A/N: So many reviews! XD Thank you so much, everyone! Bahahaha so many threats! I love them >:3
Anyways, enjoy!
Warning: This chapter contains blood, gore, implied rape, and character death.
*Futago= Twin in Japanese
-MissKatt
DISCLAIMER: All Inuyasha goodness belongs to the amazing Takahashi-san!
The Battle of Heart and Land
By MissKatt
Chapter Twenty-Two: The West’s Pain
Faster! His beast growled, urging Sesshoumaru to fly faster in his light form. Sesshoumaru did not need to beast to tell him to do so. His instincts were screaming at him that something bad had happened at home and he was needed more than ever. Never before had he experienced such an explosive feeling of worry and gut-wrenching uneasiness.
Within minutes he landed a couple feet outside the gates of his lands, a small crater denting the ground in a perfect circle around him. He could not stop the flinch that came to his amber eye, causing it to twitch slightly, as he over looked his courtyard grounds. Many, many soldiers lay dead, resting in puddles of dark crimson that stained the dirt road they rested on. Most of their limbs had been torn off. Tendons of muscle had stretched to their capacity before they were ripped apart, leaving the stringy tendrils resting a few inches front of the limbs, some wrapping around the white bones that had been pulled from their joints and sockets. Nekoyoukai were amongst them as well, but he cared not for their well-being.
He knew this was just the beginning.
He stuck his nose into the air and inhaled deeply, taking in the hundreds of different scents. His mind quickly sorted through them before two struck him. His eyes widened a fraction before he took off towards the castle with his speed. Why did he leave? He knew better! This was exactly what he feared would happen! The East was full of conniving creatures; of course Juto would strike as soon as he left. But then, how did he know he had left? There had to be a spy.
The taiyoukai ran to the throne room, ignoring the mass of dead bodies as his feet splashed in the pools of blood, staining his boots and the bottoms of his white hakama. He pushed the already parted doors further apart and stopped at the sight in front of him. Inuyoukai soldiers and servants were scattered along the gleaming red ground. Jagged cuts and slices ran along their flesh, holes piercing their chests or skulls, spewing their liquids of life. Along his subjects were even more nekoyoukai who rested in broken down pieces, random bits of flesh and body parts showered along the room. It was impressive, but still, the number of deaths from his end irked at him.
Sesshoumaru quickly ran his eyes over the plethora of ruined bodies before he spotted who he was looking for. He made his way over to his mother and peered down at her from the bridge of his nose. He couldn’t fight the rage that began to consume his being. His eyes flashed red at the sight of the former Lady of the West. Her purple kimono had been ripped open, exposing his mother’s naked body to him. Her pale flesh had a series of cuts along it, blood seeping from the open wounds. Just by the scent coming off her body, he knew she had been defiled. That itself must have been the greatest injury his mother gained for he knew she had not bedded another since his father. She had promised she would wait until she was reunited with him, despite his infidelity.
Her stilled heart made him reach for his side, but when he grasped empty air, he had remembered that he let the blacksmith use his swords for inspecting and for reference to create more weapons. He snarled as the fury doubled and clenched his hands before an odd pang hit him. Even if he had Tenseiga, he would not be able to revive his mother. Her head was severed from her neck, her golden eyes gouged from their sockets.
Besides, a part of him doubted she would want to be revived if she was now with her deceased mate.
He reached down to cover her mangled body with her kimono before nodding his head in respect for her. Yes, she was his mother, but he was Sesshoumaru; he did not cry for the loss of loved ones, he simply sought out revenge.
After standing there for a minute longer, he turned to leave the room. He needed to find out if there were any remaining servants so they could take care of his mother’s body and give her a proper burial. But, he wanted to find the other scent that he had picked up earlier: Rin. He kept his eyes out, scanning the dead bodies to make sure none were her. It was then he spotted Jaken down the corridor, whining and babbling miserably.
“Jaken.”
