vanished from view. Kagome watched him go, then turned to her wounded friend. He groaned, and she blinked back sympathetic tears. She had not shocked him quite as hard as when he’d attacked Inuyasha, but close enough. And with his body already beaten up, it couldn’t have felt very good. But it was a necessary evil, and she hoped he understood that. Nevertheless, she certainly had something else to apologize for.
“I’m sorry, Kouga-kun.”
“It’s okay,” he muttered. “He probably would’ve killed me.”
“No–I mean, yes, I am sorry for that, but…you wouldn’t have been hurt in the first place if I had sensed Renkotsu sooner.”
“That’s my fault too. I smelled the smoke he used to conceal his scent, but didn’t think anything of it. Your warning though…it saved me. Otherwise, I probably would’ve lost my legs.”
Kagome was glad to hear this, and equally happy that he didn’t hold anything against her. She hugged him as tightly as she dared, then placed Shippou and Kirara in his lap.
“Will you watch over them for me?”
“Where the hell are you going?!” he demanded, suddenly alarmed. Kagome stood, gathering her bow and quiver, and checking her depleted supply of arrows.
“Kagome!”
“I’m going into Mount Hakurei,” she answered calmly.
“The hell you–” he began to protest, until she silenced him with an impressive surge of miko energy. Then he could only stare at her in shock, mesmerized by the intensity of her gaze, the strength and conviction in her eyes. Why did she suddenly feel so self-assured? Perhaps it was merely the aftermath of surviving a harrowing battle. Or maybe it was because, regardless of the shortcomings of her fighting skills and the help she had needed to come through alive, she hadn’t failed in the crucial moment. She hadn’t choked.
“Kouga-kun, I have to go. Inuyasha is there. Miroku-sama and Sango-chan are there. They might need me. I’m the only one who’s come close to purifying Naraku. He’s made me a target more times than I can remember. He’s afraid of me. I’m going to remind him why.”
Kouga nodded his assent, though he clearly didn’t like it. But how could he argue with her, after seeing how determined she was? Besides, his legs were heavy without the jewel shards, and he didn’t think he could be of any assistance to her. He might not even be able to walk; that last sprint to attack Bankotsu and being hit by Kagome’s spiritual energy had undone quite a bit of healing. So he agreed to stay behind and protect her tiny companions. With any luck, he would heal up quickly and be able to join the battle against Naraku. Once his pack mates finally caught up, he could hand over babysitting duties to them. They weren’t good for a whole lot else, anyway.
Despite his infirmity, however, watching Kagome walk away was one of the hardest things he’d ever done. Please Kagome…be safe.
“Whoa,” she muttered, stumbling a bit as she rested her hand against her temple. Kouga was by her side in an instant, helping her to a sitting position on the ground.
“Are you all right, Kagome?” he demanded, clearly worried. The miko took a moment to gather herself, breathing deeply until her sudden dizziness subsided.
“I’m fine, Kouga-kun. The pregnancy book said it’s normal to get lightheaded, especially when stressed.”
Kouga, who had absolutely zero experience with pregnant humans, had no reason to doubt her words. He nevertheless grabbed a bottle of water and pressed it into her hands, just in case dehydration was part of the problem as well. Kagome thanked him for the trouble and downed about a quarter of it. But she knew she wasn’t dehydrated; this probably was just a case of a little too much stress on a pregnant body. To paraphrase one of the book’s consistent themes, ‘Your body is working hard through this entire nine-month process. Rest when it tells you to rest.’ She sighed, knowing that she could never stop worrying about Inuyasha, but also realizing that she needed to listen to the nameless author’s advice.
“Feeling better?”
Kagome turned to meet Kouga’s concerned gaze with a sincere smile. “Much better, thanks.”
He nodded, clearly relieved. He drew away from her then, just slightly, so his arm was no longer draped around her shoulders as he sat next to her. Now that her dizzy spell was over, he would go back to limiting their physical contact in order to respect her choice. Kagome drew her legs up and leaned her cheek against her knees, gazing over at him thoughtfully.
“You’ve handled this so well, Kouga-kun. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”
The wolf prince snorted, suddenly unable to meet her gaze. He looked like he wanted to get something off his chest.
“Not that well,” he admitted. “I’ve…wished for his death, at times. Since finding out you were carrying his child.”
Kagome digested that information silently. It was obviously something he felt guilty over, and from his expression it appeared that he expected her to be angry or hurt. Ultimately, she was neither; she knew what unrequited love felt like.
“It’s all right, Kouga-kun.” When he only stared at her in shock, she shook her head and smiled sadly. “You see, I’ve wished for Kikyou’s death at times, too. I always regret it afterwards, thinking what a horrible person I am. But it’s only natural, when you love someone… But you actually had Inuyasha’s life in your hands, and you chose to save him. I like to believe that if I ever have Kikyou’s life in my hands, I’ll do the same. But I can never really know until it happens. I actually envy you, in a way. You’ve been tempted and you overcame it, because you wanted me to be happy. I hope I can be as strong as you, if I ever face the same temptation.”
