This first chapter is a little slower than the following chapters but I had to set the plot somehow! The second chapter is what really sets the tone for the rest of the story, enjoy!
XOXOXOX
Sesshomaru surveyed the meadow Rin had chosen for her midday meal. It was full of wildflowers and bisected with a small river, an excellent battle ground as well as picnic spot. While he was certain his charge had picked it because of the flowers, he secretly hoped that part of her appreciated the battle-advantages of the area. He'd make a warlord of her yet.
But that would have to wait. Even before the overwhelming stench of the accursed Naraku reached him the wave of miasma swept through the meadow.
In the blink of an eye the taiyoukai had placed Rin on the back of Ah-Un and was murmuring instructions to the mount. A quick glare insured that Jaken was safely dangling from the dragon's tail as the beast prepared to take off. He didn't take his gaze from his charges until they were safely beyond Naraku's grasp, even as the hanyou himself made an appearance in the clearing.
"Sesshomaru-sama." The baboon-pelt clad nuisance bowed his head differentially.
The taiyoukai turned and sized up his adversary. From the stench alone he was sure that it was actually the creature himself, not a puppet.
What a fortuitous day. Sesshomaru allowed himself a small smile. There were few things he enjoyed more than tearing apart adversaries on a battle field big enough for his true form, should he decide to use it.
It took no more than a flick of claws and poison whip to rid the hanyou of his tiresome charade. When the pelt fell apart and a wooden doll with a single strand of hair fell to the ground, split in two, Sesshomaru immediately scanned the forest.
The attack came from behind and Sesshomaru blocked in time. Naraku had managed to distract him by presenting a doll as a decoy but it would not happen again.
Insolent wretch. Sesshomaru attacked with Tokijin, loping off appendages as fast as Naraku could regrow them. The few body parts that managed to get close to the taiyoukai were deflected with either a block of his sword or a well-executed punch. He continued in that manner, chopping, blocking, punching and striking and would have been quite content to dismember his enemy until there were no recognizable parts—maybe keeping an ear as a souvenir for his half-brother—when an unwelcome interruption broke through his focus.
"Naraku! You're going down!" A voice rang out from across the clearing. Inuyasha's wench announced her presence even as a sacred arrow blasted apart half of the hanyou.
Such unnecessary posturing. He sprang back to the riverbed to survey the damage and take note of his newly arrived dubious allies.
The wounds were hardly fatal and would prove to be more of a nuisance for the spider spawn than anything. As for Inuyasha's clique, the humans looked battle-ready though road-weary and his half-brother looked as cock-sure and battle-eager as ever.
Sesshomaru side-stepped the wind-scar and sent a cold look his brother's way. It never ceased to annoy him how a mere irritation had gained such power. The way Inuyasha wielded his father's fang was like a three-year-old human playing the role of lumberjack.
"Hey bastard! What are you doing here? Naraku's mine!" Inuyasha screamed, running at the debatably injured enemy.
"Fool." Sesshomaru watched with mild interest as his half-brother was tossed back with a casual flick Naraku's multi-tentacled appendage.
"Forgive the lack of formalities Sesshomaru-sama!" The houshi bowed his head slightly towards the taiyoukai even as he flung sacred sutras towards Naraku. "But we sensed Naraku and had to join you in battle. Any assistance you grant us would be greatly appreciated!"
The monk is a wordsmith. Sesshomaru inclined his head minutely, as much acknowledging the masterful way the houshi had asked for help as the apology.
"Sesshomaru-sama!" The miko raced around the edge of the field to his side, staying carefully out of reach of Naraku's many-phalanged grasp. She executed a short bow before urgently and fearlessly meeting his eyes. "Are Rin, Ah-Un and Jaken safe?"
He gave her a level glare, slightly offended that she thought he wouldn't see to the safety of his charges while also being mildly amused that she had asked about them in the same order of importance he assigned them.
"Thank goodness." She smiled and her scent bloomed.
Sesshomaru turned back to the battle, blocking out the strange young woman's assault on his senses. He tried not to take any interest in the miko for many reasons, the most predominant being that her scent intrigued him and he already had a human pet. Another would simply be a nuisance.
The battle followed a predictable pattern. Inuyasha used the tetsusaiga, the houshi pulled dismembered appendages into his kazaana until the hell-wasps made an appearance and he fell ill under the care of the kitsune. The taijiya attacked from the air with her youkai and Inuyasha's woman fired arrow after arrow until her quiver was empty.
Unexpectedly, just when Sesshomaru thought the miko would despair as she was now weaponless, she started infusing stones from the riverbed with her power and throwing them at Naraku. She actually had a surprisingly strong arm and hit more often than missed.
Using her powers to turn what she has available into weapons. How… unconventional. Sesshomaru mused. Despite his efforts to ignore her, the miko inadvertently inspired him. The battle was predictable, making the outcome predictable as well. Perhaps if an unforeseen strategy comes into play, the outcome will change and Naraku will fall.
He pondered on what could be unexpected, unconventional even. At last, he realized tensaiga was pulsing with the demand for attention.
"Tensaiga?" He considered it. It would certainly be unexpected. But how can it help?
The miko had looked up sharply when he spoke and frowned at him, then at his sword, then at the battle before them.
"Oh!" She exclaimed. "Of course!"
He raised an eyebrow at her.
"Tensaiga can bring back the dead right?" In her excitement she wrapped slender fingers around his sleeve. "Naraku is MADE of dead things!"
She stared up at him with widened blue eyes, imploring him to understand.
"You wish to fight a thousand weaker enemies rather than one strong enemy?" He asked her.
She nodded. "His body under his control IS his army. Maneuvering with an army is advantageous; with an undisciplined multitude, most dangerous."
Sesshomaru considered her. The young woman was intriguing indeed if she could quote Sun Tzu and understand the finer nuances behind the war strategist's words.
Without further delay Sesshomaru drew his sword in one smooth, practiced motion, weighting it in his hand for a moment before throwing it easily into the human torso of Naraku. He could see as parts of the hanyou broke off into lesser demons.
Very angry lesser demons.
Instead of converging on the weakened allies they turned to Naraku with hate-filled eyes and started ripping pieces off of him. The demons that had been slain and defiled to create Naraku had as much of a grudge against him as did his enemies.
"Woah. That's convenient." The miko breathed and he could scent her weariness as she clutched his sleeve now for support.
"Hn." Sesshomaru agreed.
As Naraku broke down into smaller component parts, a human arm struggled free of the mass of youkai flesh, holding tensaiga aloft.
What on earth does he plan to do with a sword that doesn't cut living flesh? Shesshomaru mused.
His answer came seconds later when the sword was thrown with unexpected strength and accuracy towards the miko at his side. Despite his cool-headed understanding of the empty threat that tensaiga posed to them, some primal force urged him to protect the endangered young female. He pivoted to use his body as a shield but felt the blade impale straight through his body as though his armor wasn't even there and into the chest of the girl in front of him.
He felt a great wrenching in the place where the sword connected him to the miko and felt strangely outside of his own body. Blackness overtook his vision as both his and the woman's knees gave out and they fell, pinned on his sword.