InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Lavender and Roses ❯ Shadows of the Past ( Chapter 6 )

Ah! Angst and Blood! Enjoy! lol

Lavender and Roses

By: Rini

Chapter 6: Shadows From the Past

Arioch barred her fangs and her claws flexed around her weapon, the Jewel of the Moon, which glowed faintly purple. Her eyes bled crimson and lacked all form of recognition and sanity. Her tail swayed slowly behind her, seeming to become thicker and darker. The demon markings on her face seemed bolder.

"Arioch," Inuyasha said slowly.

"Run," Arioch rasped out in her now more feline voice," Run and don't look back."

"Inuyasha," Sango called out.

"It's not safe here anymore," Miroku muttered.

"Inuyasha, let's leave," Kagome said, fear lacing her voice and making it tremble.

"I can't just leave this the way it is," Inuyasha replied.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed.

Inuyasha, as though fighting his inner demons, finally put his sword back in its sheath. He turned to the others and walked to Kagome's side and helped her onto his back. Sango, Miroku, and Shippo climbed onto Kilala's transformed back. Inuyasha bid one last look at his own brother and the demoness he learned to call friend.

"Will everything be ok?" Kagome whispered into Inuyasha's dog-ears.

"I don't know, but I'll protect you Kagome. And for your sake, I hope everything turns out alright."

Kilala jumped into the air and took off, with Inuyasha and Kagome on the ground following her. Kagome took one last look at the battle about to unfold and felt a tear escape her eye and take to the wind.

< Come back alive, Arioch. >

Sesshomaru heard his brother take off. He never took his eyes off the demoness in front of him. He felt the hate and anger radiate off of her in waves and he knew it was directed at him. He looked her figure over and knew she was a force to be reckoned with.

Sesshomaru and Arioch stood face to face, a few feet apart. His white robes rustled in the fierce wind that herald a storm approaching. The sash around his waist rustled and the armor on his shoulder and body rustled slightly, but the slight sounds drove Arioch mad. Sesshomaru's white hair and fur danced in the wind that only it could perfect. Sesshomaru's eyes remained as cold and empty as before, but still true to the deepest color gold Arioch had ever seen, the eyes that plagued her dreams for decades.

"So just who are you?" Sesshomaru asked in his deep voice.

"You know well enough who I am," Arioch grounded out.

"If I knew why would I ask."

Arioch growled, "Don't you dare toy with me."

"Just what do you plan to do anyway? Come up and kill me? Better demons than you have tried."

Arioch's lips curved into a sinful smile and she laughed playfully, " But they never had the drive nor the purpose that I have."

"And just what is your purpose?"

"I thought we went through all this already. I won't leave until you are dead and I have tasted your blood."

Sesshomaru's lips curved to a smile and he took a battle stance," Then come and taste it."

Arioch snarled and lunged forward with her claws. Sesshomaru quickly dodged and turned to the side, but Arioch was quick to strike again. They went back and forth like that for a few more seconds, Arioch always missing by a fraction of a second. Suddenly, Arioch lashed forward and anticipated he'd move and quickly crouched down and kicked Sesshomaru's legs out from under him, knocking him down hard to the ground.

Arioch climbed on top off him and stared down into his face, licking her lips, "Now where are those dark eyes I remember so well from before."

Sesshomaru frowned and pushed her off of him. Arioch backed away and purred, urging him forward. Sesshomaru flexed his claws and charged at her, but Arioch merely sidestepped away. Sesshomaru kicked up his speed more and the two went dashing at each other, moving so fast that they appeared like a blur.

Sesshomaru charged his energy whip and quickly hit Arioch's shoulder, causing her to jump back. Her dark navy kimono slid down her shoulder part way and revealed ivory skin underneath. Her smile returned once more.

"That's no way to use a whip. Let me show you how!"

Arioch drew out her whip and cracked the ground hard with its fierce metal tip, causing a crack to run along the ground towards Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru took another stance and held firm to his energy whip. Arioch brought the whip above her head and spun it in a fast circle and brought it down swiftly. It wrapped around Sesshomaru's leg and spilled him to the ground. Arioch quickly brought the whip back to her and struck the tip out, impaling the ground. Sesshomaru quickly flipped back and missed getting hit.

"Nice trick."

"I trained just to kill you."

"Don't I feel special."

Sesshomaru threw his whip out, as did Arioch. Both whips wrapped around each other and a tug of war began. Sesshomaru tugged back sharply on his, but he knew his energy whip was nothing compared to her whip. His whip broke as Arioch gave a strong pull. Arioch turned around, giving her whip the extra momentum it needed, and sent it back out at Sesshomaru. He put his arm up in defense, but the metal links wrapped tightly around his forearm, blood trickling down.

"Ah! So the Great Demon Lord bleeds!" Arioch laughed.

Sesshomaru grunted and pulled the chain closer to him. Arioch drew the handle up near her face and steadied herself. It soon became a standoff. Neither moved for minutes, which passed by like years. Sesshomaru stared into her cold red eyes and found neither fear nor defeat.