“You’re strong, Kagome. Stronger than you know. Now…who’s Kikyou?”
She blinked in confusion, suddenly feeling quite foolish. Oh, right. We never told Kouga-kun about Kikyou, did we? If not for this conversation, they probably never would have done so. But she couldn’t brush off his question now, not after she’d confessed to desiring the death of this mystery person. There’s no way he would let it go after hearing that. So she relayed the abridged version of the story of Inuyasha and Kikyou, providing just enough detail so Kouga would know who the dead miko was and why she’d occasionally wished for her death.
The wolf fingered his chin and made a sound of self-enlightenment, as if pieces of a puzzle were falling into place for him. The day he’d found out that Kagome was pregnant, he’d later recalled how shocked Inuyasha had appeared at her declaration that she saw the hanyou in a romantic light. It was part of the reason he’d decided to seek her out, and then at the temple she’d confirmed that Inuyasha didn’t yet know that she was in love with him. So now he felt he had a fairly good grasp of the situation. He didn’t know exactly how Kagome had come to be carrying the hanyou’s child, but it wasn’t after mutual declarations of love. Something had still been holding Inuyasha back from openly reciprocating Kagome’s obvious feelings for him–obvious to the rest of the world, anyway. Heh, I thought he was just an idiot, but this actually explains a lot…he’s still a giant idiot, of course.
“Kouga-kun,” Kagome hedged, sounding somewhat nervous. “Please promise me that you won’t hassle Inuyasha about this.”
“It’s not my business,” he answered simply. “But Kagome, you deserve his heart. If he won’t give it to you, the whole damn thing, then…don’t settle.”
With that, Kouga rose to his feet and stalked off to rejoin his pack mates. A cold wind blew through, causing Kagome to shiver. She suddenly felt very alone. She recalled Inuyasha’s last encounter with Kikyou, and how the hanyou had betrayed her trust. The dead miko would always have a place in his heart, but that wasn’t what Kouga meant. If Kikyou owned a spot in Inuyasha’s heart beyond what was customarily reserved for a past love, then that was too much in the wolf prince’s eyes. It wasn’t giving her, Kagome, his whole heart. She didn’t even need to wonder if she enjoyed such a thing now; the answer was painfully obvious. Kouga’s words rang in her head. Don’t settle…don’t settle…but when do I make that decision? And how?
Kagome was not surprised when the answers to those questions eluded her. She would likely never know exactly when she would reach her breaking point with Inuyasha, until she reached it. Or if she would ever reach it at all. She had shown a remarkable capacity to forgive when it came to her hanyou love interest, in her own opinion. Who knew if she would one day become frustrated enough to put her foot down and force him to make a decision, or if she would continue to ‘settle,’ as Kouga feared. Part of the problem was that for much of the time, it didn’t feel like settling. Her current relationship with Inuyasha made her ridiculously happy sometimes. But at moments like this, she was reminded that there was something missing, something she desperately longed for. How long could she content herself with hopes for the future, when that future seemed so hopelessly uncertain?
She gasped as the ground shook beneath her, a paradigm shift taking place in the world around her. Almost in a single instant, the overwhelming purity of Mount Hakurei vanished, to be replaced by a terrible youkai aura. It brushed against her subconscious, as unsettling as it had always been. Naraku. Somehow, her friends had brought down the barrier! Kirara sensed this as well; she leapt down from Kagome’s arms and transformed, then glanced at the miko expectantly. Shippou was also feeling better, and Kouga was of course raring to go. In short order, the four of them were off, Kagome and Shippou riding on Kirara and Kouga running ahead of them, at a speed which quickly left his pack mates far behind. But Kagome was not about to ask him to slow down; she too felt a certain sense of urgency. Something big was about to happen, and she would do everything in her power to be there when it did. She could do no less, since her friends had already risked their lives by going inside the barrier. If they were still alive, she would find them.
“Kagome!” Kouga called to her over the wind whipping past. “Do you sense any jewel shards?”
She focused on the mountain, immediately noticing a large concentration of the Shikon no Tama’s energy about halfway to the top, and seemingly deep within the rock. She drew in a breath to shout an answer to Kouga, but froze as a much smaller signature registered on the very edge of her awareness. She had been focusing on the mountain, but now that she shifted her gaze, she noticed that this new signal was coming from behind a rocky outcropping just ahead of them. It was probably only one or two shards, but this was dangerous; Kouga was about to pass the outcropping. Her view of him had been obscured by light smoke for a few seconds now, which the person waiting in ambush had probably used to mask his scent. With dread, she realized who they were likely running into.
