InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Quarter-Demon ❯ Fight to the Unfinished ( Chapter 8 )

Quarter-Demon

Chapter Eight: Fight to the Unfinished

By Kurohi Tatsaki

"speaking" ~~~POV switch~~~ ***Passing of Time {sounds} [thoughts] /stuff in quotes in speech/ ******dreams end/begin

Disclaimer: No matter what, I don't own Inu-Yasha. The only ones that I DO own are the sons and daughter of Inu-Yasha IN THIS FIC! E-mail/review if you want to use them, and I'll probably let you if you give me credit for the character(s)!

----------------------------------------

Something was wrong... I could sense it!

Despite the aching in my bones, I stood up from my sleeping place underneath a large tree and sprinted to where I smelled my opponent. I dashed through the trees and soon came upon a waterfall and a lake.

Kurohi's scent stopped here, at the very edge.

Slowly, I approached the site, and started feeling drowsy. I shook my head to clear it and dove into the water. My silver eyes widened in shock at what I found in the slightly murky bottom of the pond.

Kurohi!!

I swam quickly. Who knew how long he had been down here?! Scooping his limp body up, I swam to the surface and gulped in fresh air. Kurohi remained silent. His eyes were closed and his mouth slightly open.

My eyes wanted to close, but I couldn't go to sleep *now*!

I tossed him unceremoniously on dry land and flopped down beside him.

"Hey, mutt-head, wake up," I murmured.

No response. I felt like panicking. **I** was the only one who would kill him, not some stupid WATER!

"Mutt-head!" I roughly hit his chest with my fist.

Warm water splashed me in the face as Kurohi coughed for the first time. In instinct, I had frowned and shut my eyes as the initial burst of lung-absorbed water struck me. I sat there, hitting his back with as little strength as I could as he hacked his lungs out.

He finished hacking for a bit, then he wiped his mouth with lidded eyes. He gave a half-cough here and there to rid his body of the remains.

"What were you doin' at the bottom of a lake, Mutt-head?" I finally asked tiredly, finally wiping my face with my sleeve.

I saw Kurohi blink at the ground. "I think I must have fallen in my sleep. I suddenly passed out... and saw another world..." His eyes were misted over, lost in memories. "Wait, whad d'ya want with me, anyway? How did you find me?" he asked stonily, but his eyes were slowly fixed on me tiredly. They flickered once with a slow blink.

"Before I answer anything, I think this area is under a spell. I'm getting very tired just staying here, and I'm already tired enough as it is," I admitted. "I might answer your questions as soon as we get outta here." I grabbed his hand and hauled our butts out of that place.

We passed through among trees, plants and other life. I wasn't focusing on much at all. We had to get out of there! I didn't want to fall victim to a spell! If I were to die, I'd like to die by this mutt's own two hands!

...Wait, what am I thinking? **I** won't lose to this mutt! I'll NEVER die to him! Mwa ha ha ha!

After some time, Kurohi tugged against my hand.

I turned around and sighed huffily. "What now?" A warm weight settled itself against my chest with a soft sound, and I unconsciously found my hand resting on his back, holding him to me. Suddenly recognizing just what I was doing, I blinked at the burden of Kurohi's body, tensed, and threw him off immediately. "What the hell are you doing?!" The quart-dog landed on his butt and winced - in either pain or surprise, I know not. I felt a tug at my heart but shoved it aside, forgetting it immediately in my irritation about the situation at hand. "Who gave *you* permission to touch *me*?!!" I was not about to admit that I liked the hidden warmth of his body. Crap, did I just think that?!! What the hell am I thinking, thinking about the enemy like that??!!!!!

He stared blankly up at me from the ground. His mouth moved slightly as he whispered the word, "Sorry..." His eyes fell down to the ground. (A/N: Ever played the Inu-Yasha game? Listen how Inu-Yasha says "Sorry" and that's how Kurohi just said it. For those who don't know, it sounded like, "Soh-rleh")

He's apologizing? "Look, I'm just grumpy and the only contact I'll let you use is when you fight me tomorrow!"

The male was silent. He stared down at the ground again. His body looked limp, like a doll's when the strings were cut or when it was a stuffed doll that was incapable of ANY movement on its own. His eyes glimmered with fatigue from the spell.

No, they were tears, but he was hiding them. Probably because of his near-death experience.

I won't say a word. Besides, I owed him an explanation. "As for the fact as to how I found you, I smelled you and followed your scent. It's rather odd - like it doesn't belong in this realm, like it doesn't belong in this time-stream."

"True. I don't belong," he replied bitterly, and I could have sworn that I heard tears in his voice, too. "I was born several centuries from the Feudal Era's future. I'm not even born yet, here." He finally looked up at me.

