Rise and Fall of the False God Chapter 24: Sealing the Gods, an inuyasha fanfic

Chapter Twenty-Three: Sealing the Gods

And the battle's just begun

This many lost but tell me who has won

The trenches dug within our hearts

And mothers, children, brothers, sisters torn apart!

Sunday bloody Sunday

Tonight we can be as one

Tonight

----Sunday Bloody Sunday, U2

It gave InuYasha a reason to come back from battle. A simple and irrational reason, but to think that Kagura would be waiting for him was enough to make him want to come back to her. But really that wasn't exactly the case; it wasn't so much that she would be waiting for him, as it was that she was going with him. She would be joining them on the battlefield as Kagome used to do. While this should bring him more comfort, because Kagura was a strong fighter and well adapt to the battlefield, it brought him none. He was if anything more worried.

"Let's get this started." Setsujin said as he approached the group of hunters that were InuYasha's mismatched army. Suboshi and Amniboshi were there, as well as Sango, Maroku, and Shippo. The others lingered around and closed in as Setsujin called the attention towards the on goings. "Your hunters will protect the rear; my men will take the front."

"I still say that Rimiku will see this coming and attack from the rear. My small group will not be able to hold off the full brunt of the attack from the rear and you know Setsujin!" InuYasha growled, his white ears folding back against his head. His golden eyes narrowed into a glare as he regarded the fire demon, the creature was always trying to bring InuYasha down. "He is going to assume that we are going to do it this way and bring his attack in from the rear, then we are all fucked because you won't be able to get to use before they override us and get to the beast cave!"

"And by what do you base this conclusion?" Setsujin asked glaring at him with the look of superiority that he always got when he was dealing with InuYasha. However the hanyou realized now that he had already lost the battle.

"Instinct." He responded. But that was the only answer that he had, he had to base all of his decisions on instinct. "Me and Captain Puffy Pants fought him before!" InuYasha growled, and it did bring him such a feeling of accomplishment when Setsujin's eyes darkened when he called Sesshomaru, "Captain Puffy Pants."

"You will have more respect when…." Setsujin started only to get blown off by InuYasha.

"Feh! He is my half brother, and a bastard to boot, I will have as much respect when regarding him as I choose." InuYasha huffed.

"We have fought Rimiku as well, and he showed no signed of using a back door attack." Setsujin said. The others started to gather now. Shippo stood beside InuYasha on one side, Genrou on the other, and Kagora was floating just overhead.

"You are sending us to our deaths!" Genrou growled those golden colored eyes narrowing on the fire demon dangerously. "Do you think that is ok just because we are Hanyou that we are disposable!"

"I am not sending you to anything! I am sending you to the rear to be sure that you come out alive!" Setsujin snapped back.

"Bullshit." The whirring sound of Suboshi's bladed balls could be heard. "You are sending us to the rear because you don't think that we can fight at the front of the lines! That we are not good enough!"

"But we are good enough to die on the rear lines when InuYasha comes out to be right are we?" Amniboshi asked softly. The twins stood side by side, the bladed balls dancing around them, Amniboshi was fingering over his flute.

"InuYasha is wrong. He will attack from the front and the army will take him on. When he send the reserves around the back you will handle them and that is the way it will be!" Setsujin said. The air around him heated slightly as they stared him down. The hateful fire demon turned then and walked away.

"This isn't fair." Shippo said. "If you are right?"

"If he is right then we die protecting what we believe in." Kagura said coldly from above. "I had that choice made for me every time I faced you two for Nuraku, now that choice is mine to make… and I chose to die if I must… will you do any less?"

"Of course I am willing to die." InuYasha said. "But it would be nice if we had a fighting cha…"

"Then stop whining and suck it up." Kagura said looking at InuYasha. "Let's make the best of the situation we are given."

"You're right, there is no point on dwelling now." InuYasha huffed, still dwelling, just doing so in a quieter manner. He was tired and annoyed… and wanted nothing more then to say fuck it to the entire affair, but he knew that he couldn't do that.

"Let's get some rest, we move out first thing in the morning." InuYasha said as they group broke up and headed out.

"Where are we going?" Kagome asked. She had no idea what Sesshomaru had in mind. But he seemed to be in an oddly playful mood tonight. Her eyes were covered and her hand was coiled into his long clawed digits as he led her through the palace.