“Look out, Kou–”
Her warning turned into a terrified shriek as Kouga was enveloped in a fiery explosion. He careened out of the expanding cloud of dust and smoke a moment later, impacting the ground with his head and shoulder and rolling into an awkward heap, where he lay unmoving.
“Kouga-kun!”
Heedless of the danger, Kagome directed Kirara to land next to the wolf prince. He was breathing steadily, and appeared to be simply unconscious. The blast had torn him up pretty badly, but his youkai blood would heal him. He did not stir when she nudged him, but that wasn’t all that surprising. Between the shock wave and the fall, his brain had endured enough trauma to kill a human outright. Even a full-youkai would need time to recover from that.
“Heh, is he out cold or dead?”
Kagome spun towards the voice, to see Renkotsu emerging from the smoke twenty meters away. Kirara growled low in her throat, and Kagome nocked an arrow as she moved forward a few paces to place herself protectively in front of her fallen friend. Renkotsu grinned in amusement, clearly not impressed. He had probably already reloaded the shoulder-mounted cannon which had wounded Kouga. And Kagome was displeased to discover that he now possessed two shards of the Shikon no Tama, one in his neck and the other in his left shoulder. Probably Ginkotsu’s shard, she reflected; it had never been found after the last battle, and had likely been flung back inside the barrier by the tank-man’s self-destruction. An unfortunate break for her, as it turned out. For she would now need two perfectly-placed arrows in order to kill Renkotsu, instead of just one. The obvious degree of difficulty aside, she could not even be certain that the mercenary would allow her to get off two shots. It seemed impossible, but she resolved not to give up. Kouga’s life hung in the balance.
Buoyed by that thought, she smoothly drew back her bow and fired, hoping to catch her enemy by surprise. But Renkotsu was ready, sidestepping the projectile while keeping the cannon aimed squarely at the ground under her feet. Kagome saw the flash from the barrel, but with her decidedly human reflexes, she could do nothing but close her eyes and wait for death.
Her feet were suddenly lifted off the ground, just before the sound of the detonation set her ears to ringing. She was momentarily shocked to find herself in one piece, until she heard Kirara’s cry of pain. The fire-cat had carried her off by the back of her sailor fuku, shielding her from the effects of the explosion with her own body. She managed to set Kagome on her feet before reverting to her kitten form and writhing on the ground in agony. The miko’s first reaction was to pick the feline up, but she quickly reconsidered. She was still Renkotsu’s main target; the farther away she was from her friends, the better. So she took off at a run, choosing a course which would take her at an angle away from her attacker.
Renkotsu led her with his next shot, but she anticipated this and changed direction just before he fired. Her own projectile whizzed past his left side, much closer to its intended target this time. She wasn’t exactly the embodiment of grace in motion, but she was young and fairly athletic from months of chasing–and being chased by–youkai in the feudal era. Still, this wasn’t a fair fight. Her little bow and arrow could hardly compare to Renkotsu’s cannon, since the mercenary wasn’t a youkai and couldn’t be purified. He could reload his weapon nearly as fast as she could reload hers, and he seemed to have a large supply of ammunition in the pack strapped to his back. No, things were not looking up for our miko. She had to remain in a constant state of unpredictable motion to dodge the explosive shells, while Renkotsu could remain fairly stationary and dodge her arrows with relative ease. But she dared not close the distance between them, lest her human reflexes fail her.
The two combatants exchanged several volleys. After a particularly close call, Kagome frantically rubbed the dust from her eyes as she stumbled away. She was covered in dirt, breathing heavily and already feeling fatigue in her tired legs. Still she drew an arrow and fired, this one grazing Renkotsu’s chest armour as he twisted to the side. His evasive maneuver gave her a chance to catch her breath, as the Shichinintai member glared at her, showing the first sign of genuine annoyance. She didn’t know if it would be a good thing or a bad thing if he finally started to take her seriously. He was reaching for another shell when his entire back suddenly erupted in blue flame.
Renkotsu’s face reflected confusion for a moment. But though these strange flames were not burning him, he correctly deduced that they could still act as fire, in other ways. With potentially disastrous consequences. Swearing aloud, he dropped the cannon and flung the ammunition pack away, just before it exploded spectacularly. Fortunately, the brave kitsune who had caused this turn of events was nowhere near the blast. He had already scurried away, out of reach of the angry mercenary who looked as though he wanted to make roast fox out of him.
Kagome hated that Shippou had put himself in danger, but greatly appreciated the assistance nonetheless. This changed everything. Now she held the advantage, since Renkotsu’s ability to strike from a distance was gone. In order for him to harm her now, he would have to run a gauntlet of arrows; she would be able to get at least a handful of them off before he was upon her. The only question was whether she would rise to the challenge and hit the target, or choke at the crucial moment. She could not afford to fail again, as she had in Mukotsu’s hut. Sango was not here to back her up this time.
