Sesshomaru-Inuyasha BIA: Chapter 20

殺生丸  ＆  犬夜叉:  きょうだい イン  甲鉄
Sesshomaru & Inuyasha: Kyoudai in Kōtetsu
Sesshomaru & Inuyasha: Brothers  in Arms

章 20 -- 犬夜叉の 決定的 交戦
Shō 20 -- Inuyasha's Ketteiteki Kōsen?
Chapter 20  -- Inuyasha's Final Battle?

When the remainder of the protective barrier surrounding the castle, shimmered, fluctuated and crumbled around them, Sesshomaru knew instinctively that Inuyasha had brought it down.

So the hanyou had decided he was not happy here after all, had he? Good. He had not believed he was. But that hanyou was so unpredictable at times, it was difficult to determine exactly what his true thoughts were. However, it was easy to ascertain, that for whatever reason, that hanyou's primary focus seemed to be to push this daiyoukai to the edges of reason, if permitted. But the youkai lord could not believe the hanyou could possibly know Princess Edera's true objectives and remain in that castle willingly.

"Princess Edera," Sesshomaru said as he continued to focus his attention up at her. "It appears the remainder of your barrier has fallen," he uttered with a slightly malicious sneer. "I am afraid that means you are no longer as secure as you previously thought. But perhaps that also means you will not have your plans fulfilled as you arrogantly believed."

"Me lord!" Jaken screamed as he pointed through the life sorceress's barrier in an attempt to warn his master of the thunderous approach of wolf dogs rushing up behind him.

"Sesshomaru get out of the way," Inuyasha called, simultaneously running up toward him, while preparing to unleash his Kaze no Kizu attack at the threat approaching his brother.

The wolf dogs rushed forward, their clawed feet clicking and scraping along the bricked walkway as they approached at a rapid pace. Their snarling fangs bared as they circled the youkai lord, surrounding him on all sides, snipping, snarling and growling; their fangs glinting and protruding in a vicious, drooling sneer.

"Stay out of this, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru warned the young hanyou, his tone calm yet commanding. He had scented the wolf dogs impending approach long before Jaken's warning call. If this was Princess Edera's only available line of defense, she was at a serious disadvantage he decided as he spun, directing the power of his Bakusaiga toward the herd of demon dogs surrounding him.

With a swift turn and a quick thrust of his hand, Bakusaiga's energy penetrated the bodies of the demon wolf dogs, seeking the low level youkai's hearts, exploding them from the inside out, shattering what was once their bodies to miniscule pieces; within seconds, the threat had been destroyed, hardly worth the youkai lord's effort.

"Geh," Inuyasha grumbled as he came to an almost screeching halt. His brother never seemed to want his help. Why? What did he think was so wrong with his abilities? Or did he just think his own were so great?  In all the battles they'd been in together, which granted, weren't many, Sesshomaru had always been determined to display his strength and power without assistance. But hell, what did he expect? Sesshomaru had likely seen him crying just a few minutes ago, like a damned little girl, and likely thought he was absolutely useless.

"If you have no greater threat than that, Princess Edera," Sesshomaru began, turning to face her once more with narrowing slits for eyes. "I suggest you recognize that you are at a grave disadvantage," he said with a smooth confidence which served to anger the youkai succuvex, who sneered angrily at him. From the looks in her eyes, the youkai lord was fairly certain she wanted to do nothing more than to take his head. Not surprisingly, he wanted to see her try.

Upon his return to the castle, Hidenka Akatsuki had warned the youkai lord of the errtu force at the youkai succuvex's command. Regrettably, she said she had not been part of that battle 25 years ago, so she knew not their attack capabilities; but she told him of how her father, the Suzaku king had sent forth a force of hundreds, yet barely 50 wounded managed to  return to report of their defeat. But their defeat, was because they were not warriors, was it not? They were mere guards, at best. They had likely waged their attack without seeking an adequate strategic advantage. Princess Edera would soon understand that this youkai lord would not be so easily defeated. Before the sun rose, she would know that he was a warrior through and through. She would either call forth her errtu, or she would be dead within minutes.

