Captive Soul

Diclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters

Warning, some bad language. (this is for fanfic.net warning not
adultfanfic.net)

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Chapter 41: Old Enemy? New Enemy.

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Inuyasha grabbed Kagome the same instant Sesshomaru picked up Rin.
The brothers jumped out of the way, evading the large green
glob of poison that dropped to sizzle its way into the brown
cobblestones.

He ran, heart pounding, with Kagome in his arms.
Sesshomaru, who was much faster than he,
flashed past him, heading toward the far
edge of the garden.

Inuyasha caught up with his brother under the overhanging branches of
a very old willow tree. With Kagome still in his arms, he turned to
Sesshomaru. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?"

Sesshomaru glared at the monster. "That...is the soul stealer."

Ears twitching, Inuyasha looked in the direction of the towering creature.

In the middle of Rin's garden it stood, almost three stories high.
It resembled a gigantic black cobra, the fins fanning out from the
sides of its head gave it more of a fish like appearance. Emerging sunlight
reflected off its scales, flashing occasional splotches of bright light across the
ground and trees. It silently stared in their direction, its cold jeweled
eyes gleaming an emerald luster. That luster, radiating power, fixated on
Sesshomaru. Inuyasha got the distinct impression...it wanted....his brother.

The snake held its head high, quietly observing them. The dark green
shimmering gaze blinked once. It opened its mouth, revealing hundreds of
long, needle sharp fangs and hissed out a piercing scream. The screech
shredded the air in a wave of power, the breath of it hitting them like the
gust from a storm's gale. Inuyasha yelped and flattened his ears against his head.
In the direction of the house, glass shattered.

The scream died. The giant closed its long pointed beak and cocked
its head, waiting.

"Inuyasha, put me down."

He looked down to see Kagome staring at the monster. Inuyasha
placed Kagome on her feet. Her eyes did not waver, remaining fixed on
the deadly threat. "I believe Sesshomaru is correct, Inuyasha. I can feel
Rin's soul within it." Her worried features winced. "It also has
the Shikon no Tama. That's why it's so big."

Inuyasha glanced at the miko. "Can we kill it?"

Kagome shook her head. "If you kill it, you will destroy Rin's spirit. Rin's soul
gave it a life force to feed on, allowing it to birth into existence."

Louder than he intended, Inuyasha barked. "What?! What are we supposed to
do if we can't kill it!?"

The young miko blinked, clearing the sheen of water that had begun to form
in her steel grey depths. "I...I don't know. We must find some way to release
her soul and then...find a way to destroy it...but...it has the Shikon No Tama...."

She looked at Rin who was in Sesshomaru's arms. "...If you do not free Rin's
spirit soon...her body will die. The soul, already stripped from her body,
will not return to it. If her soul is freed and she is dead, it will leave
this world and not return."

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Sesshomaru knelt by the base of the old willow and laid Rin on the
spongy moss. He straightened. "Inuyasha, I will lure it into the field.
Guard Rin until I have done this. When it is in the field, I want you to
keep it there until I can secure my weapons."

His half brother's brows drew together in determination as he gave a hard nod
once in understanding. "You got it."

Sesshomaru glanced one final time at Rin before he took off.
As he approached the soul stealer, it instantly shot at him.
While skillfully dodging a razor sharp strike, he cracked his green
energy whip. It bounced off the shiny black scales with not so much
as a scratch. Keeping his eyes on the monstrous serpent, he retreated,
floating toward the back of the garden, hoping it would follow.
Those cold emerald eyes glowed brightly, watching every single move he made.
The greenish gaze seemed to hold while the serpentine body swayed hypnotically
from side to side. With a slow slither, it eased after him, taking the bait.

As it followed, it screamed again, this time spewing a cloud of green
poison at him. Sesshomaru moved to sideside, avoiding it. He did not think
the poisonous mist would do him harm, but he was not quite sure. This....
deadly poison matched his exactly, therefore, he reasoned, it may not harm him.
He might be immune. This reasoning also had a downside: this creature
might also be immune to his poison as well.

Wanting to confirm his theory, Sesshomaru lifted his right hand and sprayed
the soul stealer's head. Nothing happened. It did not even blink.

He silently cursed while hovering backwards. A very small part of him was
getting worried.