The imp youkai turned and screeched his lord’s name, “Sesshoumaru-samaaa! It was horrible, sire! The East came with incredible numbers and attacked out of nowhere! O-our losses…”
“Where is everyone?” He asked, narrowing his eyes slightly at the toad as he let out another wail.
“They retreated to the village, sire! Inukimi-sama held off several of them so we may escape while the troops protected it. A few soldiers and servants stayed to fight with her. But…” He trailed off, sadness consuming him.
“I already know of my mother’s fate.” He stated and began to walk down the corridor to the side of his castle where the road to the village was.
“Wait, M’lord!” Jaken called and ran after his lord, following him down the path towards the village.
“Where is Rin?” The Western Lord asked, narrowing his eyes once more as he found that her scent was not in the direction of the village.
“I-I do not know, Sesshoumaru-sama. I assumed she was killed in the raid since she did not join us in the village.” Jaken spoke softly, his large eyes swelling up with tears. The poor girl. As much as she annoyed him, he had grown fond of her over the years.
That made Sesshoumaru’s heart clench slightly. Rin was his daughter and the scent of her blood was in the air. Were her body parts among the others in the throne room? Had he somehow missed her? If someone had defiled her as well…
A wave of rage washed over him once more. He would have blood for his mother and daughter’s lives.
“Sesshoumaru-sama!” A few of the inuyoukai bowed to him as he walked into the village. He nodded to them and then looked around at the damage. The village itself was fine, but wounded troops and villagers were all around, leaning against huts and lying on mats on the ground. He couldn’t believe how unprepared they were for the attack.
“Sesshoumaru-sama,” Two females bowed to him before straightening. “Is there anything we can assist you with? Most of the females here have everything covered.”
“The former Lady of the West has met her death. See to her body and grave. Jaken, you will accompany them.” He ordered.
“H-hai, M’Lord!” Jaken stuttered.
Sesshoumaru watched as they bowed before running off towards the castle. He then continued on the blood splattered gravel, following it to one of the huts. He swiped open the flap and walked in, peering down at Taku as he kneeled down in front of a resting, injured Tekkan.
“Sesshoumaru-sama,” Taku spoke, his tone exhausted. He didn’t need to turn around to know it was his friend. “My apologies for this happening. We should have been prepared and ready.” His icy blue eyes remained on his brother’s face, his brow furrowed.
“Tell me what happened.” Sesshoumaru demanded.
Taku sighed softly and recalled the events after Sesshoumaru left. “It was as if they knew you were leaving, Sesshoumaru-sama. They were expecting it for as soon as you left, they made their move. They used their entire army and it seemed like a never ending rain of nekoyoukai and blood spray. Even we could not have predicted these numbers.”
“Taku-sama!”
He turned at his name and faced the soldier who was addressing him, but he already knew what he was about to say. The East had begun its attack. He could smell the puss filled creatures and nasty scent of wet cat in the air. “I want everyone fighting to full capacity. Do not let them enter the castle gates!” The troop nodded and eagerly ran off with their speed.
“Futago,” Tekkan spoke up, looking at his twin.
“Tekkan, I need you to go to the castle and move Rin-sama and Inukimi-sama to a safe place.” He commanded and then sighed at the defeated look in his brother’s eyes. “I know you want to fight, but I need you to do this for me.”
Tekkan bobbed his head once in a nod before speeding off towards the castle.
Taku watched him go before heading toward the gates. He didn’t bother with putting on his armor; it would take up too much time. Then the smell of blood slammed into him as if a wave of the crimson liquid fell over him. He rushed towards the front gates and nearly faltered in step when he saw that a few of his troops had already fallen, but was proud that they had taken a chunk of neko with them. But still…these numbers were impossible.
He drew his sword and rushed at the on-coming swarm of youkai, slashing at one after another, sending the mangled creatures back to the pits of hell in a rain of blood. His troops fought alongside him and together they cut down and killed the nekoyoukai as they came.
