Cursed

CHAPTER 8


Akane Tendo crouched, her body going rigid with concentration. She circled her opponent, her hands easily fending off the rapid fire blows. She spun gracefully in the air, her foot lashing out to knock the other girl down. She was a heartbeat too slow and her sparring partner ducked under her leg, grabbed her ankle and neatly tossed her to the ground. Akane rolled over, grinning from ear to ear. “That was awesome, Sango!”

“You’re pretty awesome yourself, Akane!” Sango helped the girl to her feet. “I don’t know when I’ve had a better partner. You don’t know what a treat it is for me to have you to practice with.”

Akane giggled. “Same here, I feel like I’m learning new things all the time I’m sparring with you. This is so much fun.”

“Indeed it is,” Miroku murmured dreamily. He could spend the rest of his life this happy, watching the graceful bodies of the two girls dance together in martial perfection. His only wish at the moment was that Sango might discard her form fitting exterminator uniform in favor of Akane Tendo’s brief outfit. Kagome had explained that girls from her era often wore such “shorts” during exercise. It had to be a wonderful place to live.

“Are you thinking perverted thoughts about Sango again?” Shippo said suspiciously. The monk looked at him. “There’s nothing perverse about admiring beauty, Shippo. As a spiritual person, I can appreciate loveliness in all the forms the universe provides.”

“You’re a bad influence,” the kitsune muttered. He sprang away from the monk and landed on Kagome’s shoulder. “I’m bored, why are we still sitting here? I want to go now.”

Kagome brushed the fox off her shoulder without putting down her geometry book. “Leave off, Shippo. I’ve got to study now. We’ll get moving as soon as Inuyasha comes back. Go play with Ranma if you’re that bored.”

“No, I already asked him to turn into a girl and he told me to stuff myself. Whatever that means.” The kitsune was pouting. No one had a sense of humor it seemed. He’d already been threatened by the young youkai that if he tried one more time to splash him there would be dire consequences indeed. Shippo threw himself on the ground, dejected. There were few things more miserable, or more dangerous, than a bored kitsune pup.

Ranma was oblivious to Shippo’s boredom or Miroku’s lechery. He was busy working out a meditation kata. The familiar stances and movements calmed his mind, he was able to almost disconnect his consciousness as his body moved gracefully of its own volition. He’d flat out refused to spar with Akane and Sango.

“Are you nuts? I could hurt you again,” he said, glaring at Akane. The girl just folded her arms and fixed him with an icy look. “Don’t be ridiculous, Ranma. I’m perfectly capable of defending myself and you’re you at the moment. What are you afraid of?”

He scowled and turned away. She couldn’t understand so he didn’t even try to explain. Instead, he waggled his fingers in front of her face. “You’re such a damn klutz that you’d probably impale yourself on my claws and then blame me. The answer is still no.”

Sango tugged her away. “Come on, I’ll practice with you, Akane. I learned many different fighting styles from the teachers of my village. I’m sure we can learn from each other.” Sango gave him a significant look as she led Akane away. She understands, he thought grimly, but grateful for Sango’s distraction.

Like anyone is going to learn anything from Akane other than how to dodge when she falls on them, Ranma decided sourly. However, he had to admit she was better than usual with Sango as her partner. It was obvious that Akane was having thme ome of her life on this trip. The active girl seemed to adore camping on the rough ground and foraging for fresh vegetables and fruits in the wilderness. She even enjoyed the long, tiring walks that brought them closer to their destination. Her lack of complaints had even earned her Inuyasha’s grudging respect.

Ranma shook his head, trying to clear it so he could focus on his kata. Eyes closed fully, he sprang elegantly around the small glade, his hands and feet secure in the ancient patterns. His other senses perked up as he completed the movements, he could hear rabbits moving in the brush, birds twittering comfortably from the tallest trees. If he let himself focus on his sense of smell, he could detect the exact location of each of his human companions without opening his eyes. And the intentions of a certain fox were equally easy to read. “Don’t go there, Shippo,” he called softly.

A disappointed sigh answered him and he grinned at the sound of a water jug being carefully placed on the ground. A new smell whispered into his nostrils and Ranma stopped his kata. “Hey, guys,” he called out to his friends. “Guess who’s back?”

Inuyasha burst out of the nearby trees, sopping wet and covered in mud. “Oh, gross,” Kagome said, pinching her nose shut. “What have you been doing out there? You reek.”