"Someplace no human has ever seen. Most of the people in the House of the Moon have never seen it either. It has been locked away for so long." He said. A hint of excitement laced those tones, a hint so faint that most of those unskilled with the Idiot's Guide to Understanding Sesshomaru would miss it all together.

He led her down the halls and up stairs and down stairs until finally they came to a stop. She understood why she couldn't know the way; it was likely one of the great secrets of the House of the Moon. When he took the blindfold off she stood before a giant set of gilded doors, upon them were the insignias of the House of the Moon.

Her eyes turned to Sesshomaru and her head canted ever so slightly. What was this that she was looking at? She was sure she had never seen it before, and she had, admittedly wandered more of the House of the Moon then he would have liked her too she was sure.

Sesshomaru stepped forward and pushed the door open, reveling a darkened room. He took one of the torches off of the wall lighting the sconce on the side of the room. The fire trailed though the darkness lighting the chamber within. Laced in gold and gems it held many statues, and across the back wall were the statue of Sariyu coiled around Suzaku, maybe in battle or maybe in affection, with the mammoth monsters of myth it was hard to tell if they were hateful or loving.

"It is… beautiful." Kagome said in awe stepping forward, looking over the statues. Some were of men and women, and along the walls many of the great dogs stood guard of the chamber.

"It is the Hall of Ancestors for the House of the Moon." Sesshomaru said stepping up next to her… his eyes shone in the lamp light as brightly as the gold that hung over the room. "It has been lost to the House for many generations. I only found it myself just before Rimiku came, Rin stumbled upon it when she was playing once."

"Why would it be lost?" Kagome said. "Such beauty and reverence one should think it would be shown with pride."

"There were many rulers who tried to prove themselves better then the dogs of the passed. Before my father came to rule the room was sealed… and all those that knew of it were killed. My grandfather took its location to his grave. I don't know why he turned on my family as he did, but he hid this room and bound it behind many powerful spells, ones only a human peasant child could break. Something he knew would never be in the House of the Moon. It is all told there on the wall, but it does not say why it was sealed." Sesshomaru said with a shrug. "It is not yet for me to know I suppose."

"Mayhap it is another adventure for another time." Kagome said as she moved forward and walked through it. Indeed the generations within ranged up until just before InuTaisho ruled the lands. She stopped and looked up at the statue in the rear of the chamber. "Suzaku?"

"Yes, it seems that the Lotus Clan was meant to be wed in during my grandfather's time, so this statue was made to represent the union of the clans. But that did not happen until my father." Sesshomaru explained. He moved up behind her and coiled his arms around her slender waist. "Someday our son or daughter will know this place." He whispered.

Her heart jumped as she turned to look at him.

"You still want to?" She stammered. They had not talked about children in some time and she had thought that he might well have changed his minds in regards to them. That maybe he remembered he didn't want a Hanyou after all, and that he would take another mate when and if she left. In a moment of glee she tossed herself forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. He bent to allow her to do so before standing up straight, his strong arms around the small of her back, her slender form pressed against his own.

"Of course I do Kagome. Did you think I had forgotten?" He asked. His head rested against her shoulder, and she nuzzled against him some, knowing how much simple nuzzles meant to him. "I want our child to come into this world, and to find their nitch within it. I want our blood to rule the throne, and to create a legacy for itself."

"Sesshomaru." She whispered softly, the tears building in her eyes and somehow she couldn't explain why it was, that standing here, on the verge of a war she may not be able to win, that might kill them both, that idea that whimsical fantasy seemed to touch her so very much. "I love you."

"Ashiteru." He responded softly. "Mine."

"Yours." She pulled herself tighter against him, her own limbs shaking as she found his lips with her own. A soft murr escaped him as his lips parted surrendering to her kiss. She shivered, he was usually the aggressor, and it felt odd to have him so willingly give in to her whims and her wants. Slowly she felt her weight placed back on her feet, yet she was not yet willing to give up that slow and passionate kiss. They so rarely shared such a slow affection; normally it was a raging passion that drove them into each other's arms.

"What happens if we…" She started, as the kiss was broken. A clawed finger came to her lips and she silenced.

"There is no time for what if's, only the here and the now." He whispered to her adoringly. She nodded softly as she stepped in and took his lips again.

