Good Will Hunting

by Kyen

~ Moon Phase 7 ~ The Lasting Feeling

            Kanna was ready to jump and scream for joy, but, alas, she was nothingness, and so the feeling left her just as fast as every other feeling did. The plan was going perfectly. Inuyasha had fallen right into the trap, and now his own mother, in a sense, would destroy him. Kanna watched it all with a straight face, but did not see the two warriors, one demon and was demon breed, watching her.

            His mother’s hand sunk deeper into his back, nearing the spine. Inuyasha screamed in pain, not just physical, but emotional as well. The woman’s eyes were glazed in death, but she moved. Inuyasha vaguely registered that he had seen this happen somewhere before, but the pain overrode logical thought and the memory vanished as quickly as it came.

            “Wretch, let him go!” screamed Kagome at the corpse. The corpse responded by sinking its other hand into Inuyasha’s gut. “Let him go!”

            Without thinking, Kagome pulled an arrow from her back and drew her bow, drawing back the string, aiming for the head. She cursed loudly and profoundly and let loose. The arrow zoomed in and sliced neatly through the head. No blood spilled. Kagome stepped back in surprise. How could that be? Unless…

            “Inuyasha! If you can hear me, then listen up! That’s a corpse! She’s not real! Your mother’s dead! That’s not her!” she screamed. No response came, except for a coughing gasp as the corpse sunk its claws deeper into Inuyasha.

            “Well, things just turned up a notch,” Xiang Yao whispered and nodded her head to the trees directly across from them. In the shadows sat Kanna, the child of nothingness of Naraku.

            “Indeed,” Sesshomaru said, acknowledging Kanna’s presence, but keeping his eyes on Inuyasha.

            Xiang Yao noted where his gaze stayed, “Why not help him?”

            “He must do this by himself,” Sesshomaru said.

            Xiang Yao chuckled, “It makes me wonder if you’re not helping him for appearances sake or for an actual caring for your brother.”

            “Which do you think?” Sesshomaru asked her.

            “What would you say if I said the former?” she returned.

            Sesshomaru turned his gaze to her, “I’d say you know me better then I know myself.” Xiang Yao said nothing in return and did not move to help. This was Inuyasha’s battle, and he had to win.

            Back at camp, Sango and Miroku had awakened and it didn’t take them long to notice that four of their party members were gone, and they highly doubted it was for a midnight stroll in the woods. However, that would leave Rin, Shippou, Jakken and Kirara totally undefended. Not that Kirara couldn’t take care of herself, but she couldn’t keep track of two other, practically useless little kids and a toad. They finally voted to stay there, but what little good it did them to think positive thoughts was equal to the pain Inuyasha felt as his screams raked through the grove as the corpse dug deeper into him.

            “Let him go!” Kagome screamed again and let loose another arrow. This time it sank into the corpse’s shoulder, but not enough to sever it. The demon dug deeper still and blood pooled at Inuyasha’s feet like some dark lake.

            Inuyasha groaned and the demon dug deeper, ripping a howling scream from him. Kagome felt tears start to gather at the edge of her vision and things began to blur, “Inuyasha!”

            Vaguely, as if through a thick mist, Inuyasha managed to hear traces of Kagome’s voice, as if echoing from far away. “Ka…go…me…,” he managed to croak. “AH!” the scream tore through him and he was vaulted back to reality as the demon that was holding him dug deeper into his gut and raked upwards, just slightly, enough to draw blood that gushed like a waterfall.

            You’ll never be anything you half-breed mutt! Even if you were a full-fledged demon like me, you’d still be nothing, and you know why? Because you let your emotions get in the way of a fight, that’s why! You refuse to see what’s before your eyes!

            “Stupid…Kouga,” Inuyasha gasped. The words flooded through his head, the words of the dog demon he had fought and called a draw too, so that together they could protect Kagome by defeating a demon sent by Naraku.

            But all of a sudden, his words made sense. He was blind. He had never admitted it, but he like Kagome, and his own pride made him blind to that and to what she had told him, what she had been telling him. And now, his memories and his love for a person long gone blinded him to what was before him. Uttering a growl that came out a puppy dog whine, Inuyasha lifted his finger and dabbed them in his blood.