I blinked. Too. Much. Information. What *was* this gibberish? "What the hell are you mumbling about??"

Kurohi growled at me in a dog-like fashion. He slowly rose to his feet. "Truth, you baka," he said quietly.

"Baka?! Who are YOU callin' stupid?! I SAVED YOU ASS!!!" I demanded. Who was HE to stand against me?!

He snorted. "You, obviously, are the one I'm calling stupid," he replied. "However, I thank you for saving my life," he continued bitterly, as if he didn't WANT to be saved.

Boy, did he tick me off!

I grabbed the collar of his shirt and easily lifted the quarter-demon into the air. He stared back with wide blue eyes, but the rest of his face was rather calm. I reached into a pocket in my haori and brought out a small blade.

He stared at the knife with little emotion, as if he was expecting me to pull it out in the first place. He was looking pain and possible death in the eye, and looking bored about it. "What do you plan on doing with *that*?" he asked slowly, arching one eyebrow at it.

I heard a little fear, but that spurred me on. I know I'm a jackass, but it's for his own good. He should respect his superiors.

"Ohhhh, nothing much." I pointed it at his face. "You just pissed me off, so I'm going to do something with this."

He raised an eyebrow. "Maniac," he commented with a dry chuckle. "Do you really think you can kill me, hanyou no Puma no baka?" he asks.

My feline ears twitched at his voice. How he knows I'm a Puma hanyou is beyond me. I'm flattered at this, but I don't let it show.

"Ah, you finally realized I'm a feline, eh?"

"Yeah, considering you're not a water-type," he replied casually. He's actually looking very calm, considering I'm holding a blade near his face with one hand and holding him at least a few inches above the ground, by the collar, in the other hand. One would think that he's commenting about the weather being the same as yesterday.

I take the blade and slice the bottom his jaw. I hear nothing from his throat as the pink flesh tears and I see it try to slowly mend itself. Kurohi is behaving robot-like - as if he feels no pain. However, his blue eyes, windows to the soul, are betraying him. I see all the pain he's trying to hold back.

Not all of it's physical, I think.

He's staring straight at me. The dam's holding strong, but for how long? "You don't want a fair fight, do you? You don't want me to beat you, so you're going to kill me with that knife," he says. He speaks as if commenting about some boring topic. The wall's vibrating lightly.

I frown. Kill him? Hmph. No. "I just want you to know who's boss, y'got that?"

The wall stops moving. It's rock-hard and colder than ice. He bares a fang at me. "I understand, but you're not my superior, half-breed."

"I wouldn't call me that if I were you. You just might... PISS ME OFF!" I landed a few cuts to his face with flicks of my wrist. One across his cheek, cross-hatching the other scar, and one across his forehead. His head snaps to the side as my blows sink into his face. His eyes become wide for a split second.

I hear a whimper. Blood slowly drips down his face. His eyes are defiant; they're glaring, yet they're wavering.

"Don't make me kill you for that."

"Why? You treasure your childish face?" I ask, trying not to drool as the life fluid trickles down. Some of it covers his left eyelid, and, no, not to MY left.

"No. You're invading my space with your blows. Not only that, you're pissing me off. I wanna be Youkai." His body shifts. His blue eyes turn blood red. His tail lashes left and right before becoming completely red. His shirt tears away from his body, ending up in tatters on the ground. His super-short claws lengthen two twice their length, and he shoves me into the ground. I hear a low, deep growl.

I stare back at him. "WHAT **ARE** YOU?!!"

He laughs, deep and sadistic, but full of mirth. His wounds disappear. "The monster of your dreams! Your nightmares! Your darkness! This is what I am! Die! Claws of STEEL!!" His paw comes down where I was *right* before I dodged to my right.

I am suddenly stopped in my tracks. Kurohi's red gaze is locked to my own as he pins me with his claws and feet. His claws draw blood on my wrists, and his chest is in my full view. It ripples with his gentle breaths.

But there's nothing gentle about him now.

"Be glad I can control this..." he croons. I shiver and my eyes slide shut at his voice. "Otherwise, you'd already be dead..." After a moment, I throw my weight to my left and land atop him.

"*I'M* your superior!"

He chuckles. "Prove it. If you can manage to keep me down, I just MIGHT agree for you to be my superior!" Kurohi rolls to his feet, sending ME flying into a tree.

I grunt at the sharp impact and I force my brain to clear. His easy power pisses me off to NO end.

Time to fight his fire with my own. Problem is, unlike him, I lose all control whatsoever when I become youkai. I have to be super-pissed, but I'm not quite up that far yet. "Che..."

"You swearing at yourself or at me, hanyou?" he asks. "I can hear you. I can hear every bit of you. It's rather enticing, you know."

