InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Quarter-Demon ❯ Kurohi Loses Control ( Chapter 9 )

Quarter-Demon

Chapter Nine: Kurohi Loses Control

By Kurohi Tatsaki

"speaking" ***POV switch/Passing of Time {sounds} [thinking] ******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)!

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As Kurohi "flew", he clutched his burnt, but healed, chest. The material of his fairly charred red pants fluttered with a soft noise as he soared from tree to tree. The hand that touched his heart singed softly at the contact, and vice-versa.

He growled and pulled his hand away, looking at it just as he landed to another tree.

Reddened flesh of his palm and fingers met his blue eyes. He bared a small fang. [What kind of burn IS this?! It feels like it's burning my very soul... how can one being do such a thing?! And to top it off, how can a SCAR burn me?! What did Kasei DO to me?! ]

He leapt into the air once more, becoming airborne again. He landed on another treetop and leapt almost soundlessly to the next one, following his own scent, although he hadn't taken to the skies in the first place.

The brown, white, and black-haired boy jumped down to the ground and was within the camping area. Kagome rested peacefully where Inu-Yasha had once lain. Shippou was close to the fire, wrapped up in his father's skin, and cuddled near Sango. Miroku was not far from Sango, who lay near the both of them. Celia, for once, looked angelic at all, but he winced softly as his heart burned at the thought.

The firelight played gently upon most of their faces.

"Guys, wake up," uttered Kurohi. He focused his sights on each one of them.

No one awoke. He knew he had spoken too softly. He frowned. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

He took a big breath...

Bigger...

Bigger...

"INU-YASHA'S ABOUT TO FIGHT NARAKU!!!"

Bodies snapped upward and panted for air. They all looked at the pained hanyou. "Nani?" they asked at once.

"Naraku..." repeated Kurohi. His gaze flickered to Kagome. She still slept peacefully, having not received the brunt of his voice due to the great distance between them. [Okaasan...] He slowly strode to the woman and shook her awake with his foot.

She blinked up at him. "Kurohi? What's..." she paused and gasped. "Kurohi! You're hurt!" Her hands were on his chest in an instant. He flushed but didn't back away even as pain zipped up his body.

"I'm fine, mom, really," he assured her. "I just fought with Kasei - that's all!" He paused and opened his mouth to say more. He hesitated again, and decided to close it. [I don't think this is any ordinary scar. It would have disappeared while I was Youkai.]

He turned his head and wasn't at all surprised to notice that everyone had left for the fight. It was only the two of them.

"Are you going to tell me what happened before we fight? I don't want you to die."

He hesitated. "I became Youkai. I fought Kasei. He burned me with his fist, the attack scarred, and it transferred over to my hanyou form."

She nodded. "Okay. I know we need to treat your wound, but we have to defeat Naraku first. You understand?"

He nodded and crouched down as Kagome got her bow and arrows. She climbed up on his back and they soared through the air and across the ground swifter than any athlete; the ground was simply a blur of brown and green, as were the trees.

The sounds of fighting tickled his ears. He surged forward and came to the scene.

No, it wasn't Naraku...

"An incarnation! That COWARD!" yelled Kurohi. He leapt down to the ground and let his mother dismount. He turned to her with a grin. "Go get 'em! I'll take the lead and help distract the enemy. You and sis' figure out when to shoot. Those arrows of yours really pack a punch."

He leapt forward and rushed forward into the fray, pulling out his sword. In a clearing large enough for the rest of the group and the demon, Kurohi joined in. Inu-Yasha's Tetsusaiga was slung over one shoulder. Kurohi did the same and cocked his head to his dad. "Wind Scar, anyone?"

He grinned in reply and pulled back his sword, ready to strike the scar. Kurohi mirrored that flawlessly just as the action was executed.

Before his blue eyes, he saw a light-blue wind coming from him. He saw a yellowish wind from his youkai opponent. [This... is the first time I've ever seen an enemy's Wind Scar... Such beauty.. such power... with such a thing...]

With twin growls, their swords were swung at the scar. Eight waves of energy rushed from their swords in total, cutting most ruthlessly into the horned demon. It screamed in pure agony, but, when the dust cleared, it was quite alive... bloody, but alive.

"Two Wind Scars?! My master never told me of such...!"

"Keh! Well, he's not up-to-date, is he?! Time to die!"

Kurohi growled. "I'll kill him! I wish I were Youkai!"

