Chronicles of the West

Chapter Ninety

Inuyasha watched as the fire licked at the wood. The groans and shrieks of the structure told him it would soon fall. He'd sent men flooding inside, his intent to slaughter anything they found that was made. Any poor souls that had not yet been tampered with were set free. There were precious few of them found alive. And of those number, more than half had been injured in the harvesting of materials.

Inuyasha had never liked mercy killings, though he understood that they were necessary at times. He recalled slashing his claws against Ayeka, ending her life, so that Sesshoumaru might heal and revive her. To this day the images made the back of his throat itch as though he might gag.

He was glad that they had decided to raze the castle to the ground. He recalled Tohma's grim discovery just before he'd ordered the blaze set. A large chamber, isolated from the rest filled with whimpering half made creatures. There was nothing surprising about that.

However, when he opened the door and stepped inside, his stomach turned in a most unpleasant way. Silver haired and golden eyed, they sat in various states of transmutation. Some had ears like his, others elven. These were made from Taisho materials. And when they looked at him, he wanted to vomit.

They all had pretty faces, faces he'd seen a hundred times before, faces he knew by heart. Faces he had helped bring into the world, his or his brother's it didn't matter, but there were those in that room that resembled the offspring of the Taisho. So closely in fact, that it gave him pause.

Tohma shuddered and tensed finding his own face among them. "What the hell is this?" he asked softly. Inuyasha held the golden gazes for a long time. They were deep with understanding and in many…pain. "Hell is what it is" came his reply. And it was.

He slowly approached them, and they flinched from him. He was not like them, he was perfect. Wingless but still perfect. Inuyasha rumbled softly to them, wanting them to know that he was not like the makers, he was not the enemy, even if he did mean to slay them all. One small female drew his attention and he stepped toward her, she whimpered pitifully but didn't retreat. So small, so terribly small, much to young to have endured this horror.

Inuyasha ached for her, for all of them. Little more than children put into bodies that seemed older. He cupped her pale cheek, and stoked her with his thumb. She leaned into his touch, hungry for some sort of warmth and acceptance in this horrible place. He noticed a tall male in the back that looked a great deal like his brother. "Who are you?" he asked softly. The male looked away, no alpha pride in this one. "We are the nearly perfect" he said in a whisper, "But still not good enough. We will be culled and reharvested".

Reharvested? Nearly perfect? Inuyasha looked at them closely. They were weakened and it seemed that his genes his blood were far too strong for them. The perfection of the Taisho house was killing them, like a slow internal poison. "You will kill us" the male said. Tohma opened his mouth, most likely to tell him that the Taisho's were better than that, but Inuyasha held his hand up.

Meeting the pained golden gaze with one of his own, Inuyasha nodded. "I will". The scent of fire reached them then and the male's head snapped upwards. The instinctive fear of fire. Inuyasha understood his actions, "Not like that. I am not such a bastard as to burn you alive".

The little female whimpered again and Inuyasha swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat, "Tohma" he said in a strained voice, "Go alert the others when I leave to set the fires". Tohma blinked, "But you…" he began, but Inuyasha quickly cut him off. "Go" he snapped, he'd have none of his witness the dark deed before him.

He waited until Tohma's footsteps faded, then he turned to the occupants of the room. The little female was pressed against his leg now and he slowly knelt before her. "What you are, I can't change. You were born of a Taisho and you shall end by one. I cannot fix you" he whispered to her, to them all, "I can only set you free". Inuyasha nodded to the male then.

The tall male collected them all together in the corner, they were frightened and Inuyasha hated that more than anything. "I'll make it quick" he promised, his voice sounding choked. The male nodded, and the smaller ones gathered around him. Clinging to him, hiding their faces. Softly sobbing.

The tallest male slowly lifted his head to gaze upon Inuyasha, his carriage proud now, now that he would not be used by madmen. He stood stoically, much like the demon he so resembled. Inuyasha forced the contents of his belly down. Slowly he unsheathed Tetsusaiga, the blade transforming in his hand. He felt sick for what he must do now 'Better this', he told himself, 'than to allow them to suffer further at the hands of the makers'.

His vision began to cloud but his movements were steady, lifting the sword he spoke one phrase. "I'm sorry". Then the light of his windscar filled the room and mere seconds later, there was nothing but the raining of stone and wood from the ceiling.

Inuyasha turned and strode from the chamber, feeling the bowels of the castle shake in reponse to his powerful attack. He stepped over the threshold, and into the coolness of the night. No sooner had he cleared the doorway than torches were hurled into the structure. His men had already dashed the place with lantern oil.

