Pure, Puppy Pride and Power

Chapter 21

Dear Knight,

I will be sure to wave my handkerchief, and I dearly hope it shall encourage you. Thank you for showing me so many of your wonderful inventions!

-Alice

"Taxaceae Taxus cuspidata, signs of ingestion are rapid heart rate and shortness of breath, preceding respiratory or heart failure!" My little charge announced gleefully, though from being proud of having the correct answer or her mordant fascination with death it was hard to tell. I smiled down at her blithesome face and would have congratulated her if two towering Yokai hadn't chosen just then to make an appearance. "Not again! Seems like there has been a lot of these guys lately." Rin declared with childish petulance as I picked her up and handed her up to Kohaku on Ah-Un's back.

"It's not because Sesshomaru has lost his sword, but because if they defeat someone as powerful as Sesshomaru-sama, they will gain prestige in the youkai world. Now all these weaklings are coming out in droves." Jaken scoffed.

In the three days since the loss of the Meido, such encounters had become routine. The most dangerous of such instances to have occurred was some falling rocks from a miss-aimed ambush. The rocks were deflected with my barrier seconds before the offenders who produced them were literally turned into shredded flesh. The duo who had approached this time were stupid enough to make some remark about eating dog meat and Kohaku's shard before Sesshomaru sliced them to ribbons. Even I was beginning to adopt a blasé faire attitude towards the whole matter.

"Hey, Kohaku?" Jaken asked leadingly.

"Yes?"

"You understand, don't you? Though Sesshomaru will never say it.." Jaken let in and the miserable boy began to reply, but I only let him get the word, "Yes," Out before I interjected.

"These oni are attacking because they are too stupid to live." I stated blandly, "Jaken? You know don't you?" My icy, choleric tone and repetition of his own words were a warning the kappa didn't quite grasp.

"Know what, Donella-sama?" he asked, confusion furrowing his brow. He squawked loudly in surprise as I yanked him off Ah-Un's back by the collar of his kimono and shook him viciously before holding him up to meet my eyes.

"Your attitude is beginning to get on my nerves. Correct it immediately, and apologize to Kohaku, or I will make you run while I practice throwing fireballs at a moving target." The anuran gulped visibly and began whimpering pleas for forgiveness; I dropped him back onto the dragon's back. I heard Rin stage whisper, "You made Donella-sama mad, Jaken-sama. You really need to learn to be nicer to people." I increased my pace to catch up with Sesshomaru and I had almost gained his side when I had a vision.

Naraku; illuminated by a cloud of dark light, emanating from a dark gem. A creature of boiling tentacles and rolling, bony protuberances formed into a man with grey-white hair and dead eyes the color of the jewel's glow and filled with incredible evil. A name came to my lips, "Magatsuhi," I whispered before the vision disappeared.

"Get back!" Sesshomaru yelled as the sense of evil approached us rapidly. I jumped backwards to Ah-Un's side with a grace and speed born of Sesshomaru's merciless training and my newborn power. Thoughtlessly I brought my barrier up to protect myself, the dragon, and its riders as the ground in front of Sesshomaru exploded with the impact of the monster from my vision arriving. The creature wasted no time sending barbed tentacles from his right hand out to attack the side of my barrier nearest Kohaku.

"He's after Kohaku's shard!" Jaken yelled needlessly as the raking, searching points of tentacles assaulted my shield and caused me to grimace.

"You are weak!" Magatsuhi announced gloatingly and I had to choke down the panic the nearness of such unadulterated evil inspired in me. I had no weapon; Sesshomaru had only his claws, whip and mokomoko. Attacking this creature seemed like madness to me. Jaken yelled insults at the creature and fawning praise of his master. The daiyaouki did not hesitate. Sesshromaru's claws glowed as he ripped them through the tentacles attacking us in one, smooth gesture and wordlessly he launched himself at the youkai's chest. Sesshomaru buried his arm to the elbow in Magatsuhi's torso, but his hand, impossibly did not exit the creature's back.

"That's odd." Kohaku murmured in surprise.

"What's wrong, Kohaku," Rin asked.

"It should have pierced him, but it's almost as if his arm is being drawn in." He said at Magatsuhi's back exploded into several bony, hooks resembling the articulation of spider legs. A brief struggle ensued and Sesshomaru was able to finally detach himself and leap back. The length of his arm was abraded, bleeding and covered in a corrosive poison which seemed to be eroding his flesh. Jaken yelled for Sesshomaru to run, if the monster's poison was stronger than Sesshomaru's, he would lose the arm. The cantankerous kappa's fearful, but insulting, words guaranteed Sesshomaru would not back down. I made an angry noise and felt Kohaku move next to me as the idiotic child rushed forward to join the fight with a yell.