And it was there, before all the ancestors that came before, that they would try to make the next that would stand in the long line of pride in the House of the Moon. Where Sesshomaru gently took his mate again and again, but carefully and gently. He was going to ensure his line before this battle, even if his mate may die from the gods wrath, even if they too might destroy him and his house. If the Gods permitted them to live, they would have their heir. She was ripe, he could smell that. Now it was only a matter of surviving.

"Baka." Was what she awoke too… a low growl came from the Inu curled against her back… so… if it wasn't Sesshomaru doing the name calling who was it. Her eyes parted to see the veil of white hair… wait… if Sesshomaru was in front of her who was behind her… but as she focused the red clothing came into view. "You over slept, we have to…."

She shrieked and grabbed Sesshomaru's hand which would be used to cover her chest her bottom half covered by his haori…

"SIT!" She shrieked… InuYasha's words were cut off by a face dive into the floor. "OH YOU!!!! SIT! SIT!! SIT!!!"

She curled back into Sesshomaru who was now propped up on an elbow of the hand not covering her chest. A deviant grin on his lips, clearly he enjoyed watching his half brother face plant. She didn't wish to fuel the duel between them…. But she had no reason to tear Sesshomaru off his high horse.

"SIT!!!!" She added one more for good measure, jumping up and grabbing her clothes while InuYasha's face was still on the ground. The spell let go while she was tugging on her hakuma he started to lift his head. Sesshomaru growled, no longer amused with his brother's eyes upon his mate. "SIT!" She said again. Once she was dressed she glanced at Sesshomaru. "Calm down, I can handle myself."

"… go now." InuYasha said finally able to finish his sentence.

"OH SHIT!" Kagome gasped. Sesshomaru raised a brow as he casually dressed. It was not often that he heard Kagome swear a slight tilt of his head was given. "InuYasha! Why didn't you say we were late!" She gasped as she ran out of the room.

"I DID!" InuYasha called after her with a huff. She ran down the stairs into the main room where everyone was waiting for her. The entire troops had been assembled, Setsujin's group, InuYasha's group and the priests to seal the gods.

"Gomen!" She whispered bowing to them at the waist only to feel a hand on the back of her neck pull her up right. Sesshomaru stood at her side and looked not at all apologetic, and irritatingly perfect. She combed her fingers through her slept on hair to try and tame it into being something worth of standing next to Mr. I Never Have Bedhead.

"Are you ready?" Sesshomaru asked Setsujin. The smoky scented demon moved forward and bowed before Sesshomaru. His orange hair a mess as always, but still this did not ease Kagome as her fingers caught in tangles and she squeaked slightly.

"Yes sir." Setsujin said softly. "We have our course of action settled with InuYasha's people."

"Is this true?" He said turning his eye to the bruised InuYasha. For a moment Kagome felt bad, nibbling on her bottom lip until Sesshomaru tapped her with his hand and she spit the lip out. Right. No fidgeting. InuYasha hesitated, and Kagome's eyes looked to him, he wore the same irritated look he always wore when something was wrong and he was trying to hide it, which of course he never could.

"Yeah, whatever, lets go." InuYasha growled. Kagome noticed the look that Kagura gave him when he said that and stepped forward.

"InuYasha… what is bothering you?" Kagome asked.

"Keh!" He huffed, she knew that he was still irritated with her for sitting him earlier… but she was naked! What did he think was going to happen?

"InuYasha! We don't have time to be hard to get along with." She said exasperated.

"Leave him." Sesshomaru said taking her arm. Clearly he was unimpressed with InuYasha's behavior, but she was not so sure. Something was wrong, and she trusted InuYasha's gut feelings much more then the fire demon that was constantly berating her. Even as Sesshomaru ushed her back again, her eyes looked pleadingly at InuYasha. He did not respond though, rather he crossed his arms and turned to his men.

"Let's move out, we are already late." He said to the ragtag group of demon hunters. Kagura leaned down and whispered something to him and he batted her off as if irritated. She seemed cross and Kagome wished she knew what had been said. What did Kagura and the others know that no one was telling her! What could be so important and yet he wouldn't talk to her? She was wounded by this, and as usual responded by spinning around and crossing her arms with a huff, walking with Sesshomaru and the priests.

