InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Frantic ❯ Frantic One ( Chapter 1 )

 

 

Silence- it was threatening.

Sesshoumaru pinched the bridge of his nose to relieve the pounding in his head. It had gotten worse since the last time. He pinched harder but it was still not working. The air around him was hot and damp; he felt sweat collecting in his clothes, despite the occasional cool breeze fanning in, which slightly rustled the leaves of the sakura tree he found himself against.

 

Sesshouamaru was feverish, hot to the touch. He clamped his eyes tighter to lessen the tension in them as his breathing hitched, sending his head aflutter. He grabbed tighter to the tree trunk as a wave of dizziness assailed him, as the world around him seemed to whirl his body off balance.

 

What was happening? He did not know nor did he understand but it had been going on for quite some time. Despite his strange state, he strained to remember when and how this all started. But he could not remember. Back then, however, he was able to subdue it. Unlike now, he felt powerless.

 

Breathe, he thought, just breathe.

 

“Sesshoumaru!” he stopped, his eyes flashed open. “Sesshoumaru!” he heard that all too familiar voice call his name again. She was here. He could not let her see him this way—she would think him pathetic and…weak. The throbbing in his head continued, despite his coaxing it away. He wanted to rip the little demon out!

 

Breathe.

 

He heard the familiar stride amidst the thunderous pounding of his heart. The way her kimono rustled as she walked, the silks rubbing against each other in sweet caresses. Her scent filled the air with lilies and wildflowers, seductively invading his brain with visions of nostalgia; the same nostalgia that continued lingering in his body and mind.

 

She was coming closer…and closer. He had to get away. Strenuously, he willed his eyes to focus in the dark. The moon was out. His face was laden with sweat as he scanned about for a means of escape. He could not let her see him this way!

 

There were many, he realized, but all of them meant leaping over the mural encased garden, which met being seen.

 

Breathe.

 

The pain was unbearable, though. He could not think straight. Sesshoumaru had to leave. But before he could execute his departure, she was standing right in back of him with her hands to her sides.

 

“Sesshoumaru,” she said softly, “there you are.”

Suddenly, the world surrounding him spun faster as the tension built up, hammering harder in his brain. Then darkness enveloped him.

 

 

Frantic

By Maritza Lara

 

 

This can't be happening!

There was one desperate thought in her mind as she ran. There was one desperate feeling as her legs carried her tired body through as the frantic rush of adrenaline, coursing through her veins at thoroughbred speed, carried her desperately for self-preservation.

 

This can't be happening!, she repeated, like a mantra, in her brain, not understanding the full extent of her dilemma. She just ran through the woods with Hiraikotsu fastened tightly to her back. Despite the weight and her legs plagued with fatigue, she ran.

 

She wanted to stop; she wanted to breathe. But, if she stopped, even for a second, she would stop breathing altogether. This marked the difference between her life and her death; a dire mistake she had not the luxury to commit as her athletic legs moved her through dirt, through grime, carrying her stealthily through the forest grounds over deadwood and uproots.

 

This shouldn't be happening!, the thought raced in her mind as she maneuvered her body like an automaton, focusing on any route of escape. Far behind, there was a loud crash, indicating another fallen tree. In that instant, she gained more momentum, willing her legs to run faster; willing her arms to hold tighter—onto Hiraikotsu. If only she had made it lighter, it would not have been burdensome right now.

 

Not far from where she was, the impending threat to her life gained speed, knocking down every tree in its way just to get to her. Sango tried to even out her breathing as her heart pounded wildly.

 

Why had he not caught up to her yet?

 

He was stronger than ten men and he moved faster than light; his senses were more acute which made tracking her down effortless. Quickly, she managed to dodge a low hanging branch. It then dawned on her that he was biding time; he was playing with her. Just like a hungry cat playing with a frightened mouse.