"Disadvantage? Huh!" Princess Edera emitted a mighty grunt, as she continued to glare out at him in heated anger. "You must be confused. Why would you possibly believe I would be at a disadvantage? Is it because of that fierce army you have behind you?" she sneered angrily, glaring viciously at the youkai lord, as her gaze roved to take in his companions. "If anyone is at a disadvantage here, it is you, Lord Sesshomaru," she said peering out into the distance. "Princess," she called out, upon spotting the life sorceress. "Have you told your lord about the perils he will face when he meets my errtu?  Or have you come to rejoin your true family at last? Or perhaps you are seeking your long lost little sister? But I'm afraid she's not here!" she said chuckling slightly; an evil glint sparkling in her eyes. "Or could you be hoping to join your guards, perhaps?"

"Silence!" Sesshomaru blared, his eyes narrowing in contempt, his voice growing husky with fury. "I am your target. You will address your words to no one except me."

"To you?" Princess Edera snapped her head around to glare at him once more; but her words were deceptively soft as she issued an equally soft harrumph in clearing her throat. "Well, my dear Lord Sesshomaru, did the princess explain to you, how impossible and fruitless your battle would be?"

"There will be no battle once I take your life," his gaze determined and fixed as he glared upward at what he considered no more than an obnoxiously arrogant youkai.

"Take my life? Take my life?" The youkai princess nearly screeched. Gone was her pretense of pompousness. Clearly, she had never been confronted by an opponent such as the youkai lord who stood so calmly before her at this very moment; which was evident in her mood fluctuations between serene calm and rattled agitation; a positive indication that no youkai had ever before, so serenely called her to task. "Damn you Lord Sesshomaru, how dare you come here and threaten me? Do you actually think you can simply come here and destroy the sanctity of my home?"

"How dare you leave your home and make the mistake of coming to me?" Sesshomaru responded with eyes glinting fiercely. There was no mistaking the fact that the youkai lord did not appreciate the arrogance the youkai princess had displayed in venturing into his western lands; and his intent was to ensure she paid for that transgression.

"Mistress, mistress," Chandra came running up to the youkai princess, then came to a screeching halt and kneeled almost simultaneously. "Sarula and Sasuki are gone."

"What? Gone...? But how...?" Princess Edera repeated in disbelief as she whipped her head around to stare down at her errtu servant. "What do you mean? How could they be gone?"

"I... I... I... "

With full realization seeping into her head, the princess snapped a fierce glare around toward the young hanyou. "Inuyasha, you did this didn't you?" Princess Edera's voice rasped with fury, as she shot a brutally angry glare toward him. "It was you who brought down my barrier and released my servants, wasn't it? How dare you betray me?" She barked with a flash of fire red youki flooding the air around her.

"Shut up," Inuyasha barked with anger and vengeance in his own voice. "If you mean those two girls you had trapped here, yeah I did. And I did it because I know what you are. I know why you had me brought here and I know what you planned to do. But you will never have my sword, you piece of shit," he grinned that cocky grin of his as he flared Tetsusaiga's youki power. "I'm not such a stupid hanyou after all, am I?"

Sesshomaru momentarily diverted his gaze across his shoulder toward the hanyou, wondering exactly who he had truly intended that last comment for. "Princess Edera I suggest you focus on one task at a time," his voice was stern, yet quiet. "I told you, you will not address anyone else in my group, you will direct all your comments to me."

The youkai princess's eyes glared a vibrant red as she flared more youki. "Your group? You two think you can come here and destroy ME? Well I have ruled here for over 4300 years and I'd say you'd best think again. Do not underestimate my abilities, Lord Sesshomaru," Princess Edera threatened, then released a larger swarm of youki around herself as she began to transform. "Team with your brother if you so choose, Inuyasha," she directed her comments toward the young hanyou despite the youkai lord's warning. "But you are a fool, because that will result in nothing but your own destruction." She growled as the fire bird jewel on her ear flashed a brilliant red and she was instantly engulfed in vibrant youkai energy as her body began to transform.

Sesshomaru watched with cool disinterest. He would give her the opportunity to put herself in whatever she believed was her best fighting position. He would not kill anyone not thoroughly prepared to die, because he was certain that in the end he would kill her for her arrogance if nothing else.