I only had a moment; I dropped the barrier around myself and the rest of the group. Quickly I reformed it around the boy, but not before a tentacle brushed the shard in his neck. My barrier was able to sever the connection quickly, but the boy cried out in pain as the shard began corrupting at an incredible rate. The momentary distraction allowed for Magatsuhi to send more tentacles to pierce Sesshomaru's battered arm and body, lifting him from the earth. "Jaken, one more negative word out of you before this is over and I will kill you myself." I growled in my frustration as I rushed forward to retrieve the semi-conscious boy. Inu-yasha chose that moment to appear, and released his brother from his restraints screaming, "You bastard!" But, if the words were meant for his brother, or the nightmare they fought, I could not be certain.

There was pandemonium as others arrived, it seemed almost comical. Sango hurried to help me with her woozy sibling. Magatsuhi managed to cause Kagome to collapse seconds later with just a stern look and all the while Inu-yasha and Jaken spewed castigations at each other, the threat of Magatsuhi, momentarily forgotten. Sesshomaru made the only reasonable suggestion: to remove the injured from the battlefield. This is worse than when Drunk Uncle Sal showed up wearing grandma's dress at Thanksgiving. I though with a shake of my head as we managed to get noncombatants moving away from the momentarily confused danger. Only Rin and the dragon stayed well and obediently quiet.

I almost laughed, and I am laughing now as I recall it. Jaken laid the blame of Sesshomaru's injuries at Inu-yasha's feet for the loss of the Meido and Inu-yasha agreed. At that moment Sesshomaru snarled at Magatsuhi for making him receive sympathy from his despicable hanyou brother and healed his own arm; presumably by the power of spite, injured pride, and mulishness alone. I thought my time comparing things in the feudal era to my own were passed. Yet, I had a distinct recollection of a scene from the movie, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, whereRoger says he could only get out of the handcuffs when it was funny. I had to fight hysteria as the monk climbed into Au-Un's saddle and pulled Kohaku up after him and I interrupted Jaken's sycophantic prattling by, once again, grabbing the collar of his kimono and tossing him onto the dragon's back. I did not see the moment Sesshomaru changed forms, but in the time it took to get most everyone airborne, the daiyoukai had shed his humanoid appearance.

"Witness the power of Sesshomaru-Sama's true form!" Jaken taunted as they gained altitude and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as I turned to look. His true form, as Jaken put it, was massive. Sesshomaru was now a dog, with flowing white fur, burning red eyes, and easily the size of a large house. The change was so stunning it took me a moment to realize said dog had Magatsuhi's head tucked into his massive jaw like an ugly, screaming, tennis ball. More over, the headless body remained upright and had sprouted yet more writhing tentacles. At this rate, I would not be happy to look at a bowl of noodles for quite some time. I ached to have a weapon as I watched, uselessly, while my leannáin was engulfed by those appendages and the monster taunted us with talk of absorbing Sesshomaru and his power.

Agonizing seconds rolled by as I watched that squirming mass tighten. Inu-yasha and the others were speaking with the beast, but my world and focus had narrowed around me. I watched with wrapped attention for any sign Sesshomaru might be reducing his size and find a way to escape. Visions of the binding trap Byakuya had used months before were vivid in my mind's eye. Then, the mass exploded, my lover burst forth once more, and I felt myself breathe again. Once Sesshomaru was clear Inu-yasha prepared to use the Meido, but the Magatsuhi thwarted him by causing his body to explode into thousands of pieces. The multitude of fleshy remnants gained life of their own and renewed their master's intentions to gain the shard from Kahaku. It was now an aerial fight as Sesshomaru and the others defended the boy against the myriad of grasping fragments. I formed fireballs and threw them at the back of of the mob, doing my best to lend aid without hitting any of my companions or Kagome's friends.

"Follow me!" Sesshomaru yelled and moved in a tight, circuitous pattern, attempting to keep the group together, protected, and by sheer proximity, encourage Magatsuhi's body to reform. He brought everyone to a halt where I stood. He landed with his back to me, as he said, "From here, you protect yourselves." I raised my barrier around the group wordlessly as he once more charged into the fray. I became half convinced at that moment I was in love with a powerful, beautiful, hot-headed idiot. Which, is exactly what Inu-yasha called Seshomaru as he ran to catch up, "Idiot!" Sesshomaru ignored everything but his prey as he drew tenseiga. I laughed out loud with pride and relief. Knowing he finally had a plan, and had found the monster's weakness made my weaponless status less worrisome.