He felt his body pulse. His chest burned harshly, and, in that pain, he felt his grip on his other form, for the first time, slipping. His claws twitched and he glared at Kasei. His youkai blood soared through his veins and he felt a fear of himself unlike any other. "Ka..sei, what... did you... do to... me... arrrrraaagh!!" [I'm... losing control! This wasn't supposed to...aaahhh...?!]

He blinked his red eyes, glaring at the incarnation of Naraku. He looked like a sort of red behemoth.

He flexed his claws. "Your name?!"

"What's it to you, mutt?!" The demon growled.

He laughed. "I just wanna know who I'm gonna kill!" He pulled back his right claws and lunged forward. He swiftly slashed the demon in half and stood still as the parts fell to the ground.

From behind Kirara, Kagome and Seishin gulped. [This is akin to when Inu-Yasha first unearthed his full-demon form...] thought the dark-haired Miko. [I can't "sit" him, either...] "Kasei!"

He turned to the miko. "Nani?"

"That burn scar on Kurohi's chest! Is it causing him to lose control of the demon?!" she demanded.

The redhead hesitated. "It shouldn't! It's only a scar!" [That burn DOESN'T tamper with his other forms, but it merely will defeat him over-time. He could become gravely injured should I use another flaming attack against him, as I've already used so many.

[The burn spreads from the point of where I hit and out. Since it's so close to his chest, it could easily...] His thoughts paused. [Oh, great! I'm willing to bet that my attack has given him this effect! Since it weakens the target, perhaps his mentality was weakened as well as his physical strength!] His eyes widened. [He may be alive now, but in time, the poison will kill him...!]

Kurohi's words rang clear in his mind, "Be glad I can control this... Otherwise, you'd already be dead..."

Kurohi turned at the call of his name, red tail lashing left and right. "Aaah... Kasei..." he purred, stepping closer. Inu-Yasha held his father's fang out just in case he tried to harm anyone, ESPECIALLY Kagome.

"How does it feel - knowing the fact that you have a demon who has turned his claws upon you yet again? I really wouldn't know, considering that, at the time, MY father was only hanyou. So, how does it feel?" he asked, stepping forward, but halting near the Tetsusaiga. Inu-Yasha's hair bristled. "After all, YOU drew me out to fight! Surely, you must wish to continue said fight!" He flexed his claws. "I've been eager for a fight ever since I ran into you..." [What am I saying?! This isn't me!! Kasei...! Somebody... somebody help me!!] He paused. "Ah, my human side is trying to resist. How cute." A slow smile spread across his face. "But enough of that! Let's fight!" ["I just want to kill him"... that's what my demon side's thinking.]

Kurohi lunged, red eyes blind with the tainted blood coursing through him. Kasei leapt in front of the silver-haired hanyou and thrust the insane demon backward. Kurohi pulled back a claw at Kasei, but the pyro-kinetic gripped that wrist and pulled the demon closer to the target: His fist. Silver eyes narrowed. [This might kill you... if it does, forgive me for destroying such a worthy opponent!]

The demon barely registered a flaming sensation against his whole body and mind as his world went dark.

***

"Mmm... mnnn..." the wounded quarter-demon tried to shift his position. He ached all over, and the origin point was in his chest. He growled some more as he tried to move, and breathing almost hurt.

"Look, you may be my rival, but try not to move. If you're not careful, you'll probably make your recovery-time lengthen. I nearly killed you to stop you."

The blue-eyed demon stopped moving. "Y-Youkai ga..." he mumbled. "youkai ga... youkai..."

Kasei blinked at the semi-conscious form near where he sat. "The demon is.. what?"

Blue eyes opened up slightly, and in their depths, a flame of furor was harbored. "Y-Youkai..."

The redhead sighed and took the warm cloth off the other's forehead. He soaked it in cold water, wrung it out slightly and reapplied the cloth. "I think you're still a bit delirious with that high fever an' all. You should rest up. It's the only way if you wanna recover enough to fight me again."

"D-doko...?" he murmured.

"We managed to trek back to this village," replied the fiery-haired hanyou. He gazed at those half-opened blue eyes with - what it seemed - pity. "There's this old hag called Kaede, and we're in her hut. *That's* where we are. At least she's nice enough, though."

Kurohi shivered and clutched at the blanket over his form. "Dou shite..."