He glared at her for a second and then shook his entire body, water sprayed off the silver-white hair and splattered Kagome with mud. She darted away from him. “You jerk!”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, grinning at her outraged reaction. “The road’s washed out up ahead, just like those villagers said. We’re going no farther this way. We’re going to have to go through the forest from now on.” They were staring at him. “What?” he demanded.

“So did you go for a swim, Inuyasha?” Miroku looked disgusted, edging away from the hanyou.

“No, I followed the washout to see how far it went. Fell right in too, damn ground was so soft there was nothing left to it. And in case you’re wondering about the pleasant aroma, the ditch I went into was full of dead animals from that flood last week.” He cast an evil look at them and started heading for Kagome. “Are you saying thasmelsmell bad?”

“Bad doesn’t begin to cover the way you smell,” she said, backing away from him. “Just keep your distance, okay?” He chuckled and grabbed at her. Kagome squealed and ran around the other side of the small campfire. “Don’t make me say it!”

He laughed. “Real nice, threatening to sit a guy just because you don’t like the way he smells.” Inuyasha smirked, enjoying his threat of passing on the revolting stench. Miroku and Sango dodged away from him. “You guys are starting to hurt my feelings,” he taunted.

Ranma was grinning at the way the half-demon was stalking Kagome. Akane looked a little irritated, but he was sure that had more to do with the obnoxious hanyou interrupting her practice session with Sango. “Someone needs to give him a bath,” she muttered for Ranma’s ears alone.

“Are you volunteering?” Inuyasha shot back. Akane flushed, having forgotten what sensitive hearing the hanyou possessed. She ducked away as Inuyasha approached but Ranma caught her by the arm and dragged her back. “Let me go, dummy!”

“Dummy?” he asked, grinning at Inuyasha. “I don’t think I deserved that. Where’s that ditch you were talking about?” Akane looked up at him in horror. “Ranma, you wouldn’t dare!”

He heaved her up and over his shoulder. “Let me show you the way,” Inuyasha said considerately. Ranma was about to follow him, chuckling at Akane’s shriek of anger when something new tickled his nose. He didn’t know this smell and dumped Akane unceremoniously on the ground. He looked over at Inuyasha, the question already on his lips but the half-demon had stiffened in response to the same scent and spun around, whipping out his katana and holding it in front of him.

“Just what I fucking needed!” the hanyou cursed, searching the sky above him. Ranma followed his gaze, his nose was itching. “What is that, is that a youkai?”

Akane scrambled up from the ground just as a glowing ball appeared in front of them and burst, filling the small glade with shining light. She stared, backing slowly away until she bumped into Miroku, who gently moved her to the side to step between her and the ominous pale light. Sango had her boomerang at the ready and even Kagome had seized her bow and notched an arrow at the newcomer. A twin-headed dragon had appeared to paw the ground angrily and the youkai lord riding him cast them a disdainful look.

“Who is that?” Akane whispered, looking from face to face for an answer. Judging by the angry and tense expressions on her friends’ faces, it couldn’t be good.

She swallowed nervously as the elegant youkai slipped off the back of the dragon, absently patting one of its necks as he strolled casually into their midst. Akane thought he was beautiful, but the cold lack of expression on his face sent shivers up her spine.

“What the fuck do you want this time, Sesshomaru?” Inuyasha’s voice was tight with hatred. The youkai raised an eyebrow at his words. “Is that any way to speak to your elder brother?”

“I’ll speak to you any damn way I want!”

Sesshomaru smiled faintly. “A mouth like a gutter and now a smell to match. Living among humans must have damaged your sense of cleanliness, which was never outstanding in the first place.”

Sesshomaru looked around him imperiously, his eyes slipping negligently over the humans. Akane flushed, something about this youkai made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She didn’t know that it was a normal human reaction to the presence of a Tai-Youkai. A primitive, instinctive reaction of her human blood to something otherworldly and foreign. Her nerves were screaming not to trust him, to run away and hide. It seemed as if the others felt the same. Miroku and Sango’s silent apprehension was an almost physically palpable as they deliberately stood between her and the striking demon lord.

Inuyasha snorted at his brother’s words. “Don’t tell me you came all this way just to tell me to take a bath!”

Sesshomaru gave him a disgusted look. “I would not trouble myself. It hardly matters to me, your personal habits are as foul as the company you keep. The stench of humans clings to your body as it is.” His eyes slid to Kagome and he smirked ever so slightly. The girl’s face flushed with angry humiliation. Sesshomaru had the ability to insult anyone without so much as a word. His mocking gaze was more effective than a dozen of Inuyasha’s more creative curses.

“You’re heading west,” Sesshomaru said coldly. “Why?”