His attack was brilliant, cutting the spirit controlling the fleshy mess deeply, but not deep enough. Magatsuhi did not give Sesshomaru a second chance once he grasped the peril. Drawing back the living flesh as a wall against the sword that cannot cut things of this world Magatsuhi sent a tentacle through Sesshomaru's chest and quickly engulfed the daiyoukai in a cocoon of youkai tissue once more. Rin, Jaken and even Inu-yasha screamed Sesshomaru's name as the hanyou leapt forward and began to angrily and fruitlessly hack at the seething mass. "Sesshomaru-sama knew he might lose, but he chose to die fighting." Jaken said with awe and adulation raw his voice. I punched the annoying kappa, hard, and then repeated the motion several more times to help me vent frustration at my powerlessness.

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Jaken, stop being a drama queen! He's not dead and he's not suicidal, just shut up and watch, for Pete's sake." I couldn't tell anyone, I didn't know how to explain it. I am not sure I could do so adequately now, but I fell Sesshomaru becoming stronger, power powerful. It was similar to how I could sense his youkai and knew his proximity, I felt it building in waves and it caused goosebumps to break out along my arms. Then, Sesshomaru exploded forth in a dazzling glow of light. The wave of raw energy released caused me to drop my barrier and gasp in surprise. There was chatter then, and the name Tōtōsai, but I was completely focused on Sesshomaru and the raw power forming itself into a new left arm holding a katana. The man with the three eyed cow said bakusaiga and the name made me smile.

The damage bakusaiga's explosive formation had done to Magatsuhi's borrowed flesh when Sesshomaru was released had cause the body to once more separate into fragments. The injured portions began to deteriorate and the corrosion seemed to impeding the creature's ability to heal. Furthermore, as Magatsuhi began to reform, the infection spread to his previously undamaged flesh and began to eat away at what healthy tissue remained. In an almost cartoonish finale, the bragging, taunting, floating head once more approached Sesshomaru to jeer and was literally cut off, mid-sentence. With an almost careless wave of Sesshomaru new sword, he split the thing in half.

More chaos ensued as the rider of the three eyed cow, Tōtōsai, began discussing the sword's origins with Sesshomaru and his brother. Meanwhile, Rin and Jaken began loudly, and tearfully rejoicing the victory and small arguments broke out amongst the groups. I quietly took myself away from the cacophony to inspect Ah-Un and Kohaku.

The shard in the boy's neck radiated a dark energy that made me sick to my stomach to be near. Closing my eyes I held my hand over the point and focused on the spiorad, the spirit of the thing. I tried to find a balance to the element of it. All the sounds around me faded as I concentrated on my task. I could feel darkness in the boy, feeding the small part of Magatsuhi's spirit in the shard. Deeper still buried and hidden, I found piece of someone else, the pure light of a woman's shining soul. I fed that light as best I could, but my power wasn't made to purify and over power. The best I could do was force a balance in the stone, and give the boy a chance to choose which side he would feed, light or dark. He woke, moving groggily in my arms as I pulled my power back into me and opened my eyes.

The first thing I notice was it was quiet. Looking up, I saw the assembled group had, at some point, stopped their bickering and chatter to watch me. "You purified the shard!" Sago announced joyfully. Jaken began a extolling my praises and castigating people for not understand my greatness. Rin was asking Kohaku a million questions about his health and how he was feeling. I nudged the boy to stand as I did the same. Ignoring the renewed pandemonium, I met Sesshomaru's eyes, "Shall we go, my lord?" I asked mildly.

"I have business with Tōtōsai. We will accompany these others to a village for the time being." I raised an eyebrow at his sudden verbosity and he mimicked my trick before turning enough that I was the only one to see his sly smirk. I could not help the smile that answered his look as I moved to help everyone mount up and then returned to his side, being careful to avoid the naked blade tucked carelessly into his obi. It was a strange feeling to have him pull me in front of him and wrap two, strong arms protectively around me has we left the earth.

Once in the air, he leaned forward to murmur in my ear, "You were not worried."

"No," I replied just a quietly, knowing he could hear me clearly, "Mostly I was frustrated, I do not like being weaponless and having to stand idly by." I felt the rumble of his chuckle through my back.

"I recall orbs of fire and barriers, Donella-san, you were not defenseless. Would you have preferred to have a sword and have faced the yowamushi yourself?" He asked warning edge creeping into his voice. Self-involved glory hound. I thought as my own temper rose.

"I would not steal your prey from you, Sesshomaru," I intentionally dropped the honorific in my pique, "but if a fight comes, I will face it at your side, not in your shadow. I did not defeat Naraku, but I was not ineffective either." I smiled at the memory, "It was very satisfying to watch him explode into all those little pieces, even if it did cost me my weapon."

Another chuckled rumbled behind me and I was surprised to find my words amused him. When he replied his breath was warm on my ear and his deep, meaningful tone sent a shivering thrill through me, "No, wagakokoro, you are not the kind to cower. This Sesshomaru will help you procure a weapon worthy of you as soon as possible." The joyful response his words elicited in me was completely sent skittering into the ether as the feeling of his lips brushing against the back of my neck completely rewired my brain. It I ridiculously unfair that he can do that; I never want him to stop. I thought with a sigh as the moment came to an end with our arrival at the village.