            “You’re…not…Mom…,” Inuyasha crocked. “Hijin Ketsusou!” The demon shrieked in despair as it’s body was torn apart. Inuyasha was released and fell to the ground, blood pouring. “You’re…not…Mom.” A single tear managed to glide down his cheek and then he fell into merciful darkness, and all the pain vanished.

            “No!” Kanna hissed. How could this be? That runt beat it! She had thought for sure he wouldn’t attack the corpse of his mother! But then again, that girl Kagome was always a problem.

            Kanna sighed and summoned and image of Naraku, “My Lord, Inuyasha has defeated the plan, though I must say, since the girl is just standing there he might very well bleed to death.”

            “Make sure she doesn’t get to him then,” Naraku snapped, very annoyed.

            “Of course,” Kanna and aimed her mirror at the ground where Kagome stood. Not only could she steal human and demon souls, but she could steal flora souls as well. Once completed, she willed the grass to grow, to become sharp and cut. She looked down at the result. A wall of grass to sharp and hard for her to shoot through and the same went for pushing. Inuyasha would bleed to death.

            “He won,” Xiang Yao observed.

            “Yes,” Sesshomaru said and rose, unsheathing Tenseiga and dropped to the ground. “But not quite yet.” He flicked his gaze to the sudden eruption of a razor grass blade wall. They were on the other side of it, but Kagome wasn’t.

            “Guess who?” Xiang Yao said sarcastically.

            “I shall tend Inuyasha,” Sesshomaru said. “You-,” he was cut off as Xiang Yao sprang from tree to tree, already heading for Kanna.

“What? What is he doing here?” Kanna asked as Sesshomaru appeared. She saw him draw the blade known as Tenseiga, “No, he’ll ruin everything!”

            “What is wrong?” Naraku asked his ‘daughter’.

            “That mutt Sesshomaru has intervened and is saving his half breed brother,” Kanna said.

            “To bad he won’t save you,” another voice said.

            “What?” Kanna said and turned about. The feeling that demanded she scream ran through her, but it vanished just as quickly and she jumped away, holding her mirror up. “I should have known you would be here.”

            “Indeed,” Xiang Yao said drew her blade.

            “Don’t take another step or your soul is mine!” Kanna warned.

            Xiang Yao shrugged and suddenly vanished. Kanna looked around for her, to aim her mirror and steal her soul, but then there were ten of the hateful wretches. Which one to aim at? Kanna didn’t have time to decided and she aimed her mirror at the first one to lunge.

            “So sorry, wrong choice,” a voice whispered in her ear and she felt pain as a sword thrust through her back and up, through her hear and lungs. Her life ended in a few seconds, and for the first time, Kanna felt an emotion for more the a second, but this was one emotion she cared not to feel again.

            Xiang Yao removed her blade, the only thing allowing Kanna to live, and pushed her from the branch with distaste, wiping her blade and sheathing it. She heard a crack and looked down. Kanna lay prone of the ground, her mirror beside her, cracked and no longer of use. She didn’t bleed. But then, what should she suspect of a person who had nothing within them? Was the very essence of nothingness itself? Xiang Yao shrugged and jumped down Kagome, who was crying her heart out.

            “Inuyasha!” Kagome screamed, but it came out as hoarse whisper, for her throat was so hurt from her previous screaming.

            She felt a cool hand on her shoulder and turned to see Xiang Yao’s calm face, “Come Kagome. Everything is alright.”

            “No, it’s not! Inuyasha’s dead!” Kagome said, the pain coming again and again as she thought it.

            “Not so,” a deeper voice sounded and she looked up to the face of Sesshomaru. In his arms, cradled like a baby, was Inuyasha, peacefully resting, head on his brother’s shoulder.

            “Inuyasha,” Kagome gasped. “But…how did you know? I mean, to come here.” Xiang Yao and Sesshomaru said nothing and the Huntress pulled her up, leading the jelly legged girl back to the camp for some much-needed rest.

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