"KEEP THE FRONT LINES MEN!" Setsujin said as the positioned themselves in the front of the caves. He was surprised that InuYasha had not said anything about the plan to the Lady of the West. He thought for sure the hanyou would go whining to her. She was weak in the way of emotion; she certainly would have sided with the hanyou she once claimed to love, and daft as the hanyou was, certainly he knew that too, so why didn't he do it?

InuYasha remained with his group; he didn't know why he had to be so stubborn, which was what Kagora had hissed at him in the meeting hall. Why didn't he tell Kagome what was bothering him? If he had she certainly would have changed it, or at least talked to his brother about it.

Kagura called him jealous, saying that if he had not walked in on them in the temple then he wouldn't have been so hard to get along with. Was that true? He accepted that Kagome was with Sesshomaru now, that he had been dead and she had to move on. He was even sure that while he was dead, which he still couldn't remember, he probably would have told her to be with Sesshomaru if it made her happy… so why now was it that it bothered him. Maybe because Sesshomaru got to do one thing he never did. He never got to show Kagome how much he had loved her.

"InuYasha!" Shippo said for the third time. His white ears swiveled to the fox that had been yelling at him. "Aren't we supposed to stop here?"

InuYasha huffed and looked around.

"Yeah, I knew that!" He growled before leaping up into one of the tallest trees. Kagura soared up over him to help keep look out in the other direction. Now all there was to do was to wait. Wait and not think.

Li, Banyuu, Koga and Kyo were the first at the cave of the beast gods. They had agreed not to discuss it since the war tent, only to keep in their minds their individual tasks and not to worry about the tasks of the others. Sesshomaru and Kagome arrived atop Ah and Un with the army's arrival. They landed and approached the four elemental priests.

Kagome nodded to each of them, and each of them knew their parts. And so with this solemn plan in mind they moved into the cave to begin the ritual. Kagome reached out and took Sesshomaru's hand for a moment before they entered. He nodded, knowing his part and the words he had to speak while within.

"They are at the Cave of the Beast gods." Rimiku said to one of his men. Those mismatched eyes narrowed and looking into the water as if it were telling him volumes.

"How do you know sir?" The man asked, certainly the boy was going insane to think that a bowl of water could talk to him let alone tell him the location of Sesshomaru and the Miko.

"Why must you question me?" The boy growled, his eyes rose and the man twitched, clutching his head before it violently exploded. Blood and brain matter sent in all ways, Rimiku himself bathed in it, and it got into his water dish as well, but the boy didn't mind at all, rather his eyes simple settled on the conduit of the water dragon. "Mia." He said to one of the terrified female servants that were in the room.

"I broke this one. Get me another." He said gesturing to the general lying dead on the floor. The woman rose and ran from the room.

"Sariyu, god of the west, the blue dragon of war, come to my call and heed me!" Li announced while standing before Sariyu. He took the blade and cut deep into his arm allowing his own blue blood to drip onto the altar before him.

"Suzaku, god of the south, the fire bird of rebirth, come to my call and heed me!" Banyuu announced, he stepped forward and did the same as Li had, offering blood on the alter to bring forth the god.

"Banyuu, god of the north, the white tiger of death, come to my call and heed me!" Kyo cawed before he too offered blood to his god.

"Genbu, god of the east, the black turtle of peace, come to my call and heed me!" Kouga called out offering his blood as well.

One at a time the eyes came to light on the statues as they were summoned and Kagome took out her arrows, ready.

"Oh no." Rimiku said to the new general now that the old had been taken away. "They have summoned them all… something is happening. Mobilize the men, leave here in no more then five minutes; I want us at that cave in moments. Now go!" He called, his eyes falling back to the bowl before he rose and changed from his blood soaked clothes readying to move out.

"Where are they?" Setsujin growled. "Sesshomaru-sama was sure they would be here before the summoning of the gods was done." He was not really talking to anyone particularly so much as he was just talking to talk.

"Setsujin-dono!" One of the men called. "They come!"

"Ha, I told InuYasha he would attack from the front." Setsujin said. "Hold the line… wait for them to come to us!"

"InuYasha!" Kagora called. The hanyou braced and jumped from the tree he was in to her feather.

"Oh my god." He said softly as they could see the brunt of the army heading for them. "We are all going to die here." He said ruefully.