"Huh?" Silver eyes blinked twice. "/Why/ what?"

"W-why would you even take the job of healer right now - to take care of me?" he asked in bewilderment. Yeah, why would Kasei take care of him, his rival?

Kasei shifted in his spot and crossed his legs while sitting down. He propped himself up by his arms as he leaned forward slightly. They were almost nose-to-nose, and Kurohi felt Kasei's warm breath against his face as he spoke. His words made the quarter-demon hold back wave after wave of shivers, and he was hardly ever one to hold back what he felt. "I was the only one up for the job. The rest of them were becoming tired while they fought amongst themselves. Everyone's asleep."

"Hnnn..." was all that Kurohi could reply.

"*Don't* give me that tone," replied the hanyou, drawing back. Kurohi felt a little at a loss.

Kurohi frowned and tentatively clutched his chest as pain trickled through his body, originating at that point. "The burn-scar on my chest... i-it hurts..."

The silver-eyed cat hanyou pried the other's hand from his chest, pulled down the covers and began to undress the wound. He eyed the star-shaped scar curiously a moment or two before redirecting his gaze to a pair of pained blue eyes. "To be honest, I can't help you with this. I only know how to inflict these kinds of wounds, and they always kill my targets instantly. Somehow, it hasn't killed you, and now you will be plagued with this pain until you die."

"NANI?!?!" cried the part-demon. "What, will it eventually kill me?!" Tears formed in his eyes, ready to fall.

Kasei nodded, trying to ignore the emotions eating at him. "Unless I can actually find a cure against it, which is unlikely," he replied with a downcast tone.

"Well, that's just great, dammit!!" he yelled. He sat up quickly, whining in pain at the action. The cloth fell off his forehead and he grabbed the collar of the cat's haori, shaking him as roughly as he could in his current condition. "I can't believe you'd go and try to ACTUALLY do me in like that! You BASTARD! Now I'm gonna have ta deal with this for the rest of my LIFE?! Just HOW FAR do ya think I'll wind up working with THIS?! You're such a JERK!! I'm startin' ta wish I actually killed ya when I was YOUKAI! Bastard, bastard, **BASTARD**!!!"

By now, Kasei's silver eyes were wide as saucers. The shaking of his body ceased as Kurohi slumped in on himself, his lean arms being the only things holding him up. He still fought the tears of anger and sadness with a vengeance.

The neko hanyou picked up some salve that Kagome had given him earlier that evening and instructed Kurohi to lean back to give him better access.

"If I don't?" he asked mockingly. Kasei was quite on his Shit List right now.

"The pain'll get worse," reasoned the half-demon. "Even for someone who lasts this long with this kind of injury deserves SOME solace."

"And ye'r carin' for me... *why*?" he asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow.

"Because I was told to."

"By whom?"

"Everyone. They got on my ass until I did as I was told like a fuckin' dog."

Kurohi chuckled. "Heh, then *I* am a fuckin' dog, too. I got dog ears." As if to prove themselves, his ears wiggled cutely.

Kasei eyed him oddly. "Lay back."

Hesitating, keeping a keen watch on him, he did as told. His blue eyes glistened in the light of the fire, and one of the back of his hands rested lightly against his feverish forehead, palm half-open.

Kasei... well, he had a strange beauty about him. He was certainly more gorgeous than that bitch Azenhikari. His silver eyes took on the warm glow of the fire; his skin was tinted slightly reddish by that same flame near them in the room. He wore a new red haori, covering up his muscled torso. The flames lighted his red hair even brighter in such a dark room. "How are your wounds?"

The demon paused in taking some of the salve into his hand and stared at Kurohi oddly, his lips pursed slightly in confusion. "What?" One would think no one ever asked the hanyou a question like that.

"The ones I inflicted on you," he replied softly. "Are they still hurting?"

He shook his head, grinning gently and showing fangs. "They're completely healed. However, YOU scar extremely easily. You have a cross-shaped scar on your left cheek." The smile faded. He most likely remembered that it had been HE who inflicted those wounds. "And one of your forehead."

Kurohi touched his cheek with his fingertips, tracing the twin lines with the digits. "Yes, I suppose I do..."

Kasei scooped a small amount of salve into his hand and gradually applied it to the scar. The dog demon hissed at both the strange pleasure of being touched and the pain of the burn. His back unconsciously arched against it as he released a low growl of both agony and enjoyment. His eyes slid shut as he felt that hand travel to the edges of the spreading wound. He purred softly at the contact and slowly slipped into a light slumber.