Princess Edera's transformation was swift, as she grew taller; nearly three times her original size to perhaps an 18 foot tall youkai. Her coloring changed from its usual black to a pinkish red. The silk of her shoulder harness shortened, joining with the harness and fur covering her shoulder to transform into large opposing black demon bird wings. The horn that was previously curled on the side of her head unraveled, extending outward. Her claws, though already long, grew to an even more menacingly threatening length.

The youkai lord now observed her transformation with some degree of astonishment. From what he could see, Princess Edera seemed to be only partially transformed, but could it be, he turned to study the life sorceress, whose eyes seemed as astonished as the youkai lord knew he felt. Turning back toward the succuvex, she partially looked like a vicious killer bird. Was she  ...

"Sesshomaru," Inuyasha called out upon sighting an eerie reddish glow rising on the western horizon beneath them. Running up to his brother's side, the two glared down across the landscape beyond the marsh and mazes. A foreboding reddish glow grew larger and larger as it appeared to be moving closer toward them.

"Lord Sess...hooo...maaruuu," Rin and Jaken called in unison. Sesshomaru turned and saw yet another eerie red glow rising on the opposing eastern horizon. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of demons stood on each side of the field below the castle, each one uglier than the next. The youkai lord immediately flared his youkai and engulfed himself and his hanyou brother in his kyuu shou as he flew above and beyond the protective marsh and maze that surrounded the castle grounds.

"Cover my flank," Sesshomaru told the hanyou as he released him to the ground.

"Yeah, right," Inuyasha agreed readily, steadying himself as he took up his position behind his brothers' back, grateful to receive the youkai lord's request to provide support at last. Without speaking, the two bother's appeared to be of one mind as they readied themselves for the attack.

"It's the errtu," Inuyasha muttered. "Princess Edera's servants, they've transformed," he informed no one in particular; essentially talking to himself as he clearly spotted and was able to make out the distinctive hollow eyes of the figures emerging through the foreboding red glow.

"I am aware," Sesshomaru responded with little interest. So the youkai princess had finally revealed her full force at last, had she? Their numbers may well be abundant, but they would not get past his Bakusaiga.

Despite the approaching threat, for some reason, Inuyasha decided to ask. "Sesshomaru, you knew what she was all along didn't you?"

"From the moment she appeared at my camp," he informed him with no hint of gloating in his voice.

"So when you where in my bedroom, did you know that I...?"

Sesshomaru arched a brow and glanced across his shoulder at the hanyou, "That you chose not to be honest with me," he determined, assuming his brother's meaning. "Not initially," Sesshomaru confessed. "But eventually, I suspected."

"Oh," Inuyasha lowered his head, reflecting on the poor showing he'd exhibited in front of his brother the day before, and what he'd found out from Sarula afterward. He was fairly certain Sesshomaru would never forgive him for that, and he was equally uncertain if he could ever forgive himself for being so stupid.

"Keep your guard up, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru warned; his tone just above a growl. "You are in the middle of a battle. Do not forget who our opponent is here," he said as he readied the blade of his sword. "Princess Edera is a crafty sorceress and capable of anything. These youkai are powerful, but they are here merely as a distraction; to wear us down. Do not allow it."

"Yeah, sure," Inuyasha responded refocusing on the task at hand, just in time to quickly dive out of the way, barely avoiding the massive blaze of fire shooting from the errtu's mouth in his general direction. Rolling and bounding to his feet, he wielded Tetsusaiga's power; "Kaze ni kizu," he blared, as he repeatedly unleashed Tetsusaiga's primary force of attack, sending a whirlwind of torrential fire power spiraling toward the approaching errtu, erupting the earth beneath them, shattering the first wave of youkai into thousands of pieces.

Flying swiftly forward, Sesshomaru waved his Bakusaiga erecting a temporary force field around himself to guard against the blazing fire threat headed toward him, then immediately followed suit by calling forth and unleashing the full threat of his Bakusaiga's Ultimate Dragon Strike; a force capable of killing 1000 demon with a single strike. Ten times the power of Tetsusaiga.

The power and force of what looked like a giant dragon immediately emerged from the sword and briefly engulfed the youkai lord as it quickly dashed toward its target, shaking the ground beneath them and directing an incredibly powerful energy toward the errtu force approaching the brothers.