"Don't say that… don't tell them." Kagura said. "Let them think they are fighting a battle they can win, and you never know they just might. Tell them you were wrong." She pleaded with the hanyou.

InuYasha looked to his men bellow, waiting for him to give them orders. Order them to their deaths? How could he, but maybe she was right.

"They are coming men. I was wrong… we can take them!" He called down to them. "READY YOURSELVES!"

"What is the meaning of this?" Suzaku asked harshly.

"Why have you summoned us all?" Genbu asked slowly.

Sesshomaru stepped forward and the whip came from his hand.

"By the power of my ancestors, the great dog demons of the passed I call until them to bind you here." The whip snapped around them burning a circle in the ground behind all the statues. "None may leave this circle that has been sealed within until the circle is broken from the outside."

"What is the meaning of this?" Sariyu roared but it was too late as the great dog demons appeared in ghostly form along the edges of the circle, lastly stood InuTaisho and Sauri said by side.

"NO!" Rimiku yelled suddenly, stumbling back a step as the gods were sealed within the cave, it changed everything and he was weak, not powerless but weak… What were they doing? He listened to the weak voices coming from the air and the earth and the fire of the torches and the water in the lake… it was almost maddening to have all of them calling for him at once. "We need to break the seal in the cave of the beast gods. Kill EVERYONE!"

Setsujin marveled. Was this all that Rimiku had left? Certainly he had better then this. His men cut down the troupes with minimal damage. The hardest thing they had to deal with were the karasu twins that were fighting with him. The most of their casualties and injuries were due to the two bomb birds that could blow things up with a touch.

"Something is not right here sir!" One of the men said. And then it struck him.

"Oh no! They are attacking from the rear!" Setsujin said as the troops turned into the fire arrows of over a hundred bows cutting them down from behind. InuYasha had been right.

They had fought the good fight. Tearing apart as much of the force as they could. The ground was torn up from the Wind Scar and from the Crystal Shards. Bodies strewn over the ground, most were dead, some were wounded…

InuYasha leaned against a tree now… the troupes had gone by, and he could hear the rain of fire being let go as the sounds of bow strings snapping brought back some fond memories. He was numb, his hand was inserted into the gaping wound in his own chest… is this what death felt like. The last time he didn't have time to feel it, rather it had been instant, and almost painless…

"InuYasha!" A soft female voice was calling for him, it could have been Kagura, but he didn't know if in the carnage she was still alive, it could have been Kagome too, but she was in the temple with the beast gods.

The first arrow to fly would go for the most dangerous of the gods, Sariyu. The blue dragon roared out as the arrow pierced its chest and slowly it fell dormant into its statue with the arrow sticking out of the statue.

Rimiku keeled down and screamed as the dragon was torn from. "SARIYU! NO! DON'T LEAVE ME!" He screamed out at the nothingness of the lake. "FASTER! GET IN FASTER!"

The second one to fly would be to stop Saryiu's resurrection. The arrow flew true into Suzaku. Piercing his heart the shriek was high pitched and deafening as the bird fell into his statue with the arrow stick out of it.

The boy fell backwards as if struck by an invisible force as he felt the bird now torn from him as well… the tears pouring down his face. "No." He whispered. "Get there faster. Please. Faster."

"They are coming!" Li cried out as the third arrow found it's mark in the tiger as he leapt at them, being torn back into his statue as well.

"Setsujin needs to hold them off a little longer!" Kagome cried out taking aim at the turtle and letting the arrow fly into its body.

Rimiku collapsed, blood pouring from his eyes, ears and nose as he shook… they were gone, all of them were gone… and what was he going to do now? He looked up shaking and bleeding at one of his soldiers. "You, get your mount and bring me to the Bone Eater Well."

"But sir we are winning." HE said gesturing to the battle.

"Do it now!" He growled. The other, not knowing it was a powerless boy now, complied.

InuYasha woke some time later… a woman was humming but he couldn't tell who it was. Soon enough his eyes focused on the childish face of Rin.

"What are you doing here?" He asked her.

"Rin is tending to you." She said smiling. "Rin and the others knew you would need us." She said placing a cool clean cloth over the wound that was healing. He pushed up on his elbows and looked to see the Brat Pack there tending to the remaining few living.

"Is Kagura here?" He asked/

"She is with Kaze. Rest" She said pushing him back down.