Renkotsu glowered, staring her down. Not once did he appear to consider running away. Kagome could admire such determination, in other circumstances. She met his gaze unflinchingly, equally determined. The mercenary nodded once, indicating that at the very least, she had earned his respect.
He took off in a sprint the same instant that Kagome drew her arrow. The first projectile missed, thrown off by his intentionally zig-zagging course. The next was closer, but likewise sailed wide. Kagome took a slightly deeper breath before the third, allowing him to close the distance a little more. Then she correctly anticipated his move and buried a shaft in his left shoulder, just below the jewel shard. Renkotsu staggered and nearly went down, but managed to maintain his footing and dodge her fourth arrow.
Kagome started to enjoy a real surge of confidence, but Renkotsu was not out of tricks yet. He drew what looked like a primitive stick of dynamite from his robes, lit it, reared back and hurled it at the miko. Or so she thought. She watched in stunned fascination as the projectile missed her by a good ten or fifteen meters, wondering how his aim could possibly be that bad. Until she noticed the small furry lump lying on the ground less than a meter from where the dynamite had come to rest. Oh, no. Kirara would never survive an explosion from that distance, and she didn’t appear able to move on her own.
As Kagome sprinted toward her feline friend, she realized that she was playing right into Renkotsu’s hands. The mercenary had been aiming for Kirara the entire time, for the simple reason that it would take her longer to rescue the fire-cat than it would to dodge the dynamite herself. But the alternative of letting Kirara die was unacceptable. And since she didn’t know where Shippou was, she couldn’t rely on the kit to do the job. He could be hiding on the other side of the battlefield, for all she knew, unable to make it in time.
The fuse was nearly exhausted by the time she arrived, and there was simply no time to pick up the dynamite and throw it away. So, summoning all of her limited soccer skills, she booted the stick as hard as she could. She hit it squarely with the side of her foot, propelling it rapidly through the air. Souta would be proud. He would not be so impressed with the way she, in attempting to shield her eyes from the ensuing blast, stumbled and fell flat on her backside. But then, how clumsy she appeared was the least of her concerns at the moment.
Renkotsu was bearing down on her, with only a handful of running steps before he was upon her. Yet, in the heat of the moment, Kagome’s nerves remained cool and collected. From her prone position, she drew an arrow and fired. The shot took Renkotsu in the neck, passing halfway through before friction finally killed its momentum. At any rate, the light of the Shikon no Tama no longer shone from his flesh; she had driven the shard out the back of his neck. Renkotsu snarled in pain, but kept coming. Kagome reached for another arrow, but there simply wasn’t time. Her attacker raised a fist, which reflected in the miko’s widened eyes as it hurtled towards her. Behind it was an unnaturally powerful body strengthened by a Shikon fragment. If this blow did not kill her outright, it would surely crack her skull. Either way, she was dead.
Salvation came, once again, in a small but rapidly expanding package. The giant pink balloon pushed her to the ground, before being violently smashed away by Renkotsu’s fist. The pitiful sound Shippou made as he was struck sent a flash of sorrow through Kagome, but also fury. Renkotsu loomed over her now, raising his fist for what would finally be the killing blow. But as she gazed up at him, she noticed something which she hadn’t before: her arrow still protruded from his left shoulder. Rising to her knees, she lunged, gripping the shaft with both hands and shoving it deeper. Renkotsu’s body spun away from her as he swung his fist, and Kagome twisted the arrow hard, even as she slammed her eyes shut in preparation for the impact.
It never came. She felt a shower of dust against her cheek, but nothing more. She opened her eyes in time to watch Renkotsu’s shocked and dismayed face dissolve and disperse to the winds.
She collapsed onto her hands and knees, breathing rapidly as she fought against the adrenaline which had kept her alive to this point. Joy and relief manifested themselves in the form of uncontrollable nervous laughter, and her hands refused to stop shaking. But even if she was temporarily reduced to a nervous wreck, at least she was alive. Thanks in large part to those who had given so much in order to help her.
Once she had composed herself, she stood and collected the two jewel shards lying on the ground, then immediately headed over to Shippou. He groaned when she picked him up, gazing up at her with pained and tearful eyes. Kagome sobbed once, but resolved to hold herself together for his sake. In all honestly, he had merely suffered a severe bruise on his chest and perhaps a few cracked ribs, as she discovered when she gingerly pulled open his robes. Shippou had also been struck during the battle against the creature they later identified as Kyoukotsu. But that had been an open-hand slap of annoyance, as opposed to a piercing blow designed to pulverize the flesh and bones of a human. Shippou had undoubtedly saved her life, and she was incredibly thankful that his wounds were not worse than they actually were. Still, to see him suffer tore at her heart.