The blazing red and white form of the youkai lord's dragon seemed to simultaneously enter and devour the bodies of the errtu as it engulfed them and sped toward their hearts, exploding their bodies from the inside out. A seemingly unending force, the form of the giant dragon seemed to reverse direction as it sped toward the hanyou's attackers and in an instant, they too were gone. Remnants of youkai body parts splayed through the air, coating the skies like falling refuse.

The hanyou gawked in amazement as he snapped his head around to study his brother waving his sword at the approaching errtu once more; his eyes nearly bulging with disbelief. Bakusaiga was more powerful than anything he had ever seen in his life; hell anything he could possibly have imagined. This was not the cutting Bakusaiga Sesshomaru had used against Naraku. Had he discovered a new power in his sword? The power displayed by his brother's weapon seemed to be a direct correlation to the power likely contained in Sesshomaru himself.  No wonder he had no further interest in his Tetsusaiga. His own sword was far more powerful. With it, his brother was even more commanding than he would have dreamed. He knew Sesshomaru had always sought power. But why did anyone need that much power? When Sesshomaru had regenerated his arm and received his Bakusaiga, Toutousai had said he'd surpassed their father in both strength and ability. No freaking kidding.

But the hanyou was provided no opportunity to continue dawdling in his thoughts, no opportunity to envy his brother's strength, no opportunity to think about how he had pushed so hard against someone with his brother's ability, and for what reason; because almost instantaneously, a third and fourth set of errtu youkai appeared before them; flying above and around them, circling their targets heads, as a fiery blaze shot forth from open mouths, roaring above the hanyou's head as he dove, ran and jumped to avoid the disruptive heat force. Flaring Tetsusaiga's power, Inuyasha swiftly released another series of Kaze ni kizu attacks with an upward thrust aimed directly toward the flying errtu.

Once again, Sesshomaru waived Bakusaiga, erecting yet another temporary shield around himself as he flew up to confront the threat; while once again, releasing his destructive Dragon Strike as the errtu were immediately engulfed and swallowed by the mighty dragon's jaw, then seemed to explode and crumble from the inside out. Within seconds, the youkai lord and the hanyou were deluged by errtu, hundreds perhaps thousands more, but this time several members of the errtu army directed their fiery blaze toward another targeted goal.

"Jaken," the youkai lord called out, diverting his attention toward his companions. Immediately, the little youkai needlessly bustled about, grabbing Rin by the arm and wrapping Ah-Un's reigns around his staff of two heads as he attempted to lead the group back, out of the line of fire, away from the impending threat. But his efforts were pointless; they were all already cloaked within the life sorceress's barrier.

Moving toward the threat that dared seek to injure Rin, or even Jaken, the youkai lord stopped mid-stride as he watched the life sorceress follow suit with the little youkai's quick steps and floated backward to reposition herself and her charges, flaring and releasing more youki power as her barrier vibrated with a burst of energy and expanded, essentially splitting into two, erecting another barrier connected to the original as she separated herself from the others, yet all parts of her barrier held steady against the realm of fire seeking any potential weakness. Then, clearly in an attempt to squelch further threats, Sesshomaru watched as the youkai princess's eyes glowed a vibrant red and a realm of fire seemed to erupt from within her entire body and shoot forth from her hands, as she quickly manipulated them both, releasing an overwhelming barrage of fire power toward the approaching errtu threat.

Continuing to shield Rin, Jaken and Ah-Un in her protective shield, Hidenka Akatsuki hurriedly uttered an enchantment as she moved forward while calling forth the nearby waters of the earth. "Nagisa rai." Instantly, the water that was previously just a marsh surrounding the castle, floated up in the air and splashed down upon the errtu, squelching their fire power as they attempted to breach her barrier.

"Hyou gen kudaku," she called, as she seemed to tap into the energy from the very skies above and a fine frosty mist floated downward, covering and freezing the hides of the dozens of errtu that surrounded the group in their attempt to breach her barrier. The youkai sorceress's hands now unleashed a multitude of swirling thunderous pulses of electrical bolts of energy directly through the deceptively thin shield.

The youkai lord continued to watch as her energy pulse rained down a ferocious attack in retaliation upon the errtu as they twisted, convulsed, exploded and shattered beneath Hidenka Akatsuki's feet.