‘Yes, that is right! Inuyoukai are, and always will be, stronger than nekos. They have numbers, we have power.’ Taku thought triumphantly as they hacked through their opponents. His eyes then narrowed when he felt the ground beneath them shake. He remembered this sensation from the battle a month ago. He quickly scanned his enemies and saw the line of nekoyoukai with their fists in the ground, their arms now wood-like substances.
“Aim for the middle line and stay light on your feet! They will attack from the ground!” He roared and began to head towards the line, weaving through the spikes as they protruded from the earth. His men followed, using their natural inu grace to dodge the wooden daggers and attack the wood-controlling creatures, slaughtering them. Behind the defeated wood-nekos were a large number of miasma users, black goopy balls forming in their mouths, ready to spew along the inuyoukai.
“Stop them!” Taku barked and rushed forward, swinging his sword to decapitate three at a time with each stroke. His men followed the suit, killing off the rest of the miasma youkai. Around them nekoyoukai lay in shambles, their tainted blood defiling the West’s scared lands. His troops let out a hoot of victory, but the General remained quiet.
For Taku, he thought it was too easy.
As if to confirm his suspicions, his pointed ears picked up a long howl and he turned to face the castle. He didn’t realize how far they had traveled from it. Rushing at the nekos had put distance between them and Kingdom. How could he have been so naïve? Of course it was to lure them away!
“Back to the castle!” He ordered and sped off with his youkai speed, rushing back to the castle. He came to a sudden halt when he saw Inukimi in her true form, swatting away the nekoyoukai who swarmed her like bees to pollen. He thought the numbers they had just faced was many, but these were three times the amount. They had definitely miscalculated the numbers of their enemy.
“Futago!” Tekkan called, rushing to his brother’s side.
“Tekkan, where is Rin-sama?” He asked, knowing very well the scent of her blood was mixed with the others.
Tekkan looked down, regret overwhelming him. He couldn’t form the words to reply to his brother.
Taku sighed and looked up as Inukimi let out a roar of rage and swiped at the nekoyoukai around her. He then glanced at his troops as they fought their enemy, outnumbered by two. He hated to see his soldiers fight three-against-one, but they had no other choice. He only hoped Sesshoumaru would return with Kagome soon.
“Taku, let us help the Lady.” Tekkan spoke up, grabbing the fabric of his twin’s haori.
“No, I am not going to let you get hurt.” Taku replied, his icy blue eyes narrowing at his reflection before swatting is hand away.
Tekkan matched his glare. “We cannot let it continue this way! We must protect our lands and Inukimi-sama. She will not last much longer like this on her own!”
Taku knew he was right. They would need to help her. But, he hated joining with his twin. They shared a beast, thus they could only reach their true form when they fused together. Taku held most of the beast so he was the one who was in control of their form. However, if any damage occurred while in beast form, Tekkan was the one who obtained all of the wounds. It was something Taku hated with a passion. How could the Kamis be so cruel? So badly did he wish he could take all the pain and not let his brother suffer. But, it also propelled to him to be much more cautious when in their true form.
“Taku!” Tekkan growled, urging him make up his mind.
The General sighed. “Alright, let us help Inukimi-sama.”
Tekkan smiled happily and held out his hand to his brother. He watched as his twin hesitated for a moment before grabbing his hand. He felt their broken auras meet, merging together to become complete.
Taku felt the click of the auras and snapped his glowing red eyes open. He pulled Tekkan into him, but he vanished and disappeared into him. He let out a snarl as the transformation began to overtake him. Within seconds the morphing was complete and he rushed over to Inukimi, pouncing and squishing the nekoyoukai as they lurched at an already busy Lady.
‘Thank you,’ She sent him, nodding.
‘Of course, Inukimi-sama.’ Tekkan and Taku’s voice echoed back to her before they turned and began to kill off the swarm of neko.
“After fighting for a while, Inukimi-sama told us to head towards the village because a group of them were headed here. I ordered a couple of troops to stay behind and assist her.” Taku finished, sighing softly. “We killed a large amount of them before they finally retreated. But, as you can see, we suffered a few losses and many injuries.” His eyes traveled back down to Tekkan. As he had feared, he had received all of blows that was inflicted on him while in their true form.