“Shippou-chan…my little hero,” she cooed, rewarded when the kit managed a drowsy smile. He closed his eyes and quickly drifted off to sleep, which was probably the best thing for him. Inuyasha healed faster when he was resting, and she was sure it would be no different for a kitsune.
She gave Kirara similar treatment, though the fire-cat was not injured as badly as Shippou. On the other hand, she needed to be fairly close to full strength to transform, and it would be some time before she recovered enough for that. She likewise seemed more than content to doze in Kagome’s arms. All in all, the member of the group who might have been in the best shape, aside from herself, was Kouga. The wolf prince blinked blearily at her as she approached, sitting up slowly so as not to reopen his wounds, most of which were already closing. He rubbed his head, unwittingly confirming her earlier hypothesis that he’d been suffering from the youkai version of a bad concussion. Ah, the wonders of youkai blood. Instead of winding up dead or in a coma, one simply took a power nap. Kagome smiled at him, and was just about to ask how he was feeling when his eyes widened in panic. Before she could turn around to find out what frightened him so, a strong male arm wrapped around her waist, and the cool metal of a sword blade pressed against her neck. She didn’t need to go cross-eyed to see that it was Bankotsu’s massive halberd which literally had her life balanced on the edge of its blade.
Kagome cursed her inattentiveness; she had been so worried about her friends, that she hadn’t noticed the approach of Bankotsu’s jewel shards. And though she didn’t have eyes in the back of her head, it certainly felt like he still possessed three in his neck. In fact, there was also one in his right forearm, which rested against her shoulder as he held Banryuu in that deadly grip. He probably used a shard to heal the wound caused by my arrow. Gulping nervously, she hoped her captor didn’t decide to hold that little incident against her. There had to be some reason he hadn’t slit her throat yet, right?
“Very impressive, I must say,” the mercenary declared sincerely, not in the least bit condescending. “For a while there I thought he was going to get you, but you pulled it out in the end.”
“Let her go, you bastard,” Kouga growled, rising to his feet and clenching his fists. His body was somewhat beaten up, but he appeared entirely ready to charge in fists flying.
“Relax, wolf. I don’t really care if this girl lives or dies. Ultimately, it’s up to you. But first, girl, why don’t you hand over Renkotsu’s shards?”
Kagome didn’t see much choice but to obey, so she held up her palm and allowed Bankotsu to claim them. His aura pulsed menacingly as he inserted them into his body.
“Now it’s your turn, wolf,” he told Kouga. “Hand over the shards in your legs, and I’ll let her go.”
Kouga hesitated, glaring at his enemy, clearly trying to decide whether Bankotsu was telling the truth. But despite his casual demeanor, the mercenary did not give the wolf prince more than a couple seconds to consider.
“Time’s up, wolf. I probably could have simply killed you and taken your shards, but you look like you could run around for a while with them in your legs. And I’m in somewhat of a hurry, you see. I know you don’t trust me, but I can promise you that if you don’t give me your shards by the time I count to three, I will slit this girl’s throat. One…”
To punctuate his words, he pressed Banryuu against Kagome’s flesh, drawing a thin line of blood and a gasp from her. Kouga didn’t need to hear or see anything else. He immediately bent down and removed the shards from his legs, tossing them over without delay.
“There’s a good pup,” Bankotsu mocked, as he inserted two more shards into his body. To his credit, Kouga only fumed silently. That is until the mercenary finally pulled Banryuu from Kagome’s neck and stepped back. The wolf prince charged in the blink of an eye, though his speed was nowhere near his previous record when healthy and boosted by the Shikon fragments. As a result, Kagome was able to react quickly enough to intercept Kouga as he attempted to race past her, and sent him careening back with a blast of miko energy. She rushed over to check on him and then turned to regard Bankotsu fiercely, an arrow leveled at his neck. The mercenary grinned at her and drew himself out of his fighting stance, leaning Banryuu casually over his shoulder once more.
“Clever girl,” he said. “That would have been very stupid of him.”
Kagome did not doubt the truth of those words; if she hadn’t stopped Kouga, he would be dead right now. Bankotsu backed away, apparently concerned enough about her archery skills to refrain from turning his back on her until he was at a safe distance. Seeing this, Kagome hastily she blurted out a question which had been on her mind ever since he first appeared.
“Why didn’t you help Renkotsu?”
Bankotsu paused only briefly, still facing away from her. “In response, I’ll ask you two questions. How many jewel shards did Renkotsu have? And what do you think he would have done with Kouga’s shards?”