Sesshomaru studied her with a puzzled gaze as she flared her youki and waged her attack. He did not understand. When she had given him that amulet and transported him to her, he thought her power consisted mainly of magic and trinkets. Even the barrier she used to shield, Rin, Jaken, Ah-Un and even herself, initially seemed only to be like the barrier that vermin Naraku had erected with the help of the shikon no tama; another magic jewel.

But now, to all appearances, her barrier seemed to be part of her very soul; commanded by her will alone; much as his was. Clearly, some of what she used was sorcery, but she used it skillfully. Combined with her own fire power, she used them strategically, with the cunning of a warrior. And then, despite the fact that he had scented it, he had no idea that she had the fire power of a warrior as well. But she was not. She was a member of the Suzaku clan. They were not warriors. How could she contain such fire power and not be a warrior? Why was her clan not warriors?

Upon quickly remembering where he was, Sesshomaru refused to allow himself to be distracted further and instantly redirected his focus. With skill and precision, he quickly rushed forward and using his Bakusaiga's Dragon Strike immediately directed another fierce electrical energy pulse, toward an additional group of errtu rushing forward in an attempt to breach the youkai hidenka's barrier. The powerful force of Sesshomaru's Dragon Strike engulfed its targets in a cocoon of energy and again sort the hearts of the offending enemy, exploding and rupturing their bodies into mere shards of their former self.

Within seconds, the ground beneath their feet began to quake with an unmistakable rumble. It was immediately followed by the shrill, hollow, malicious laughter of Princess Edera flooding the air from the castle veranda above. Jagged spikes constructed of earth and rock sprang forth from the ground around their feet. Large trees and broken shrubbery wended its way through the air toward the youkai lord, the hanyou and the life sorceress's barrier as the youkai succuvex literally ripped the mazes apart and used them in her attack.

Without a thought, based purely on instinct, Sesshomaru quickly flew upward, above the trees, boulder and debris. Using the power of his Dragon Strike once more, he shattered the shrubbery into splinters of wood, as the hanyou leapt and rolled then struggled to maintain his balance against the cracking ground beneath him by digging the blade of his Tetsusaiga into the surrounding earth and holding on for dear life. The youkai life sorceress was forced to flare more youki power as she rejoined her previously split barrier and encircled her charges as she hovered them safely in the air.

"What is she trying to do? Suck us into hell or something?" The hanyou growled, clinging desperately to the hilt of his Tetsusaiga as the earth continued to move and crackle beneath his feet.

Snapping his head around to glare at the youkai succuvex, Sesshomaru realized she had simply been toying with him. She had transformed, but she had not previously entered the battle. She simply glared down at them with a haughty arrogance. The youkai lord's eyes burned with vengeance and fury, as he whipped his hand forward and called his swords name to once again unleash the force of his Bakusaiga's Dragon Strike in an effort to shatter both the approaching shrubbery and any approaching errtu as well.

But despite the youkai lord's efforts the errtu threat was not expunged, they were followed by another and yet another set of fire breathing demons--each group seemingly larger and more deadly than the last. Side by side they fought, for what seemed like hours, almost an eternity; in the air and on the ground, then back to back and side by side, the youkai lord and the hanyou, Bakusaiga and Tetsusaiga; as the process repeated itself over and over again; unending, continuous, crumbling earth and fire blazing skies; roaring scorching fire and Dragon Strike; blazing wind fire and Kaze ni kizu; eruption and devastation, followed by explosions and destruction. The castle grounds were flooded with falling body parts.

"They're unending," Inuyasha hollered. "They just keep coming. What the hell is this? We'll never kill them all. I never saw this many errtu in that damned castle."

"Because she is summoning more from hell as they die, trying to wear us down," Sesshomaru growled. Having reached his breaking point, he knew he had to end this. They were on the defensive, not the offensive; this was not a position he enjoyed. There was no way to win using such an unorthodox approach. He needed to change his strategy, but should he leave his brother alone? He had to protect him. He had to protect them all. This was his battle. It was him who waged war against this succuvex who dared invade his lands. He would not allow her to win.