 

CRASH! Another tree met its fate. She noticed he was being rather sloppy. But there was no time to speculate on his newly acquired techniques; he was gaining on her. She dodged more branches and managed to scrape her knee when she tripped over an uproot causing her to land on a huge rock. There was no time to cry now. She scurried quickly to her feet and continued her getaway, limping on that one leg. In no time, she found herself facing an incline. There was no time to think this through. Almost slipping to her death on wet moss, she clawed her way up the hill. She was fortunate to have many huge roots to serve as handholds, pulling her up, and as footholds to push her up. As she strived to climb, she almost slipped under Hiraikotsu's menacing weight. But with prowess, she maintained her hold, climbing up towards the hill's summit. Another tree collapsed in the distance.

 

Left, right, left, right…pull, push, pull, push, she thought in cadence. Sango was almost at the top. From there, she could pinpoint his location. Until then she was clueless. She grabbed one more jutting root and used it to hoist herself over the mound. When she finally succeeded in bringing her entire body on top, Sango collapsed face down from exhaustion.

 

Temporarily, she felt a twinge of relief wash over her body; it wouldn't last for long. With her left cheek pressed against the earth, Sango struggled to regain her breathing. Her body trembled as she pressed her face harder to the ground. She wanted to rest…she wanted to cry. That would have to wait. Her priority was getting up and finding safety in the forest, wherever that was.

 

Reluctantly, Sango lifted her heavy body off the ground; Hiraikotsu had other ideas and seemed to exert its commanding authority on her. She was really in no mood to argue with it. Another tree crashed in the distance. This time, the sound was closer. He was gaining on her. Stiffly, she pushed herself off the ground with renewed strength. It was enough to continue. With her breath still hitched, she began her walk little by little, adding more speed to her stride.

 

Another loud thud resonated on the forest floor.

He was coming.

 

She did not know how much more her body could endure this as she limped furiously to get away from promised death. She did not know, precisely, how much time she had before it decided to betray her. If Kirara was here she would have been whisked off to safety…but she was not. On that note, Sango hastened her gait.

 

 

 

It felt like an eternity. The weather was not all too promising, either. The clouds looked heavier and threatened to rain. Sango kept herself out of the open and close to the protection the trees lent under the canopy of their fronderous branches. She maintained herself on the move but cautious enough to keep her eye out for danger, which was not too far away.

 

It seemed the forest had silenced, which worried her. For the past half hour, she did not hear a tree fall. That was no excuse to let her guard down, however. He was out there—somewhere—looking for her. And it was not precisely to invite for tea. Sango knew that if she stopped, even for a second, he would find her. And judging in the condition in which she found him, he was not to be reasoned with. He left that behind him someplace ago.

 

With tired limbs, she climbed over downed trees with Hiraikotsu pressuring her. Some logs forced her to crawl under them, against moist, grimy soil. Her injured knee felt worse than before. Going on could be prejudicial to her. She decided she would stop and rest underneath one of these logs. At least, if it should happen to rain, this would shelter her from the onslaught.

 

Carefully, she set Hiraikotsu aside, keeping it in the standing position and sat herself right on the damp ground. To her discomfort, she felt the moisture seeping through her underside. Carefully, although with a bit of pain, she brought the affected knee close to her chest in order to inspect the injury through the black fabric of her uniform. It was moist. When she touched it with the tips of her fingers, she winced even more and quickly noticed her three middle digits stained with blood.

 

“Damn!” she swore under her breath.

 

She would have to tend to it. There was also the possibility that it was a slight scratch. But she would never know unless she peeled the black fabric to examine the skin. Slowly, she guided her fingers back on the wound and reluctantly removed the fabric, wincing as she managed to rip off some scabbing, leaving raw skin. The blood had begun to coagulate around the wound. To her disappointment, it was not closing fast enough.

 

She looked around her, trying to sense him. At the same time, she searched her person trying to find something to tie around her wound until she was able to get to safety. There was nothing available off-hand, and the satchel she had her affects in were left back at the village she ran out of. At this moment, she wondered if that girl was all right; if she managed to get to safety. And hoping too much, perhaps the girl was with Kirara and they were both looking for her.