Then he was gone, jogging off at a quick pace until he vanished from view. Kagome watched him go, then turned to her wounded friend. He groaned, and she blinked back sympathetic tears. She had not shocked him quite as hard as when he’d attacked Inuyasha, but close enough. And with his body already beaten up, it couldn’t have felt very good. But it was a necessary evil, and she hoped he understood that. Nevertheless, she certainly had something else to apologize for.
“I’m sorry, Kouga-kun.”
“It’s okay,” he muttered. “He probably would’ve killed me.”
“No–I mean, yes, I am sorry for that, but…you wouldn’t have been hurt in the first place if I had sensed Renkotsu sooner.”
“That’s my fault too. I smelled the smoke he used to conceal his scent, but didn’t think anything of it. Your warning though…it saved me. Otherwise, I probably would’ve lost my legs.”
Kagome was glad to hear this, and equally happy that he didn’t hold anything against her. She hugged him as tightly as she dared, then placed Shippou and Kirara in his lap.
“Will you watch over them for me?”
“Where the hell are you going?!” he demanded, suddenly alarmed. Kagome stood, gathering her bow and quiver, and checking her depleted supply of arrows.
“Kagome!”
“I’m going into Mount Hakurei,” she answered calmly.
“The hell you–” he began to protest, until she silenced him with an impressive surge of miko energy. Then he could only stare at her in shock, mesmerized by the intensity of her gaze, the strength and conviction in her eyes. Why did she suddenly feel so self-assured? Perhaps it was merely the aftermath of surviving a harrowing battle. Or maybe it was because, regardless of the shortcomings of her fighting skills and the help she had needed to come through alive, she hadn’t failed in the crucial moment. She hadn’t choked.
“Kouga-kun, I have to go. Inuyasha is there. Miroku-sama and Sango-chan are there. They might need me. I’m the only one who’s come close to purifying Naraku. He’s made me a target more times than I can remember. He’s afraid of me. I’m going to remind him why.”
Kouga nodded his assent, though he clearly didn’t like it. But how could he argue with her, after seeing how determined she was? Besides, his legs were heavy without the jewel shards, and he didn’t think he could be of any assistance to her. He might not even be able to walk; that last sprint to attack Bankotsu and being hit by Kagome’s spiritual energy had undone quite a bit of healing. So he agreed to stay behind and protect her tiny companions. With any luck, he would heal up quickly and be able to join the battle against Naraku. Once his pack mates finally caught up, he could hand over babysitting duties to them. They weren’t good for a whole lot else, anyway.
Despite his infirmity, however, watching Kagome walk away was one of the hardest things he’d ever done. Please Kagome…be safe.
* * *
Jakotsu lay immobile amid a pile of rubble,
gazing up at the cave ceiling with half-lidded eyes as
Inuyasha’s rapid footfalls faded in the distance. Damn
that Inuyasha. He left without finishing me off…such an
amateur. Though really, I’m done for. Not even the Shikon
no Tama could save him now. His body was literally in pieces, and
his two jewel shards lacked the power to pull him back together.
But he also lacked the capability to remove the shards and die on
his own. He would have to lie here until someone came to take them,
which given how valuable they were probably wouldn’t be long.
That was fine with him. Oh, well, it was a pretty interesting
second life.
He didn’t know how long he lay there, alone with his thoughts in that darkness. But when he heard the sound of approaching footsteps, he knew his end was near. He wondered who his executioner was. Inuyasha returned to finish the job? Or perhaps Renkotsu-no-aniki, come to claim the shards for himself. Not that Jakotsu would blame him; only a miracle could save him now.
His eyes widened as the person’s identity became clear, standing over him, gazing down at him with sadness and regret. Oo-aniki… He tried to speak, but was too weak to form words. He did, however, managed a small but sincere smile. I’m glad it’s you, Oo-aniki. Take my shards and run away from this place. Live.
Bankotsu knelt by his side, and Jakotsu closed his eyes, still smiling as he waited for the end. Instead, he heard a brief rustling, and then his lungs expanded rapidly in a great gasp. A surge of power rushed through his body. Suddenly he could move his previously severed arm again, clench and unclench the fingers on that hand. But he was not whole yet; the shard Bankotsu had given him had only partially reformed his devastated body. So his Oo-aniki gave him another one.
A few moments later, Jakotsu pulled himself gingerly to his feet. The tattered remains of his clothing fell to the cave floor, leaving him nearly naked. He regarded his Oo-aniki with amazement, once more unable to speak, though for an entirely different reason this time. Bankotsu grinned, tossing him a new robe with which to cover himself. In other circumstances, Jakotsu might have recognized the garment as belonging to Renkotsu. Bankotsu had intended to bury it, in a final show of respect to a man who while not always loyal, had fought many battles with the Shichinintai. But Jakotsu’s full attention was drawn solely to the man before him, this loyal friend and leader who had once again sacrificed his own strength in order to save him. And as in the previous instance, the same question came to mind.