Hindenka Akatsuki's barrier remained intact. She also, surprisingly, possessed a great deal of fire power even without a sword. Rin was in good hands, but his brother. There were so many errtu; hundreds, if not thousands still. He had been forced to direct each of his Dragon Strike pulses to make multiple attacks. He could not leave the hanyou to be overwhelmed. But he was strong. He was fast, and his Tetsusaiga was powerful. He had to trust in his ability. He had not questioned his abilities in a long time; not since before that battle with Sou'unga. He could do this. "Stay alert and try to keep them at bay;" the youkai lord commanded. "I will take care of Princess Edera. It is the only way to stop them," Sesshomaru said as he redirected his focus to the youkai succuvex, the new focal point of his planned attack strategy.

"Yeah, right," Inuyasha responded as he revved the power of his blade. "Kaze ni kizu," he blared as he swung his sword.

"You dare come after me now, do you?" Princess Edera roared with anger, as she glared at the approaching youkai lord; releasing a swarm of youki that enveloped and flooded the air with a thick mist from deep in her lungs as her breath seemed to erupt with a horrendous ferocity. "Damn you Lord Sesshomaru. You come to my castle and destroy my servants. You fool, who do you think you are? You said I should heed your words; well you need to heed mine. You and you friends will not escape here unscathed," Princess Edera growled as she transformed one final time, eyes blazing red as her body was immediately surrounded by vibrant red blazes of youki power, while she simultaneously uttered some strange form of incantation.

Releasing a powerful roar that emanated from somewhere deep in her lungs, shattering the silence of the now quiet night; her entire form blazed a vibrant red as a brilliant reddish glow shot forth from every limb of her body and a fiery red glare shot up into the air. The youkai succuvex's energy force whizzed and danced through the skies, then landed mere feet in front of the youkai lord.

Fully transformed, Princess Edera's form had grown an additional ten feet, making her height at nearly 30 feet tall, as her now clubbed feet thudded on the bricked walkway. In this iteration, her face transformed into what looked like the faces of several male youkai and a wild demon bird all rolled into one as her nose took on a beaklike form; her wingspan was wild and deadly as it shielded her giant arms. Roaring in anger, she flicked her hands toward the youkai lord, unleashing a barrage of spikelike claws toward his form.

Flying up and away with lightning speed, Sesshomaru easily avoided the shooting claw attack, but was caught unprepared when the youkai succuvex flapped one of her giant wings, knocking him back--hard.

Furious at having been brushed aside so easily, the youkai lord quickly stopped his reverse propulsion and immediately propelled himself back toward her, as the youkai succuvex finalized her enchantment spell.

"Restoration be damned," Princess Edera bellowed through now, harsh, animalistic lungs as a thick reddish mist moved quickly across the night sky, encircling, then bypassing the youkai lord as Tenseiga pulsed, and vibrated wildly at his hip. But the mist continued on its path as it crept quickly toward its intended objective.

Despite his continued anger at being knocked aside so easily, Sesshomaru furrowed his brows at the succuvex's strange and unexpected actions, then clasped his hand tightly across the hilt of his sword to silence it, before spinning to view the path of the mist that bypassed him and headed directly toward the life sorceress, Rin, Jaken and Ah-Un. The youkai lord gasped faintly when the life sorceress's barrier dropped slightly above her head for a mere instant as the fine mist drifted downward and circled her.  But despite her momentary look of stunned surprise, Hidenka Akatsuki quickly re-established her protective barrier; then turned her head in an apparent check of her charges.

Sesshomaru was relieved to see they all appeared unharmed; but he had never seen miasma, if that's what it was, like that before. It had no power. It did no apparent damage. What was its purpose?

"If your miasma is no more powerful than that Princess Edera," Sesshomaru said as he turned to face the succuvex once again. "I suggest you retreat now, while you can."

"Retreat?" Princess Edera blared with a vicious red coating her eyes and skin, as she snapped her head to glare down at him. "Never," she declared as she now turned, building up a pulse of powerful electrical energy in her palms. She glared viciously as she lifted her hand in an apparent attempt to direct her energy force in the youkai lord's direction as he hovered in front of her. "That miasma will be your downfall."

Preparing to deflect the energy back at its originator, Sesshomaru readied his sword, as he positioned his body; but he soon discovered that the youkai princess had simply been lolling him into false confidence as she quickly spun and redirected her energy pulse toward the young hanyou.