Tohma stood to the side watching his father carefully. He knew exactly what had been done, he didn't blame Inuyasha. He knew that it must be tearing him up inside, so he did the thing he thought the other most needed. He kept silent. His father was strong and had done the only thing he could. Those were the facts, but that didn't mean that the second strongest demon in Japan wouldn't have a bitter taste from them.

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Josin chuckled at the destruction of the castle. It was a slight delay at best. To think that the Taishos could so easily be duped, it was castly amusing to him. This was the secondary place they used. He turned in the air, white wings fanning softly.

He headed back to the castle atop the mountain. The thick alchemic mists shrouding it from sight, like the other, this one bore no scent. But there was also no barrier. No excess energy to indicate that anything was there at all. Hiding in the open was always more effective.

He barely cared around the loss of equipment and creations at the hands of Inuyasha. No, rather now that he had seen one of the two famed brothers, he wanted him. Wanted his power and his beauty, just as he wanted Sesshoumaru. They would make the most excellent of pets.

The only true drawback to recent events, was that they would not be able to harvest the parts of the near perfect now. He smirked and stared down at the slim vial in his hand. The deep crimson fluid within held value greater than them anyway.

With this, they could increase their power. Not as much as if they had taken the elemental, but still a part of her would suffice….for now. A start, until they got her back. And they would get her back. The full moon would have been the perfect time to have her, their own demon powers at their peak. Not that it mattered, in the end they would have victory.

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Tohru sat in the garden, staring up at the sky. Her thoughts in turmoil. A shadow shifted to her left and she turned bright eyes to face the newcomer. Her features relaxed slightly, as Amari stepped into the light.

"Hello Amari" she greeted, "How are you?". He stared at her with those strangely silver eyes, "I am well my lady" he replied softly. She laughed at his formality, and patted the bench beside her. "Come sit with me". The winged fox looked uncertain, but she smiled warmly.

Slowly he moved to sit beside her, his wings tucking behind him neatly. Tohru tried not to, but her eyes moved to them time and again. Amari tensed and frowned, "You don't have to stare at them" he snapped, feeling every inch the freak.

Tohru blushed and looked at the ground, "I'm sorry" she said quietly, "I didn't mean to stare. It's just that they….are so different. And in the light they look nice". Amari seemed taken aback by her compliment. "They aren't natural" he pointed out.

Tohru laughed and pointed to herself, "And I am?" she asked, "I am the only Taisho that does not have silver hair". Amari reached out to take hold of a bright lock of hair, "It's pretty though" he grumbled, his thumb moving over it, "And soft".

He blushed dropping her hair and she smiled, "Amari" she asked, "May I see your wings? Spread?". He wanted to snap that no she could not, but she had always been kind to him. Slowly, he lifted his wings for her inspection. Tohru looked at the leathery wings, small veins running through them as the light sifted through.

Tohru reached out hesitantly and touched her fingertip to the webbed flesh. Amari shivered, unused to having anyone admire him. "Does that hurt?" she asked, her voice laced with concern. He shook his head, "It's strange is all" he replied.

Tohru giggled when another touch caused the wing to twitch. Amari found himself smiling hesitantly. "I wish I had wings" Tohru told him. He blinked over at her. "You do?" he asked. She nodded a most serious expression on her face, "I do. I know you didn't want them" she said, "But they are not something you should feel ashamed of….I like them".

Amari blushed, no one had spoken to him as a normal creature. No one but her that is. "Would you like to see something?" she asked, rising from her seat. He nodded and followed her through the gardens to a tall ring of hedges.

"This is my secret place. Only me and papa come here" she told him, before she ducked under a branch and entered the small hidden clearing. There was a tidy hutch, protected from the elements there. Several small cages.

Amari watched as she opened one and reached inside, making small soft sounds to whatever was there. She withdrew a small rabbit. "I keep the hurt ones here until they are better" she told him. He peered into the cages at the many animals she kept.

"There are so many" he commented, his voice filled with awe. She nodded and smiled, "I like to care for them". The animals apparently liked it too, he thought, for they pushed furry noses and feathered beaks through wooden bars in efforts to get her attention. In her hand the little rabbit nuzzled under her chin.

She held the rabbit out to him, "Would you like to hold her?" she asked. He looked surprised but then he reached out and took the rabbit from her. The tiny thing began to squirm, not knowing this new scent. Amari covered it's little head against his heart and cooed softly to it.

The rabbit quieted and settled itself beneath his hand. He lightly stroked the long ears. "Your father comes here?" he asked. He tried to imagine the killing perfection surrounded by injured animals. "I would think they would fear him".

Tohru smiled and shook her head, "The little duckling here loves him, he brought it here" she pointed out. He blinked between the bars at the little duck with a twisted foot. Then down into the dark eyes of the little brown rabbit. This place was unlike any he'd ever known.