As he neared the stream which bordered the edge of the field, Sesshomaru
studied the trailing soul stealer closer. For some reason he could not fathom,
this....monster....smelled familiar. Almost as if he had known it for...ages.
Yes, there was definitely something about this deadly creature ...something
strangely...intimate. The slithering snake had intelligence and horrendous power
but one clear purpose glowered in the depths of flashing emerald green:
The Soul Stealer wanted to kill him...and only him.

Sesshomaru lured the serpent into the field. He stopped close to
the tree line, the house now several hundred yards away. A blur of red flashed
through the garden and into the tall golden stalks of broom sage. Inuyasha was coming.

Suddenly, the swaying soul stealer lunged forward with demonic speed. Sesshomaru
dodged the strike but was not quite fast enough as a long needle-sharp
fang dug into his left arm, slicing it from shoulder to elbow.
He hissed in rage and pain as poison seared into his veins.
Blood spurted from the wound, dripping in rivlets down his forearm and to his wrist,
staining the white sleeve a black crimson. Ignoring the overwhelming urge to hold his
bleeding left arm with his right, Sesshomaru gritted his canines and growled.

Scarlet coated his vision as he felt his body change. The surroundings
became smaller. His giant white paws touched solid ground. He roared at the
hissing serpent in a rage he hadn't felt for eons. This slithering abomination
from that black miko's soul was going to die!

Sesshomaru snarled and backed up, all four of his huge white paws digging into
the soft earth. That last fleeting thought made him pause.
black Miko...this...this...creature before him was.....it was....

At that exact moment the tip of its tail swung around from the back.
Sesshomaru, in his demon form, did not see the attack coming. This
resulted in the length of the enormous tail hitting him full force on
his right haunch and across his side. Lightning shot through his
body, burning elemental power into his insides, searing fire through his nervous
system and over his flesh.

He howled while falling on his left side. The earth shook with a thundering
boom as his full demon form hit the ground. The sound pounded his senses and
he yelped when his torn front leg took the brunt of the impact.

Summoning the strength, Sesshomaru raised up and jumped away just as the
cracking aura of the serpent's tail nearly hit him again. He skidded to
a halt several hundred feet away and swerved to face the devil soul stealer
again. From the corner of his eye, he saw Inuyasha land beside his
blood soaked paw.

The hanyou glared up at him and yelled. "Hey!!!! you were supposed to wait
on me!!!! What are you doing??!! You haven't even put a dent in it!"

As Inuyasha pulled Tetsusaiga from its sheath, it flared with power. "Go get
your fangs, Sesshomaru! I'll keep it busy!"

Sesshomaru switched his attention to warily watch the waiting serpent as he
changed back. A moment later, he was standing by his half-brother, angrily
glaring at the monster that avidly watched him with cold-blooded
patience. "Keep him occupied, brother."

With that, Sesshomaru sprinted toward the house to get his weapons.

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Eyes of green ice followed Sesshomaru, blatantly ignoring him. Just as the
black snake chose to slither after his brother, Inuyasha
darted and blocked its path, effectively cutting it off, forcing it to
pause. "You're my opponent now, lizard breath!!"

For a split second, Inuyasha caught a glimmer of impatience in the far
reaches of those deadly emerald depths. The black snake bared rows of
needled fangs and screamed in annoyance. Inuyasha flattened his ears
against his head and grunted. This was becoming irritating. He charged with
Tetsusaiga held high, the fang glowing fiercely in raw demonic power.
Inuyasha leapt skyward and came down hard, aiming for what he hoped was
a soft underbelly, but when Tetsusaiga hit, it merely deflected
off the reflective black scales and violently bounced back. Inuyasha flipped over
backwards and slid to a stop as his boots dug into the soft earth.

Still in a defensive stance and holding his fang, Inuyasha growled and cursed.
Tetsusaiga had not even tarnished the shine on the fishy serpent's scales.
A small part of him was beginning to worry.

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Kagome sat on the cool moss with Rin's head in her lap. Delicately, she caressed the
bangs from Rin's forehead. She smiled at her little sister as one of her tears
dangled from her nose only to fall, splashing lightly on Rin's pale lips.
"Momma always did say you were special, Rin." Kagome sniffed. "She told me I was
special because of my heart and spirit but she always said you were special
because you were born on the first day of spring." Gently, she touched
Rin's cool lips and wiped the tear away. "Momma said you were the breath of
new life."