******

"I am surprised you lived," uttered a feminine voice. It sounded like a seductress, but those undertones hit deaf, black doggy ears.

"I'm hard to kill, Kagura," growled the blue-eyed one. He reached for his Ryukiba, but found it missing. He looked back up.

The first incarnation of Naraku waved her fan harshly, sending cutting boomerangs of wind his way. The quarter-demon leapt up into the air to dodge and "floated" behind the woman. Just as he landed, he managed to cut her in the shoulder with his almost human-length claws.

It missed. He smelled no blood.

He turned around and saw Kagura some distance behind him. He charged toward, them and drew back his paw. "Hold STILL, bitch! CLAWS OF STEEL!" His claws came down upon Kagura.

Then, a smaller girl suddenly appeared in front of him with a mirror. The blades of energy caused by his claws shot themselves right back at him, sending him back a mere few feet from the blue-spirited girl.

Her eyes were soulless. "Look into my mirror..."

His eyes strayed to the object in question; he felt something drifting away from him. An empty feeling came from his gut as he was enveloped in an eerie blue glow. His sight dimmed and...

******

"Kurohi?" someone whispered.

A pair of blue eyes slid open in response. They blinked twice, then strayed to the speaker. "Oh, hi mom..."

She smiled lightly at her title. "I'm here to treat your wounds again."

He blinked at her, for some reason, no longer furiously angry at the hanyou cat. [Again? She was either here more than once or maybe she was referring to...] "Kasei...?" he asked.

Her eyes darkened slightly. "The jerk that did this to you? Why do you want him here?" she asked huffily.

The quarter-demon paused and moved his eyes away. "Not sure..." He recalled the searing pleasure of pain and that *touch*. That touch that was unlike any other - he began to want more of it, but he held that want at bay. The mere thought made his neck want to arch, and have him do various other actions. [I'm probably not going to live through this, anyway...]

"Anyway, let me see that burn."

He peeled the blanket away from his torso and bared it to her with caution, as if he didn't trust her, as if he were a stray animal just waiting to be beaten to an inch of its life.

"Geez, that's really bad... Now, this might sting like last time..."

As she applied the lotion, all he felt was the pain caused by chemicals against raw flesh. Strangely, the pain was far, far worse.

He howled softly in his agony, pupils shrinking to near slits. He stared blankly with sightless eyes at the ceiling. He panted as mews and howls of pain ripped through him, wanting to be heard in their full volume, but he wouldn't have it.

He wanted Kasei back here - back here with him. He didn't desire this cruel pain without anything to counter it.

[I want... Kasei...]

Forcefully prying his eyes from the ceiling, he roughly pushed Kagome away from him, but not so harshly to do any lasting damage - she only landed on her butt a few inches away. The pain had been great enough to hold back his speech. He wanted some peace for a moment. "Where's Kasei?"

She blinked widely at him, her mouth in the shape of a small "o". She pointed to the bamboo curtain that posed as a door. "He's outside, sleeping, last I saw. Keeping an eye on you really wore him out."

He suddenly felt awfully curious. Kurohi used a wide-eyed look. "How long did he watch me?"

The black-haired woman yawned before speaking, eyes droopy. "It's almost dawn, and it's just now my shift. I'd say he watched you for a good couple of hours before I took over, then when my shift was over again, he did, and again, it's just now my shift.."

He nodded once. [I need to thank him. Wait, why am I not concerned about what he did to me? Wait, that doesn't really make sense to me at all! I don't fathom why I am not affected about the damage he did to my body and endangering my life. For some reason, all that I can focus on is how good his hands felt on my chest...] He shivered.

She stared at him in amusement. "Why do you have a hard-on all of a sudden?"

Kurohi flushed at her words and swallowed. "Um..."

"So, who is it? Tell me! Pleeeeeeaaaassssse?" she begged.

Kurohi frowned. "Well, it isn't you," he replied in irritation, his chest stinging all of a sudden.

The chocolate-eyed human frowned. "Okay. Then, who is it?"

The boy hesitated. He looked away a moment before looking back. He uttered softly, with an ethereal tone, "I think... even though we've only just met... I'm falling in love for my rival..."

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R&R!

Finished 9/7/03 Revised: 8:37PM June 29, 2004