 

Sango inwardly sighed.

 

If only my friends were here, she wished.

“They would know what to do.”

 

As she carefully fiddled with her wound, Sango realized how much her friends meant to her—the possibility of not seeing them again. There were times she took them for granted. All the times they would worry about her well fare and she would push them away. If only she had not done that.

 

Sango sighed again.

 

She sat back against the log. Reaching for her wakazashi, she unsheathed it. For a moment, she looked at her reflection on the blade's flat surface, instantly picking up on the minor cuts and bruises. She especially noticed the huge scratch along her jaw line.

 

He did that, she remembered.

The feeling that welled up inside of her was one she could not explain. She wanted to cry for the only word that came to her mind to describe that feeling was `disbelief'. She replayed the events in her head and still could not understand how it all happened and why.

 

She kept her eyes on the scratch.

He did that, she repeated again.

 

It was not supposed to have happened. It was supposed to be like any other demon extermination job. She was the one hired to rid the demon, not the other way around. As she contemplated her image longer, she was dismayed on how dirty she looked. She was a complete mess. She looked wild and unkempt. Not the Sango she knew she was. In reaction to that, she brought her lips into a pout. Definitely, a warm bath was in good order…if she survived.

 

Without further ado, she turned the blade onto its dull edge and proceeded to dismantling her left sleeve at the elbow to turn it into a tourniquet. In no time, she cut it around, placed the wakazashi on her lap to strip the fabric from her slender, athletic arm. Again, to her disappointment, her action revealed more bruises running sporadically along her arm. They were dark and hurt to the touch.

 

There was no time to admire them. Efficiently, she tied what used to be her sleeve around her knee, making sure to apply enough pressure to stop the bleeding, tying the cloth into a knot underneath. There!, she thought.

 

Sango looked at it—then decided it was good enough. She quickly slipped the blade back into its sheathe, and sat back to rest her tired, aching bones. She closed her eyes for a second—rest—then reopened them. Shifting her vision to the left, she stared at Hiraikotsu standing proudly against the trunk. It was not long ago she had repaired it. That was why she left her friends to return to her village.

 

Hiraikotsu had been badly damaged during a recent battle with one of Naraku's minions, a scorpion demon. The fight was fierce—Hiraikotsu paid the price for protecting her, for protecting them. When that occurred, Kagome was not there to aid them. Unfortunately, she had gone back home the night before, it was something having to do with some tests she had pending.

 

Sango sighed in exasperation, looking around for signs of danger. She was safe, so far. She breathed relief then turned her gaze back to her weapon. She had to admit to herself that she did an excellent job mending it, causing her to smile with gratification.

 

Thinking back on it, the battle with the creature was fierce. Days before that, it would have been easier to eliminate it when it was not that strong—easier, not easy. They had first confronted the monster at a nearby village, not too far away from the shrine. It had been terrorizing the villagers for weeks, but when they finally were called upon, they wasted no time in heading that way.

 

Once they arrived, half the village was destroyed, twenty villagers were injured, and five were dead. The destruction itself was terrible. It was then that Sango felt a pang of déjà vu. The village head approached them, desperately pleading for their assistance. She remembered Miroku about to negotiate conditions but when she and Kagome served him their death glares; Miroku immediately knew it was best to refrain. InuYasha, on the other hand, was occupied sniffing the air. The moment his ears perked up, they knew something was about. Without as much as a word, InuYasha was the first to sprint off to action, dashing towards the other side of the village, the side that had not been scathed by the beast. Miroku did not hesitate to follow him close behind, like the hanyou; he took off without a word.

 

It did not take long to find the scorpion cornered against a rock at the forest's edge. It was resting. InuYasha and Miroku were trying to keep the beast at bay until Sango and Kagome arrived on the scene. It was hissing and its eyes glowed fire. It was huge; probably the size of two huts put together, but not that huge. If she was not mistaken, it probably was not as dangerous, either, if it were not for the poisonous tip of its long, black tail. Its claws were not to be pushed over, either. They were powerful enough to crush bones and slice objects in half.