"NANI?!!!" What a strange thing for a male to say to another. Could he possibly be...

"I can hear your heartbeat, it's racing like crazy. Are you excited, or are you afraid?" he asks, slowly stepping closer to me, smirking.

I felt my strength increase. My senses heightened. I could hear his demonic heartbeat going "bada-badum, bada-badum, bada-badum".

I lost consciousness.

~~~~~~

Kurohi watched in amazement as a similar happening occurred to Kasei. Kasei's shirt was burned away by his sheer aura; strange silver markings appeared on his porcelain arms. His claws lengthened, much like his own, and Kasei, in a blind rage, lunged at his target, red hair flying like a stream of blood behind him.

Kurohi danced to the side and attacked with his own claws. He was given a split second to admire Kasei's demonic beauty before a blow to his already cut - but healing - face sent him reeling in a second's confusion. He attacked again with a strong kick, but his leg was caught by one clawed, fiery-hot hand and burned. It went straight through the material of his pants' leg, and burned his calf.

The red-eyed one glared at the now gold-eyed one and bit Kasei's free arm with a growl of pain.

Kasei, with effort, threw him off - gaining two cuts in the process, thanks to Kurohi's fangs - and slashed a flaming claw at him.

The claw hit him squarely in the chest, right over his heart; sending him flying through several trees. He lay still panting. He gingerly touched his burnt chest and winced. It healed rapidly, but for some reason, he felt star-shaped scar tissue under his clawed fingertips.

[What the hell...?! Oh, man, is HE gonna pay for that!]

Kurohi leapt to his feet and charged at his enemy. His eyes blazed with fierce rage. He zigzagged between trees and made to pounce on his opponent.

The redhead swiftly dodged, his long hair whispering past and accented with a ghostly after-image, and kicked him in the side once before slashing Kurohi in the face with a burning claw, growling fiercely.

The red-eyed Youkai was sent to the ground, yelping in pain.

Again, the multi-color-haired boy was back on his feet in a jiffy, sending forth his own onslaught.

And again, he was sent backwards and to the grass. Kasei was atop him in a second. His claws came down...

Kurohi rolled backward and kicked the other demon in the stomach, sending him back a few yards. The younger Youkai landed on his hands and feet. The older Youkai charged at him; the red-eyed one jumped back and then slashed forward at the gold-eyed one. His claws tore through the other's shoulder.

Kasei jumped back, and suddenly paused. His eyes suddenly lost the glare of fighting; he turned around, the platinum marks fading from his arms, and his eyes reverting to those of the stars.

The ruby-eyed Youkai blinked. "Kasei?"

The redhead growled and his hair seemed to bristle a little.

Kurohi heard the sound of bees... no, Naraku's poison insects! "You hate Naraku, too, don't you?"

Kasei turned his way and looked at him, point-blank, with his silver eyes. "Of course. Who doesn't?"

Kurohi muttered that he'd like to be hanyou and strode up next to the redhead. He leaned into a pose that had his weight focused on one leg. The scar tissue shimmered in the pale light. "Then, let's get rid of these insects before they reach the others."

The one with eyes the color of the stars nodded in agreement.

Blue eyes gazed upward as the insects started to show themselves. He jumped up one of the trees to get a better view. He drew his sword. "Anyone call for an exterminator? Too bad! Cuz we're takin' 'em out!"

"What are ya blabbin' about, mutt-head?!"

"If no one listens, I'm blabbin' to myself, ya knot-head!"

"Knot-head?! Get DOWN here so I can kick your ass!"

Quickly glaring down at the hanyou on the ground, he snarled, "I don't feel like it! Now SHUT UP!" He lunged and cut into the insects with his jagged blade.

Kasei pulled out his flame "katana" and took after the ones that came his way. Across his sight, Kurohi flitted, as a red blur, from bug swarm to swarm.

They kept coming. Kasei leapt up to a tree to Kurohi's right and swung his blade as soon as a swarm came into range.

The buzzing continued as more took the places of their comrades.

Kurohi growled. [At this rate, we'll eventually be too worn-out to continue! K'so!]

"SANKONTESSHOU!"

Another red blur came across Kasei's vision.

Several bugs fell to the ground, and Inu-Yasha turned to them, his knuckles cracking. "Thought you could kill them off without leaving anything for me?"

"There's more!"

Inu-Yasha then leapt forward, using his claws to fight off the insects for now. "I'll keep them busy here! Get the others!"

Kurohi nodded. "Hai!"

He turned tail and flew, bounding from treetop to treetop.

They needed everyone they could get... Naraku was approaching, and quickly.

----------------------------------------

Finished 9/3/03 Revised: 7:45PM, June 29, 2004