The next few moments erupted into sort of chaos I have become to expect from Inu-yasha and his friends. Though, I was gratified to find it took only a sharply worded warning from me to keep Jaken from adding his multitudinous complaints to the cacophony. As the group made contact with the elderly Miko I had met once before, I marveled at the recovery of the village in just the few months since Byakuya's attack. Much of the woodwork was new, but the village showed no sign of the previous devastation my prior visit had caused and I tried to ignore the feelings of guilt that inspired as we focused on the task at hand.

My thoughts were interrupted by a tug on my left hand and I looked down to find the wizened form of Tōtōsai bent almost double as he unabashedly examining my bracelet. "May I help you?" I asked sharply as he again tugged at my wrist in his attempt to see the torque in better light.

"Yes, my lady, this item used to hold tremendous power, where did it all go?" He mumble the question so quietly I was confused if he really meant to address me or if he was musing out loud, but I answered it anyway.

"The power is mine, it resides within me." He looked up then and thoughtfully met my eyes. With a sharp nod and a grunt he yanked the ornament from my wrist and shoved it into his mouth. I had no time to respond to the absurdity of it all with more than an inarticulate sound of outrage before he had swallowed the damn thing whole with a mighty, noisome gulp. My ferocious lunge forward to strangle the ugly youkai was interrupted by Sesshomaru's restored left arm catching me around the middle and lifting me from the ground.

"What have you done, Tōtōsai?" Sesshomaru's glacial address helped cool my ire and calm me. I stopped struggling against his iron grip, but I continued to glare at the nonchalant ancient.

"It was useless like that, I'll fix it. Now, leave me be, I have work to do. Or do you not want a scabbard?" The old man groused as he walked away. I struggled in Sesshomaru's grip as my family heirloom walked away, seemingly in the bowels of the ugly and disagreeable swordsmith.

"Peace, Donella-san, I will see the item is returned to you or that he suffers. He is an unpleasant creature, but Tōtōsai would not risk my retribution without cause."

"Fine, you can put me down now, I won't gutt him, yet." I acquiesced grudgingly, but the cocksure canine had other plans. He whipped me around in a one arm flip to rest in his arms, cradled against his chest and we were swiftly on the move again. Huts and trees were a blur as we passed. Moments later, he came to a halt and released me gently.

We stood in a quiet glade, dappled with late afternoon sunlight and silent except for the sound of distant, moving water and our own respiration. I expelled a frustrated noise, "Did you bring me here so the others wouldn't have to listen to me yell when you tell me you are going after Magatsuhi the moment Tōtōsai is done?" I asked, sitting on the mossy remains of a fallen tree and trying to bite back my irritation.

"Perhaps." He replied, gracefully folding himself to his knees in a seated position facing me. We studied each other for a moment. He was much better than I at schooling his features to be impassive and my aggravation was quite clear. I broke first, we both knew I would. Arrogant, insufferable, spurious spaniel! Standing again, I closed the distance between us and touched his hair as I moved to sit next to him. He used both hands to steer me onto his lap instead. "I'm not going to argue. I have a bad feeling about it, but whether it is a woman's worry for her lover or a genuine premonition, I cannot tell. You are the only one who can kill him, and I know he is no match for you, yet my apprehensiveness remains. What I do know, is that Naraku will come for the boy, sooner rather than later. Therefore, I must stay, and let you go."

He answered me with a kiss that stole my breath and made my head spin. My heart was racing has he pulled back, and I trapped his face with my hand and greedily pulled him down to meet my lips again. A hungry growl escaped him as his clever fingers found the knot to my obi. I suddenly found myself reclining in a mound of soft, white fur, as his hands sent a warm electric tingle through me as they found my skin. This thing between us, was so new and so fragile. The trials of the past few days and the knowledge he would shortly be facing Magatsuhi once more added a desperate edge to our time together. I did not want to waste a moment of it.

Two sides to the same coin. This gentle, charming man whispering words of love as he caressed me gently in his arms and the fierce, detached, daiyoukai who had only hours before rended Magatsuhi's borrowed flesh with his claws. I pushed the anxious sense of foreboding I was having to the periphery and just focused on the moment, letting the joy and passion grant us both a little bit of peace before we faced the day's next challenge.

Author's Notes:

This one was a little short and sweet; the next one will encompass much of the Final Battle with Naraku and be much longer to make up.

Words

Irish Gaelic:

Leannáin: Lover

Spiorad: Spirit

Japanese

Yowamushi: Lesser, weak, meaningless demon or spirit.

Wagakokoro: My heart