 

With Tetsusaiga, InuYasha blocked off one of the demon's claws. Miroku, on the other hand, used his staff to block the other one. Sango quickly untied Hiraikotsu to throw at the beast, in order to give Kagome enough time to gather her spiritual energy and exterminate it with her purification arrow. Sango ran into battle to help the boys. The scorpion haphazardly swung its claw at her. Luckily, InuYasha managed to intercept the attack on time, pushing the offensive appendage off. Sango felt relieved when InuYasha came to her rescue.

 

“Are you okay?” InuYasha asked, concerned, at the same time keeping himself alert to the scorpion's position. Sango nodded and brought the boomerang in front of her to use as a shield. She was too close to simply swing Hiraikotsu in its direction. There was another attack and InuYasha protected her again.

 

The fight was troubling; the scorpion refused to give in. When it did not launch attacks with its claws, it did so with its poisonous tail. In one of those attacks, it almost pierced Miroku in his abdomen.

 

When that occurred, Sango remembered a feeling of sudden dread washing over her as Miroku struggled to stand. She had run quickly to his side, keeping Hiraikotsu positioned to shield herself from attack. The beast was about to repeat the onslaught when, suddenly, Kagome's arrow grazed close above Sango's head, hitting the tail but not piercing it. She recalled the expression on the young miko's face when she realized her power had not affect on the creature.

 

“Something's protecting its armor!” Miroku pointed out.

 

But before Sango could add anything to that affect, before InuYasha had time to predict its next move, the scorpion suddenly bounded to the air, landing right in front of Kagome's startled form. Kagome immediately grabbed another arrow, sliding it into the bow, and aiming directly into between the demon's eyes. The demon, by some inexplicable miracle, senses Kagome's impending fear and smacked the girl hard to the side. Sango and the others quickly scattered to Kagome's aid. InuYasha, swinging Tetsusaiga high overhead, lunged at the creature with animal speed, bringing the sword down upon the eight-legged threat with a crunch. Alas, before that crunch could happen, InuYasha was swatted like a fly in midair and was sent soaring backwards like unwanted trash.

 

Sango's heart hitched for a moment when InuYasha's form crashed far into the field, creating a long trench in the earth. She wanted to run to his aid but found difficulty in this execution as the scorpion-beast retreated threateningly towards Kagome's semi-conscious form.

 

“Miroku!” she called to the monk beside her. When he heard her voice, he turned. “Get Kagome!” she ordered. He answered her with a curt nod and readied his staff for offensive claws. He ran around Sango, looking for a possible opening to Kagome's location. She was still on the ground knocked out.

 

“I'm using Kazaana!” he informed her.

Sango shook her head in protest, “It's too dangerous!”

“I just need to pull the demon as far away from Kagome as possible!”

Sango sighed, and then replied, “Do it.”

 

However, the situation made a turn for the worse. Miroku stood confidently in front of Sango. “Here,” he offered her his staff, which she accepted. With one fluid movement, he whipped the string of beads from his arm, unleashing the powers of his cursed vortex and aimed determinately at the scorpion. The moment the cloth fell, he opened his hand and the winds started to bring the demon in. When the creature felt its body being pulled in by the vacuum, it planted its enormous claws straight into the earth for anchorage, making Miroku's task the more difficult. At the same time, Kagome's body wavered in the winds, in danger of being lifted off the ground. Sango had to act fast. But risking her own life by throwing herself in the vortex's wake was suicidal if not stupid. But, she had to get Kagome out of there.

 

“Kirara!” she called her fire-cat, who jumped into action in her full demon form when she heard Sango's desperate voice and raced to retrieve Kagome's body.

 

“Come on, you son-of-a-bitch!” Miroku swore as the scorpion was slowly being dragged towards him. With its claws anchored to the ground, pulling it just created a set of deep trenches that were similar to gigantic cat claws.