“Oo-aniki…why?”
Bankotsu snorted and shook his head. “I can’t believe you still ask me that.”
“B-b-but, t-the shards! You need them!”
“I need you more,” the Shichinintai leader replied quietly. Jakotsu stared at him adoringly, tears pooling in his eyes. “Oh, don’t look at me like that,” Bankotsu scolded, not truly annoyed. “I already told you that you’re the only one I can trust. Besides, I still have plenty of shards.”
“Really? How many?”
“Six, plus a few in Banryuu which we took from that Kagome girl.”
“Six?” Jakotsu repeated, his mind slowing to a crawl. If he has six and I have four, that means…ah, I hate math! Fortunately, Bankotsu decided to rescue him.
“We’re the only ones left, Jakotsu. Renkotsu and Suikotsu are dead. I have the shards from the other five Shichinintai, plus my own, and some of Kagome’s in Banryuu. You have yours, one of Kagome’s, and both of Kouga’s.”
“I don’t know how you keep track of all that,” Jakotsu muttered. His head hurt just thinking about it. But the mention of Banryuu had reminded him of his own sword, which he realized sadly was likely damaged beyond repair. Because the blade had been embedded in the side wall of the cave, much of it had escaped Tetsusaiga’s wrath. But the one-third closest to the hilt was decimated, reduced to twisted scrap metal.
“You should have just let me die, Oo-aniki,” Jakotsu declared glumly. “I’m not much use without Jakotsutou.”
“Just wait a second, I want to try something.”
Jakotsu started to protest when Bankotsu removed yet another shard from his body, but his tongue was stilled when Jakotsutou reformed completely as the shard was pressed into the blade. With a shaking hand he picked up the hilt, flicking his wrist to recall the folding blade back to its closed form. He deployed the sword experimentally a couple times before once again regarding his friend with amazement.
“Heh, I thought that might work. The jewel repaired Banryuu, after all. You’re lucky Inuyasha’s attack didn’t catch too much of the blade. It was Inuyasha, wasn’t it?” At Jakotsu’s nod, Bankotsu grinned. “Good. Let’s go kill him then.”
“Oo-aniki?”
“I know where he’s heading, and I know a way to cut him off before he gets there. We’ll take him together this time.”
Jakotsu happily agreed, clasping Bankotsu’s outstretched hand. He wouldn’t get any ‘alone time’ with Inuyasha this way, but then he wasn’t really ‘in the mood’ anymore after nearly dying by the hanyou’s hand. It would still be nice, however, to slice Inuyasha up. As he entertained these bloodthirsty thoughts, Jakotsu felt a disturbing pulse of energy from deep within. It was as if a foreign force was trying to influence him. He shook it off after a moment. Whatever the strange feeling was, it wasn’t strong enough to overcome him. And for that reason, he decided not to worry about it. Now was not the time for such concerns. It was killing time.
Unknowingly, both Shichinintai shared the same thought. Wash your neck and wait for us, Inuyasha.
A/N – I didn’t go into it, but you can assume that Miroku and Sango’s encounter with Kagura and Saint Hakushin unfolds exactly how it did in the manga.
My own personal view of Jakotsu is this: his speech is too riddled with sexual innuendo for it to mean nothing. Most of the time, I believe he’s content to simply kill enemies, either quickly or slowly. But for the select few who really catch his fancy (like Inuyasha), I see his advances becoming not only violent but intensely sexual as well. Again, this is just my own interpretation based on the manga, which doesn’t really show us exactly what Jakotsu’s intentions for Inuyasha were (the barrier goes down before we find out).
And if you were disappointed by Kagome’s skills in battle, remember that she’s a schoolgirl from the twentieth century. That she managed to defeat a battle-hardened mercenary with a little luck and quite a bit of help is still pretty impressive in my book. So don’t be too mad at her for getting caught by Bankotsu. If she started going all Black Widow on us, it wouldn’t be in character.
He didn’t know how long he lay there, alone with his thoughts in that darkness. But when he heard the sound of approaching footsteps, he knew his end was near. He wondered who his executioner was. Inuyasha returned to finish the job? Or perhaps Renkotsu-no-aniki, come to claim the shards for himself. Not that Jakotsu would blame him; only a miracle could save him now.
His eyes widened as the person’s identity became clear, standing over him, gazing down at him with sadness and regret. Oo-aniki… He tried to speak, but was too weak to form words. He did, however, managed a small but sincere smile. I’m glad it’s you, Oo-aniki. Take my shards and run away from this place. Live.
Bankotsu knelt by his side, and Jakotsu closed his eyes, still smiling as he waited for the end. Instead, he heard a brief rustling, and then his lungs expanded rapidly in a great gasp. A surge of power rushed through his body. Suddenly he could move his previously severed arm again, clench and unclench the fingers on that hand. But he was not whole yet; the shard Bankotsu had given him had only partially reformed his devastated body. So his Oo-aniki gave him another one.