"You'll never beat me like this," Sesshomaru called out.

"I don't intend to. I'm more than a face and a voice. I'm more than you'll ever know."

"Well at least it's a pretty face," Sesshomaru smirked.

"Your charms will never work on anyone, least of all me."

"It was worth a shot. So let's see what you got. "

"Lost Phase of the Eclipse!" Arioch yelled.

The metals links in her whip glowed bright purple with energy. Suddenly, the links broke and separated. Sesshomaru's eyes shot open and he started to race off as each of the many, new sharp links chased after him. He pulled out his sword, Tokijin, and tried to deflect the shards, but they just glowed brighter and resumed their chase.

Arioch's laughter echoed throughout the field," You'll never fight them off like that."

Sesshomaru grunted as they pierced through his kimono and sliced his skin. He was getting cuts down his arm as he tried countless times to deflect them, but it proved useless since there were too many and they just kept coming back. Sesshomaru ran his way to the forest and jumped from branch to branch, trying to get the shards stuck in the wood.

Arioch laughed as she chased after him and walked through the forest," Seriously Sesshomaru. Now you're just clutching straws."

Sesshomaru brought his sword out and sent out a wave of energy and pushed a few of the shards back, but a new wave lashed out and pinned his arms and legs to a massive oak tree. Sesshomaru tried pulling on his arms, but the blades slashed at his skin and caused pain to flow through his body.

Arioch slowly walked forward from the shadows, her eyes still blazing red.

"I thought after 47 years I'd get a much better fight than this."

"Who are you?" Sesshomaru shouted.

"Do you not recognize my face. I'm not surprised after what you did. I'm not the poor girl anymore, thanks to you. You ended all that 47 years ago."

"What? What are saying?"

Arioch stepped right before him and closed her eyes. She reached back with her hands and pulled her hair up in a ponytail, letting strands frame her face. She moved her face up and slowly opened her eyes. They were once again deep violet, alight with fire and burning brightly.

Sesshomaru's breath caught in his throat," Kira."

Arioch let her hair fall and her hands went around Sesshomaru's throat," Kira's dead! She died the day she gave her love to a demon."

Sesshomaru stared deep into her eyes," How?"

"She cursed you just before you drew your sword and buried it in her stomach, its new sheath. Her soul would never rest until you were killed by the same hands that died by you."

"She was dead. She will never return."

"Then say hello to a ghost, your personal shadow from the past."

Arioch gripped his neck tighter, her claws drawing small wounds that leaked red blood. Sesshomaru never took his eyes off of her own and drew in sharp breaths as her claws dug deeper and deeper. Suddenly, the Tensaiga sheathed at his side pulsed to life and throbbed with white energy. The energy wrapped around both demons and filled the forest with a dome of sheer power.

Arioch felt her hands burn and was thrown back into a tree. She raised her hands and saw they were slightly burnt. Her kimono front was charred in places and the top part was burnt off, revealing the tops of her cream-colored breasts. Flimsy navy fabric barely hung over her shoulder and parts of her sleeves were gone.

Sesshomaru moved his arms and gripped the Tensaiga; the pieces that attached him to the tree fell to the ground lifeless and glowed purple before reassembling itself back into the whole chain. He then brought the sword down and replaced it at his side and picked up the Tokijin and replaced that sword as well.

"Even a fabled sword will protect its unpure master," Arioch said slowly as she leaned against a tree, her arms crossed over her chest.

"A sword will always protect its master no matter who it is."

"I guess so. Now's your chance to run."

"I don't run from fights," Sesshomaru said as he took slow, deliberate steps toward her.

Arioch formed a smile, though it was laced in pain," I guess something from you did rub off on me after all."

Arioch wavered and was about to fall to her knees when Sesshomaru ran the last few steps to her and grabbed her arms and held her against the tree. Arioch hissed as his rough hands brushed her burnt skin, but Sesshomaru didn't let his grip fall. Arioch rested her head against the tree trunk and looked into his golden eyes, eyes that now stormed with many emotions and was burning with new light.

"Why," Arioch began," did you have to be the one graced with the most perfect eyes I've ever seen?"

Sesshomaru used his right hand to trace the violet and navy lines across her cheeks while his left hand held her chin so her face couldn't leave his own. He then leaned forward and kissed her lips lightly with his own. Arioch slowly closed her eyes and grabbed onto his collar, to steady her shaking legs, which also had cuts and blood seeping from them.

Sesshomaru pulled back, "You can kill me another day guardian."

"I'll hold you to that demon lord," Arioch groaned out as she tried to stand on her own.

Sesshomaru quickly pulled out his sword and pointed it at her throat, "Next time I won't be so easily pushed over."

Sesshomaru quickly jumped up and out of the trees and disappeared into the night. The dark clouds above departed and let the clear moonlit sky take hold of the horizon. Arioch collapsed, her back against the tree and her legs out in front of her. She hissed and groaned in protest as she tried to move her muscles. She moved her hand to her side and pulled it away, as it was soaked in blood.

"Fabled sword indeed," Arioch whispered into the night as her eyelids drooped down and closed.