 

The next transition the world seemed to be moving in slow motion. The moment Kirara landed at Kagome's side, the moment she took her shirt into her mouth to keep Kagome from being swallowed by the wind, Sango noticed something brilliant fly out the miko's green skirt and ride into the direction of the wind. It felt her voice took forever to articulate the words…the words to tell Miroku to stop. It was too late, though. The Shikon Shard had already embedded itself between the demon's ferocious eyes. Miroku noticed it, too.

 

Quickly, the monk closed his hand into a fist, wrapping the prayer beads back into place. Kirara wasted no time in taking to the air with her prize hanging by the scruff her shirt, taking her where InuYasha lay unconscious. Both Miroku and Sango watched the creature with anticipated interest.

 

Praying it was only a figment of her imagination, Sango hoped she was not seeing what she thought she was seeing. For a moment, the creature's black form was still. Then that was when the transformation happened. The air around them pulsated in threat and grew stronger and rang louder. The scorpion's claws grew bigger, its legs grew longer and its tail…grew deadlier than ever. Both monk and exterminator stared in awe as the creature reached awful heights; its dimensions spreading, expanding to cover more ground. Before they knew it, it was the size of ten huts!

 

Sango looked at Miroku for guidance. To her surprise, his eyes doubled in size and his jaw had plummeted in awe.

 

“Miroku?” she jostled him. Since he did not react, she jostled again, “Miroku!”

 

When he finally came to reality, Miroku replied to her the best way possible. He took her hand and ran like a bat out of hell, dragging Sango and Hiraikotsu away from the danger at hand. Once they reached Kirara, Miroku wasted no time loading both InuYasha and Kagome on the cat's back, ordering her to take off. Reluctantly, she did, leaving Sango and Miroku on foot.

 

“Let's leave!” Miroku impared, but Sango caught his sleeve with inquisition in her eyes.

“What about that thing!” she inquired, concerned about letting it run loose.

“With InuYasha out cold, there's not much we can do.”

Behind them, there was a loud crash as trees were ripped from the ground. Sango turned on the ball of her heel and sprinted to safety with Miroku in tow. Not far, she saw Kirara's figure flying ahead of them

 

CRASH! Sango was rattled back to reality to realize that sound was real. It was near. Painfully, she fumbled to her feet, grabbed Hiraikotsu and tuned her ear to the forest. Five seconds later, she heard another crash. This was her cue to relocate…away from danger.

 

_____________________________________________

 

Red eyes burned in desperation.

The woman was close.

He could smell her.

A tree he had slain not too long ago, lay dead before him on the forest floor, stripped of life. He glared intensely at the fallen thing like an offensive splinter that had to be removed.

 

He growled at it with disdain.

 

His face was flushed, his skin burned under the thick layering of silk as sweat mounted up in his garments. Far off, he could hear the frantic cries of birds, squawking wildly in warning to the rest of the world that He was coming—that He was going to destroy everything laid in his path.

 

All the forest creatures around the vicinity ran the moment they caught ear of his menacing growl, rumbling ferally at the back of his throat. He could hear them scamper pathetically to safety.

 

Too bad though.

 

Without as much of a warning, he whipped out his energy whip and swung his arm back and forth, left to right, killing every little vermin in sight. He was able to sense their fear and relished every second they squealed for their lives.

 

There was another throw of whip here, and another one there. The wonderful aroma of death as their blood brought to his acute nostrils was ambrosia to his senses. And the sensuous sensation, gratification, of exterminating every last one of them brought to him the sweet sense of release.

 

Tranquility.

 

Killing those humans, he thought reminiscing, destroying their precious little village, laying waste to their huts…having their lives clutched at the mercy of his hand and, then, taking that away—slaked his hunger; his emptiness.

 

He would find her—that was his goal.

He sensed her. He sensed her desperation and her fear.

He sensed her determination to survive.

 

She was not far, though.

Not quick enough.

Surely, not smart enough.

He would quench his thirst…he would do it with her.

 

 

 

(End of Chapter One)