Letting out a quiet sob, she held Rin's hand and kissed the soft skin
on the back. "Please fight for that breath, come back, please...."

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Sesshomaru picked up Toukijin. At his firm hold it flashed a bright dark hue of
fusia which suddenly swirled back into the blade. After sliding Toukijin within
his blue and yellow belt, he then hefted Tenseiga from the cobblestones.
With a quick glance over to Kagome and Rin, he left the ground and flew
toward the battle in the field.

Blood now trickled freely down his arm and to his fingertips,
scattering droplets into the air as he approached the battle taking place.
He landed by Inuyasha, instantly gaining the full attention of the swaying
black serpent. Thick green acid dripped from its protruding fangs,
falling to sizzle on the brown sage between them.

Inuyasha remained glaring at the threat before them. "Tetsusaiga can't even
scratch it. The Shikon no Tama has given it too much power."

Sesshomaru gripped Tenseiga's hilt. "We must set Rin's spirit free, brother."
"Keep it distracted. I need to get close enough."

With a hard grunt, Inuyasha charged the soul stealer. The second Sesshomaru
saw the emerald glare switch to his half-brother. He zipped skyward, hoping
he was fast enough to get past the serpent's senses. His hope was in vain for
the soul stealer jerked his head to the side instantly and lashed out in
a lightning quick strike. Jaws of solid steel snapped close, sliding into
his right shoulder, piercing skin before sinking deeply into muscle.
Sesshomaru let out a silent howl as a glob of black poison
oozed into and over his flesh. His vision faded. Thoughts, words, not his
own, entered his mind. "You know your fate, demon. Our Mistress never wanted
you to be free. She gave me the sole duty to see to it. You will die now and
with your death, the girl's death....and mine..."

In the midst of the enshrouding darkness, a vision came, a vision of his...mate..
his dying mate. No. He would not allow this to happen. Rin did not deserve this.

The jaws loosened and opened as the serpent let out a shockingly shrill and
agonized scream. Sesshomaru felt his body fall then hit solid ground.

With a cheek pressed into the dirt, Sesshomaru opened his eyes just in time to
see Inuyasha dodge a venomous strike in mid air. Immediately he noticed one of
the soul stealer's eyes was missing. The serpent thrashed and jerked furiously,
striking at his half-brother in bleeding fury.

Inwardly bracing against the pain, Sesshomaru slowly stood, silently
thanking his brother for the first time in his life. Inuyasha had
distracted the soul stealer and was now battling it several paces away from
him. Tenseiga had never left his grip and he held the sword tightly while glaring at
the snake's backside. The wound in his shoulder flared in intensity, throbbing
harder with every beat of his now laboring heart. Sesshomaru grimaced as he
lifted his father's fang. After a moment of gathering all the strength he
could muster, he charged and bounded upward.

Tenseiga pulsed in his grip,

up his arm

and into his body,

urging him on.

Sesshomaru descended.

In one painful arc, he brought Tenseiga down on the soul stealer's head,
penetrating the thick, black scales, slicing past them to the muscle
and bone beneath. No mark was made and Sesshomaru knew there would not be one:
clean, decisive, invisable.

Flipping over, he sailed backwards, his feet alighting on the earth several
yards away. Echoing screams hit the air in cutting waves.

Sesshomaru looked up to see a bright orb of light ascend out of
the soul stealer. It glowed brightly, mimicking a star's brilliance before
shooting toward the house...and to Rin.

He smirked. "You did not succeed....completely."

Grimacing, he fell to one knee, groaning. The black poison in his shoulder was
spreading. Tenseiga fell from his grip to land on the crushed sage.

The darkness was pulling at him again.

Sesshomaru struggled to stand...and to see. With great effort, he straightened
as both arms now ached with agonizing torture. He guessed it to be the black
poison. It was seeping through muscle and blood, into his neck and across
his back. Obviously, he was not immune to the thick, oozing, black venom.