The battle raged on and Setsujin managed to fight them back with his men. The troops though had suddenly stopped their attacks. He was not sure why they had retreated, but they had. He was the first one into the cave of the beast gods to break the seal holding them in.

"InuYasha's men are hurt badly." He said to Kagome and Sesshomaru. Kagome tore out of the cave and went with the men to where the Brat Pack was tending to the wounded. She fell down to her knees at InuYasha's side, ignoring the stench of blood and burned flesh that was all around her, her fingers trailing though his hair.

"InuYasha! Are you alright?" She gasped softly.

"Heh." He laughed. "It'll take more then than that to keep to me down."

"What happened?" She asked, "I don't understand how this could have happened? I thought we had it all set up so that you didn't have to worry. Your men should have been holding up the least end of the battle."

"They surprised us." InuYasha said softly. "They sent the main troops into the rear to catch us off guard." He never mentioned having told Setsujin it would happen. "Where is Kagura?" He asked looking at her pleadingly.

"I don't know." She asked softly. She stood up and looked around the carnage, looking over each of the group, not knowing where anyone was. The tears streaked down her face. What had they brought them all back for? To die here? She covered her mouth and let out a sob as she glanced over those dead and dying, then looked back to InuYasha. "I'll find her, you rest."

"This isn't good." The cold voice came from behind her.

"No shit." InuYasha hissed at him. "Thank you captain obvious. Where is she Sesshomaru?"

"I fear she is not where I can see her." He said, she turned to look at him pleadingly. Shocked to see the concern that laced his stoic features, if only for a moment before those muscles bunched and he launched himself into the air, the demon cloud forming under his feet and bringing him up into the air. He would glance around before streaking off towards the east. Kagome's feet took to motion, keeping up with him as best as she could from the ground, she couldn't help but think that he was still as much of a pain in the ass as before. He could have brought her with him.

She was running so hard that she didn't even see where she was going, and like the klutz she was she would suddenly feel something catch her foot and watch as the ground came careening towards her face. The pain shot threw her as she hit the ground. Rolling to see Kagura laying there, Kaze was at her side, his eyes looking desperately toward Kagome. Sesshomaru standing at her other side. Kagura wasn't moving.

"No!" She hissed turning and crawling over to her, the tears starting new. "Kagura! Please wake up! You have to be ok! You have too!" She cried out.

"She's gone Kagome." Kaze said softly. "She took the brunt of the hit that was meant for InuYasha." He said softly. Those normally cold reddish eyes looking at her, with tears brimming them.

"NO!" Kagome cried out. She rested her hands on the demoness, willing her energy to them her hands came to light, the light surrounded Kagora but with Suzaku sealed she could not call enough healing energy to heal her. "Oh god! No! He needs you!" She cried out trying again, with the same results. "Sesshomaru! Do something!" She pleaded.

"I can't do anything." He said coldly.

"Damn you! Yes you can!" She hissed standing up and glaring at him. "Your brother nearly died for this cause! So that you could win this battle!"

"He did this for you." Sesshomaru said raising a slender brow.

"To hell he did!" She yelled throwing herself forward and letting her fists hit his armor. "I am not going to be the one ruling here! When all this is over the well will send me home! He did this for you!"

"And." Sesshomaru asked, his hands taking hold of her hands and pulling her back so she would stop her assault on him. "What does this have to do with Kagura. She is free now."

"He needs her. He has already lost everything!" She cried out. "He needs her. Please Sesshomaru! Don't you think she would want to be with him?"

"I couldn't say. To be enslaved by the flesh for the sake of an emotionally stunted hanyou?" He asked. He canted his head slightly.

"Bastard!" She hissed, her own shock as great as his when her hand came over and slapped him clean across the face. "How can you say that? You have no room to talk about being emotionally stunted! He loves as pure as anyone I know! Give him the chance for once, Damnit!"

His hand rose to where hers had dared to assault him. He blinked twice and a soft growl came from him, and for a moment she thought she was dead. He was going to kill her for that. She cringed when she heard the sword unsheathed, but a hand was pressed on her shoulder and she was pushed aside. The sword slashed forward through Kagura's lifeless body and she gasped as the life returned to her. Kagome tuned around and fell down at her side.

"Thank you Sesshomaru." She said softly. He simply huffed and launched himself into the air again.