"No-o-o-o," Shesshomaru roared, flying swiftly through the air toward his younger brother, hoping to position himself so that he could utilize Bakusaiga's shield to block the impact of the electrical energy force that was now seeking the hanyou's form.

But he was too late.

Upon hearing the deep, mighty roar of his brother's voice, Inuyasha spun too late to avoid the attack, as the electrical energy pulse struck him full force in the mid-section. Bright electrical sparks erupted, exploding and bursting forth as it ripped the life force from the young hanyou's body without mercy.

Infuriated, Sesshomaru's eyes widened, as he gawked helplessly at his brother's body jerking and spinning as it flew backward through the air. Finally, he crumbled lifelessly to the ground, amidst all manner of rock and debris. In that instant, the youkai lord felt his entire body tremble as his own heart seemed to collapse. Frozen by the sight before him, it was as if his very heart had been ripped from his body and he was now nothing more than a hollow core.

Stopping mid-air, Sesshomaru eyes gaped wide with horror as he watched him; his brother's body splayed across the ground like a large, broken red doll. His own eyes blurred by the sight, the youkai lord stood frozen, incapable of movement as Tenseiga remained silent at his side. It no longer spoke, no longer vibrated. In fact, his sword remained staunchly silent as it rested lifelessly against the youkai lord's side.

How could this happen? How did he let this happen? Sesshomaru wondered. It could not be. The hanyou could not be dead.  Not now. Not when he had specifically come to save him. When he had made that promise to his chichi-ue that he would try, he had essentially agreed to save him. He had essentially agreed to always save him. That was to be his obligation. But he had not fulfilled his obligation. He had failed; and now, his younger brother was gone. He had paid for his elder brother's failure to fulfill his obligation with his life. He was gone and there was nothing the youkai lord could do to bring him back; because his accused sword refused to bow to his will.

Then Sesshomaru heard it; a high pitched, shrill laughter that echoed from behind him--Princess Edera, cackling, rudely, in the distance.

Erupting with an uncontrollable fury, the youkai lord roared an unrestrained, ferocious feral scream that emanated from somewhere deep in the hollows of his very soul, then he moved; spinning in mid flight, reversing course with lightning speed; moving so swiftly toward the now giant youkai sorceress, that he was nothing more than a vague red and white blur.

She had to die. He would kill her with his bear hands. He could not save his brother now; but this youkai would pay with her own life. She had to. With his Bakusaiga poised for attack, Sesshomaru sped toward the transformed youkai succuvex with a determined ferocity he had never before exhibited as he darted left and right, up and down, back and forth, avoiding all contact with the giant flapping wings and dagger claws, as he prepared for an uncustomary hands on strike. In the blink of an eye, he was there; piercing her enlarged heart with a single thrust.

Issuing a solitary cry, Sesshomaru released the swords power into her chest, "Die!" he growled. Hatred like he had never felt in all his existence, blazing to life inside him as he twisted his palm with a ferocity that sent his blade spinning through her chest.

With as much fury as its master had unleashed, the giant dragon emerged from inside the youkai succuvex's chest and the sword's power exploded, releasing riotous lightning pulses as it vibrated, shuddered and trembled; decimating into nothingness, what was once the body of Princess Edera, as some small remaining remnant shrank and fell limply from the blade of Sesshomaru's sword, finally slamming closed, the door to hell, forcing the disappearance of all remaining errtu.

His blood still boiling with fury and rage, Sesshomaru wanted to strike again. To rip that succuvex's life from her body once more, to thrust his claws into her throat releasing the full force of his internal poison; to watch her tremble beneath his grip. But it was done, it was over, she was gone; and... and so was his brother. Yet, he was unable to calm himself, incapable of accepting the reality, as he remained unwilling to turn and focus on a scene he did not wish to see. Frozen, he stared unseeing at the destruction at his feet; the lifeless remnants of the youkai succuvex; his fangs grinding sharply in heated intensity.

He had waged this battle with the intent of taking that succuvex's life. And he had done that; but this battle had not ended at all as he had hoped, Sesshomaru realized as he gripped firmly onto the tsuka of his sword, his heart aching with an ache he had never felt before.

This was not his objective. This was not his intent. But the youkai lord knew that what lay not 15 feet behind him was his reality. And he knew that with the silence of his sword, there was nothing he could do, except ...