Through blurring vision, he watched Inuyasha fight. Actually,
the hanyou was not doing that badly. In fact, his little brother seemed to be
inflicting a good bit of damage. Yet, Sesshomaru could see that even Inuyasha's
powerful attacks were not going to be enough. He observed, dismayed, when
the Kaze no Kizu was batted and snuffed out with a simple slash of its tail.
Seeing this, Sesshomaru knew it was only a matter of time. Soon, his brother
would tire and the soul stealing serpent would finish the intended task:
killing him.

Longingly, he looked at the house and to the far-left edge of the garden,
his gaze falling on the old willow that Kagome and Rin were lying under.
Her soul had returned but would he be able to see her again before....

A light of hope dawned within his disheartened thoughts. "Kagome."
They needed her. She could purify this thing and weaken it, enabling
Inuyasha to kill it.

Sesshomaru took one step in the direction of the house but stumbled; his
right knee hit the ground. Halfway kneeling and panting, he stared at the old
willow tree, wishing he had the strength to move and silently hoping Kagome
would realize they needed her help.

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The willow's bark was rough against her back. While the
sounds of distant battle darkened Kagome's thoughts, she held Rin close, her sister's
head now resting on her chest. Despondently, Kagome began to hum a lullaby,
one their momma used to sing to get them to sleep. She had forgotten the
words, but the tune always seemed to give her peace.

While humming, Kagome closed her eyes and bowed her head, her chin touching
the softness of Rin's hair. As the subtle vibrations of the ancient melody
carried within them both, Kagome felt a soft but heavy pulse. She opened
her eyes to see a very bright ball of light slowly descend and disappear
into Rin's body. She smiled. "Welcome back, sis."

Breathing a long sigh of relief, Kagome moved Rin to lie flat on the cool
moss. While brushing a few strands of hair behind her sleeping sister's ear,
she whispered, "I think they may need my help, sis. I will be back."

Kagome ran toward the middle of Rin's garden to the spot where they had
performed the removal. She stopped near a flower-bed full of daffodils and
picked up her bow and quiver of arrows.

She gave one quick glance back at Rin before heading into battle.

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Hiya!!!! how was that action? more to come. and a few surprises. Thanks for
reading and hope ya enjoyed. Ras~~~~~~~~

Review responses: I would like to thank all that reviewed! your reviews
help me understand how well this story is going. ^_^

KW: Ty KW. lol

Faith: no sadness now, she lived. ^_^

Rinru: TY

Silver Draco Wolf: Woa, silver, did not mean to make you get all shaky. lol.
i think that means you enjoyed reading the story very much. That is one thing
I like to do. Write something that people will really get into and come out of
it satisified. I will get your email and send you a notice tonight. Thanks, Ras.

Drako220: lol. he he. Sorry for the cliffy stress. Don't know if this is
considered a cliffy or not. mmmm..maybe it is. next chap in a week. Domo arigato.

Mija: Ack don't want ya going insane on me, Mija 0.o. heh, well, it was not
Pandora, well it sort of was,,,in a way. Later chapters will give info on that.
It was definitely not Kikyo. Though I can't say she is not lurking around
somewhere, watching. Will be in chat tonight, hopefully after posting on both this
site and fanfic.net. see ya then, Ras~~~~~~~

dragonflyelj: eeps. I use to read Steven King. I have never seen dreamcatcher.
lol You may be close to that assessment of the collar. No he did not have bite
marks on his neck. Though I fantasize about putting bite marks on his neck.
*leers while smiling lustily at the silver haired bishie*.

VampireMiyu: yes, i have a twisty imagination. Muahaaha. ^_^

pianita: TY , After this chapter I will focus more typing time on HOOD. thanks
for the review.

Kawool: Ty

Cattico: Yes, in a way, it is her. What she collared him with is out to kill him.

Leiliiani: lol. Okay

Sai Orlianna: it bee been a week, I think. ^_^

rin_chan sesshy's angel: Glad, I think, that I inspired such emotion. TY

New Fan: Hai, I have updated. I will try my best to once a week. Life. It
always interferes with my fun. hope you liked this chap.

DelKaiden: No Sessy almost went INSANE. He he. just had to make him lose
control over Rin. Had that in my mind since the beginning. So much enjoying
your fic. Hello again. good stuff. Ras~~~~~

Khellendros: Me? *looks innocently around in a daze* Me? what did I do?
He he he.

Naheta: what is that naheta? did I just detect a hint of sarcasm there, huh.
^_^