Inuyasha tightened his grip on the sword. “Why the hell should I tell you?” His brother sighed, tiresome as this conversation was, he knew it probably was a waste of his effort. Inuyasha obviously knew nothing of the unrest that was plaguing the western territories. Knew nothing or cared nothing, either way was fine with Sesshomaru. For all he gave a damn the half-breed whelp could walk into the vicious conflict and get himself slaughtered, along with his human pets. As well they should, he thought, looking them over again. His eyes narrowed suddenly when he spotted the other demon.

“You,” he said, gesturing at Ranma. “I don’t know you.” He had almost mistaken the creature for a human, the revolting smell his brother was carrying had masked the traces of youki. Ranma looked nervously at the others, unwilling to approach the demon lord who sniffed the air, frowning.

Sesshomaru was annoyed. He knew every dog-youkai clan by scent, even if he didn’t know them by individual family. This boy was something new and he couldn’t place the slightly familiar smell, but he didn’t like it. “You are not hanyou, but the stink of human is all over you,” he commented pleasantly. Ranma scowled, aware of the implicit insult. “For a moment I wondered if we had yet another bastard in the family. What clan are you, boy? Speak up, lord Sesshomaru commands you.”

“You don’t command shit from me,” Ranma snapped, fed up with this demon’s condescending attitude. He wasn’t about to stand there and be talked down to by some pompous white-haired snot. “My name is Ranma Saotome and I’m not part of any ‘clan’ whatever that means.”

“Another ignorant lowlife,” Sesshomaru murmured, his gaze narrowing with dislike. “I’m asking what clan of dog-youkai you belong to, stupid wretch. Not that I care, I’m just curious if you’re worth killing or not.”

Ranma’s face went an angry red. “Why don’t you try it and see for yourself, asshole?” Soing ing about this stranger was setting him over the edge. He knew he was being extremely stupid to call out what was obviously a powerful demon, but he couldn’t help himself. His instincts were telling him to attack, fight the bastard.

“Are you challenging me?” Sesshomaru said in a soft, deadly voice.

“Looks like it, doesn’t it?” Ranma spat back.

Sesshomaru looked bored. “Very well, if you’re that intent to die at my hands, I must accept your challenge. You shall die.” With that he turned and sent a fiery whip of bright green youki straight at Ranma. The boy yelped and managed to dodge the strike, rolling on the ground and bounding to his feet. “What the hell was that?”

Inuyasha calmly slipped the Tetsusaiga back into its sheath. He didn’t take his eyes off Sesshomaru for a second. His brother could move like lightning, swift and deadly. He was sure that Ranma had no idea just what he’d just provoked and wondered if the stupid punk would survive long enough to figure it out. He shook his head as Ranma managed to outrun another one of Sesshomaru’s youki strikes. This should be interesting, he thought.

“Ranma!” Akane shouted, watching her fiancé running for his life. “Just apologize already, he’s going to kill you!” She covered her face at another near miss from the brilliant whip.

“Won’t work,” Inuyasha muttered.

“What do you mean, won’t work?” she asked. Ranma kept dodging the fiery strikes, the demon never more than a half second behind him. Damn, he’s fast, the young youkai thought, desperately trying to find an opening to return the attack. Sesshomaru gave him nothing, only a grim, faint smile betrayed that the demon was even interested in touching him with the painful looking energy. He hesitated a moment too long and the whip found his flesh, sizzling triumphantly and struck him hard down the back. Ranma shrieked.

“Too slow,” Inuyasha murmured, shaking his head. That green shit hurt like hell, he knew from personal experience. It didn’t look like this was going to last much longer.

Sesshomaru advanced, the youki curling around his fingers. “Did you think that you had a chance against me, miserable creature? I’m growing bored with this farce of a duel. You’re lucky, I’m feeling merciful at the moment. I am prepared to end your life painlessly right now, if you beg me to.”

“Are you fucking crazy?” Ranma shouted. The whip shot forward again, blindingly fast and sliced open Ranma’s shirt and chest. The pain was unbelievable. He staggered away, holding his hands to the wound that was seeping with a noxious green poison. “I’m not going to beg you to kill me!”

“Aren’t you going to do something?” Akane shrieked, beating Inuyasha on the arm with her fists. “He’s your fucking brother!”

He glowered at her. “Why should I? He got himself into this, he should get himself out.”

“But he’s going to kill Ranma?” she cried, her face red and full of tears. “He doesn’t deserve to die like this!”

“Did I forget to mention that I’m considered to be the nice brother?” Inuyasha said acidly. He watched Ranma take yet another piercing strike and flinched sympathetically. Obviously in pain, Ranma was starting to move slower, his body covered in bloody scorch marks.