A few moments later, Jakotsu pulled himself gingerly to his feet. The tattered remains of his clothing fell to the cave floor, leaving him nearly naked. He regarded his Oo-aniki with amazement, once more unable to speak, though for an entirely different reason this time. Bankotsu grinned, tossing him a new robe with which to cover himself. In other circumstances, Jakotsu might have recognized the garment as belonging to Renkotsu. Bankotsu had intended to bury it, in a final show of respect to a man who while not always loyal, had fought many battles with the Shichinintai. But Jakotsu’s full attention was drawn solely to the man before him, this loyal friend and leader who had once again sacrificed his own strength in order to save him. And as in the previous instance, the same question came to mind.
“Oo-aniki…why?”
Bankotsu snorted and shook his head. “I can’t believe you still ask me that.”
“B-b-but, t-the shards! You need them!”
“I need you more,” the Shichinintai leader replied quietly. Jakotsu stared at him adoringly, tears pooling in his eyes. “Oh, don’t look at me like that,” Bankotsu scolded, not truly annoyed. “I already told you that you’re the only one I can trust. Besides, I still have plenty of shards.”
“Really? How many?”
“Six, plus a few in Banryuu which we took from that Kagome girl.”
“Six?” Jakotsu repeated, his mind slowing to a crawl. If he has six and I have four, that means…ah, I hate math! Fortunately, Bankotsu decided to rescue him.
“We’re the only ones left, Jakotsu. Renkotsu and Suikotsu are dead. I have the shards from the other five Shichinintai, plus my own, and some of Kagome’s in Banryuu. You have yours, one of Kagome’s, and both of Kouga’s.”
“I don’t know how you keep track of all that,” Jakotsu muttered. His head hurt just thinking about it. But the mention of Banryuu had reminded him of his own sword, which he realized sadly was likely damaged beyond repair. Because the blade had been embedded in the side wall of the cave, much of it had escaped Tetsusaiga’s wrath. But the one-third closest to the hilt was decimated, reduced to twisted scrap metal.
“You should have just let me die, Oo-aniki,” Jakotsu declared glumly. “I’m not much use without Jakotsutou.”
“Just wait a second, I want to try something.”
Jakotsu started to protest when Bankotsu removed yet another shard from his body, but his tongue was stilled when Jakotsutou reformed completely as the shard was pressed into the blade. With a shaking hand he picked up the hilt, flicking his wrist to recall the folding blade back to its closed form. He deployed the sword experimentally a couple times before once again regarding his friend with amazement.
“Heh, I thought that might work. The jewel repaired Banryuu, after all. You’re lucky Inuyasha’s attack didn’t catch too much of the blade. It was Inuyasha, wasn’t it?” At Jakotsu’s nod, Bankotsu grinned. “Good. Let’s go kill him then.”
“Oo-aniki?”
“I know where he’s heading, and I know a way to cut him off before he gets there. We’ll take him together this time.”
Jakotsu happily agreed, clasping Bankotsu’s outstretched hand. He wouldn’t get any ‘alone time’ with Inuyasha this way, but then he wasn’t really ‘in the mood’ anymore after nearly dying by the hanyou’s hand. It would still be nice, however, to slice Inuyasha up. As he entertained these bloodthirsty thoughts, Jakotsu felt a disturbing pulse of energy from deep within. It was as if a foreign force was trying to influence him. He shook it off after a moment. Whatever the strange feeling was, it wasn’t strong enough to overcome him. And for that reason, he decided not to worry about it. Now was not the time for such concerns. It was killing time.
Unknowingly, both Shichinintai shared the same thought. Wash your neck and wait for us, Inuyasha.
A/N – I didn’t go into it, but you can assume that Miroku and Sango’s encounter with Kagura and Saint Hakushin unfolds exactly how it did in the manga.
My own personal view of Jakotsu is this: his speech is too riddled with sexual innuendo for it to mean nothing. Most of the time, I believe he’s content to simply kill enemies, either quickly or slowly. But for the select few who really catch his fancy (like Inuyasha), I see his advances becoming not only violent but intensely sexual as well. Again, this is just my own interpretation based on the manga, which doesn’t really show us exactly what Jakotsu’s intentions for Inuyasha were (the barrier goes down before we find out).
And if you were disappointed by Kagome’s skills in battle, remember that she’s a schoolgirl from the twentieth century. That she managed to defeat a battle-hardened mercenary with a little luck and quite a bit of help is still pretty impressive in my book. So don’t be too mad at her for getting caught by Bankotsu. If she started going all Black Widow on us, it wouldn’t be in character.