Sesshoumaru processed the story in his mind, a blank look on his face. He could not completely blame Taku for the losses. He himself should not have left his home for some…ningen. Mate or not, he had let his feelings get the best of him and for that his lands and subjects perished. His mother and Rin had fallen because of him.
“Your orders?” Taku asked, looking at the taiyoukai.
The Western lord glanced at him. “I will revive who I can with Tenseiga.”
“That is not possible, Sesshoumaru-sama. It is missing.” The General sighed heavily. How had all of this happened?
“Missing?” He couldn’t hold back the growl that escaped his throat. “Am I mistaken that you said none of the neko had entered the village?”
“You are not mistaken. I do not know what happened. But, I have a suspicion that we had a spy or two. I believe that may explain Yune’s disappearance.” He replied, rising to his feet, now facing his friend.
“It seems Juto has thought this through.” Sesshoumaru commented, a scowl on his face.
“Someone had to have told him about Tenseiga and its powers. Not many know of it.” He added, now walking with his lord as they walked out from hut and down the path of the village.
“I believe Inuyasha has something to do with that.”
Taku glared hard as he walked. “Such treachery. To abandon his father’s lands, brother, race, and friend just for some dead miko. He will pay for what he has done to the West.”
Sesshoumaru nodded once. Even he found Inuyasha’s betrayal to be great. Had he no respect for his mother? She had spent so much time trying to help him and train him and this was how he repaid her? Even his miko had stayed to help them after promising she would. His eyes narrowed slightly. Yes, he would kill his half-brother with his own hands.
He inwardly sighed, thinking about his mate again. All her pain and distress that he had been feeling lately had caused him to leave his lands. In that time, Juto had taken the liberty to strike and create a catastrophic amount of casualties and wounds. He clenched his jaw tightly and continued to walk. He had made up his mind.
“Sesshoumaru-sama!”
He paused in his walking to look at the inu pup in front of him. Kagome had spoken of him before: Yukito was his name. He had a determined look on his face, his hands balled into fists at his sides. Tears swelled his eyes, his bottom lip quivering.
“Yukito.” He acknowledged.
“M-my Otou-san…” He choked out, trying to hold his strength.
Taku personally did not like the child at first. He held the same name as the father of his mother’s murderer. He knew it wasn’t something the boy could control, but it still brought about bad memories. However, in that moment he felt pity for the boy. He knew his father had died in battle. He let the bitterness go and knelt down on one knee beside the boy. “Your father was a strong fighter.”
That single sentence broke his hold and he rushed at Taku, sobbing heavily into his chest. He remained that way for a moment before pulling away from the general, an embarrassed flush on his cheeks. He wanted to be a strong inuyoukai like he had told Kagome yet here he was crying in front of the General and his Lord.
Speaking of which, “Sesshoumaru-sama, where is Kagome-sama? Is she okay?” He asked, taking in a shaky breath.
Sesshoumaru glanced at the boy and put his hand on his head, deeming it the right thing to do as the new Lord of the West. “She is safe in her own home. Your father was a great asset to the West and will be remembered as such. When this is all over, you shall live in the castle with us.”
Yukito perked up and gave his lord a weak smile. “Thank you, Sesshoumaru-sama.” He said. He then looked over as his mother came out from one of the huts with a basket full of dirtied, bloody clothes that the women were using for the men’s wounds. She met his gaze and motioned for him to help her. “Okaa-san is being extra strong.” He murmured before running off to go help his mother.
“That was kind of you, Sesshoumaru-sama.” Taku commented, standing back up.
“It is what Kagome would have done.” He replied and continued on his walk. It was true that that was what she would have wanted, especially since she was fond of boy. However, she would not be able to see it as so. He did not want her to come back; she was full of weaknesses. What had just happened was proof of it all. He would put in an extra effort to block out any of her emotions so he was not distracted by them any further.
It was better this way.
For him and his lands.
A/N: :3 Thanks for reading!
Edited on 12/2/15