“No!” Akane cried, rushing towards where the demon was torturing her friend. “Stop it!”

Something heavy landed on her from behind. Miroku had jumped after her, just a few seconds faster than Sango. “Akane, don’t! He’ll kill you too.”

“I don’t care,” she wailed, scratching at the monk as he tried to hold her down. She slapped him hard but he didn’t move, his hands on her shoulders and pinning her to the ground. Sango and Kagome knelt beside her. “Please Akane, listen to us. If you go out there he’ll snuff you without thinking twice. You won’t even get close enough to help,” Sango said urgently.

Kagome glared at Inuyasha. “Damn it, do something!”

“What?” he demanded. “He challenged him, Kagome. That’s serious to a dog-youkai. I can’t go rushing in to rescue his ass, Ranma has to deal with him on his own!”

Sesshomaru found himself amused by the young demon’s stubborn stupidity. “If you insist, I will see how long I can prolong your death then. You should have not challenged me so lightly, fool.” The whip shot out again and wrapped around Ranma’s neck and dropped him to his knees. The pain was like nothing he’d ever felt before, it was so intense, the malevolence of the green youki ate at his will to survive. He could hear the sound of Akane’s hoarse sobs and struggled weakly to free himself.

It was useless, his throat was on fire, he was blind and couldn’t hardly breathe. Am I dying, Ranma wondered, feeling the strength draining out of his body. The poison filling his mouth and nose tasted like sulfur. He could see no way out of the hellfire that was surrounding him.

“Don’t just give up,” Inuyasha barked. “Fight the bastard, you stupid punk!”

“That’s right, little brother,” Sesshomaru said icily. “Even you are capable of resisting better than this. What a pathetic excuse for a demon. I’m doing you a favor by not dragging this out, you worthless weakling.”

Ranma opened his eyes, the poison making them burn and sting. He looked into the cold gold eyes of the demon killing him and felt a fresh wave of anger at his words. I am not WEAK, he screamed inside his mind. Without consciously directing them, his hands came up and gripped the energy lash that was choking the life out of him. He screamed as a fresh wave of agony shot through his palms and desperately focused all his pain and anger into his hands as he pulled hard on the torturous whip.

A blinding flash of light exploded around him. Ranma found himself flat on his back, his hands were burning painfully and he couldn’t move, but he could breathe. Sesshomaru was standing next to him, the demon lord holding his hand in front of his face with a bemused expression. “You impudent whelp,” he said softly. “You neutralized my youki, didn’t you?”

Ranma gagged, trying to answer him but no words would come from his tortured throat. He lay on the ground and stared up at the sky, wondering what happened. He started shivering violently, either from the poison of Sesshomaru’s youki or his own brush with death, he wasn’t sure. Ranma raised his head, trying to turn, look for Akane. He wanted her to know he wasn’t dead, not yet anyway.

“Ranma!” the girl cried. Akane brushed off Sango and Kagome’s hands, they were keeping her from running to his side. Sesshomaru smiled faintly. “It seems as if you share my half brother’s taste for humans. How revolting, to cling to such pathetic mortals. Perhaps you can stir yourself to defend her with a little more effort than you’ve shown me so far.” Youki began to swirl at Sesshomaru’s fingertips again and he sent a thin bright lash of pain in Akane Tendo’s direction.

The girl screamed and dropped to the ground, covering her head as she braced herself for the painful strike of the whip. A loud clanging sound rang out across the glade and Akane ld upd up. Tetsusaiga had deflected Sesshomaru’s blow.

“I don’t think so,” Inuyasha said tensely. Energy swirled around the blade as he raised it again, ready to fight.

Sesshomaru looked annoyed. “Not this again, brother. Your compassion for these creatures shames us all.”

“It’s not compassion,” Inuyasha snapped. “I’m just sick of listening to you run your mouth. Leave them out of it, if you still want to fight, I’m your opponent.”

Sesshomaru gazed at him disinterestedly. He had already wasted enough time on this worthless enterprise. “Perhaps another time,” he said softly, his fingers tapping Tokijin’s hilt meaningfully. He turned his back on Inuyasha and strode over to where his dragon waited patiently for him. He mounted the beast in a fluid leap and turned a condescending smile on his brother and his companions. “If you will take my advice, stay out of the west. You won’t find me willing to go so easy on you next time.” And he was gone in other flash of light.

“Fucking prick,” Inuyasha commented, sheathing his sword. “Always with the fucking attitude.”

END CHAPTER 8