Ultimate Sacrifice by cindygirl

Chapter 1

The Ultimate Sacrifice

A tall and imposing figure was walking slowly through the forest. His impressive height not making a sound while he moved gracefully over the leaf covered ground. His crisp white Kimono was clearly seen in the dark forest. His silver hair was flowing freely behind him as a gentle summer’s breeze caressed it slightly while he walked.

Deep golden eyes were scanning the area in front of him, searching the area for any potential threats. His elegant features left nothing to the imagination, the deep blue crescent moon on his forehead and the two magenta crests on each of his cheeks told of his lineage. He was a handsome Youkai of great power and anyone who felt his aura knew that he was not one to be messed with.

The Lord of the Western lands was traveling alone this time, he missed the company of his small pack, Rin’s chatter always brought a smile to his lips. The young girl never ran out of things to say and always kept the kappa on his toes. She would find the most amusing ways to decorate the kappa with flowers. Jaken would be begging to save him but he just ignored his request, and let the pup do as she wished.

Secretly he enjoyed watching Rin decorate Jaken with her many flowers. It made the smelly kappa smell better in his opinion, and anything that soothed his senses was all right in his mind.

Sesshoumaru left Rin, Jaken, and Ah-Un in a safe place. It has become too dangerous for Rin to travel with him because Naraku was after her. He has tried several times now to snatch her from him and in each of those times the little miko that travels with the half breeds pack would be near to stop Naraku’s attempts.

He has heard rumors of a powerful Youkai on the boarder of his lands to the north. He decided to strike out on his own to see if he could find the illusive hanyou. He was tired of Naraku manipulating everyone to get to him and he was bound and determined to kill him.

He could care less that his brother was after Naraku as well. He knew that he will be the one to deal the death blow to the arachnid and so he continued to hunt him down. After all no one took what was his and lived to tell about it and Naraku was no exception.

He continued on his way while he sent his youki out to ferret out any threats to him. He sniffed the air and noticed that his half-brother and his pack were heading in the same direction he was. They were a good distance away from him and he preferred it that way.

He was tired of teaching that fool how to fight so he could stay alive. Contrary to popular belief he was not out to kill Inuyasha, he made a promise to his father that he would protect his brother until he was old enough to protect himself.

The hanyou was stubborn and did not want to learn how to fight from him. So, he devised a plan that whenever they met he would get in a fight with his brother to make sure that he taught him the ways of the sword.

Sesshoumaru sighed at that thought. He tried to teach the half breed correctly but when he would not listen and did what he wanted, Sesshoumaru would always hurt him. He would sometimes injure him badly that it would take days for him to heal. But during that time the hanyou thought about what he did wrong and how to improve on his moves so that what happened to him this time would not happen again.

His method of teaching the half breed was crude but it did have the desired effect. The next time they would meet he could not catch his brother as easily as before. Inuyasha learned his lessons the hard way but now has more control over his father’s sword.

He continued to walk while he thought about his brother’s pack. It was a strange group indeed. The likes of which have never been seen before. He must admit that he had fun learning about each member of the group. It took a lot of time and effort on his part to find out everyone’s story but it was worth the effort.

Sesshoumaru liked challenges and anything that would work his mind. It satisfied his natural curiosity and it was the mental workout that he needed from time to time. He always tried to keep his body in shape but most of all he needed to keep his mind sharp for the things he had to do. Besides knowing about your enemy was always an advantage because you can use their weakness against them in battle.

The first one he found out about was the monk that traveled with them. He could trace his lineage back a few hundred years. He was surprised that his line was a line of lecherous monks before they met the one that they would mate with. Once they mated they settled down and were very devoted fathers, especially to their daughters.

Having been lechers in their life times they could spot one a mile away and kept a close watch over their daughters. His line continued to grow and prosper until the monk’s grandfather had a run in with Naraku. They were in a fierce battle when the monk threw his ofuda’s and Naraku returned it back to him with a curse. The ofuda pierced his right hand causing a hole and that was the birth of the wind tunnel, each generation after him would receive the curse. Of course, the strange part was that the curse only applied to the males of the clan not the females.

Then there was the Youkai slayer. She was harder to find information on but in the end, he could find out where she came from and who her clan was. He was surprised that she came from the village of Midoriko and her clan made their living killing his kind.

The upside to their profession was that they only killed those Youkai that would cause problems. It was too bad that they could not detect what Naraku was up to before he destroyed their village and the group of hunters that were out at the time.

From what he has could find out everyone was killed except for the Taijiya and her brother, who is under Naraku’s control. He has met the young Taijiya and almost killed him if it were not for his half-brother getting in his way. He understood his reasons and the boy has proven his worth by protecting Rin a few times.

The young fox kit remains a mystery to him. He has not been able to find out what clan he belongs to or what region. The kit never talks about his family so it was hard for him to find out who he was, though he is very mischievous as is the norm for his kind.

The fire neko is only a low-level Youkai and though she is powerful when she transforms she is not a threat to him.

Then came the little miko. Now she was a total mystery to him. He has not been able to find out where she comes from or where her village is located. He knew that she lived close to the village that was in the half breed’s forest.

From time to time he would detect her aura one minute and then it would disappear from the area. He would investigate the village where his brother resided but the miko would not be there. Then she would just appear suddenly. It seems to him that she just materialized out of thin air and started traveling with the half breed again.

She was a curious creature to say the least. She dresses like a whore but he could detect her innocence. She was the only one who has ever defied him. She stood her ground against him and challenged him to do otherwise.

He was curious about her. Even though he had no use for ningens, she was a wealth of knowledge. He has been close to the group when he observed her teaching the little kit. She was very well educated and the perfect mother for the kit. Though when the kit gets into mischief, she would be stern with him and corrected his behavior when he was out of line. He has seen this motherly instinct come out when she was with his ward and Rin would enjoy it.

He also noticed that her powers were growing. She was a very powerful miko but the curious thing was that she hid her powers from the others. He wanted to know why she did this. Most ningens would show just how powerful they were but the little miko kept her powers a secret.

She is a curious creature indeed. Then there was the fact that when he was near, her aura would calm his beast. Nothing has ever calmed the raging beast inside his body. He found this most curious and her scent was very pleasing to his sensitive nose. It was the scent of lavender with a hint of a powerful storm approaching.

He stopped his forward motion, ‘What am I thinking! She is a ningen and a miko. I should not be spending my time thinking about the wench. She is below me in every sense of the word, but she does have the most fascinating eyes. I have never seen eyes like hers before. They are a bright blue and within the middle of her eyes, where her pupils were, there was a hint of a gold ring.’

Sesshoumaru’s beast provided an image of the girl in his mind. There she stood in a short green skirt and white haori. She had long silky legs and a body that was perfectly shaped, curved in all the right places, while she walked with grace and beauty. She was a sight to behold and he wondered why the half breed let her wonder around the lands unmarked.

He shook his head to get rid of the image that he was seeing and continued walking, ‘I will need to visit the miko, she is a good source of information pertaining to Naraku when asked politely. She has never denied this Sesshoumaru the information I wished when I have asked her in the past. I must approach her when the half breed leaves the group tonight. He is bound to visit the corpse miko that is following them.’

Sesshoumaru could tell that the corpse miko was following them and that could only mean trouble for the little miko that was with them. For years, he has known of his half-brother’s fascination with the corpse miko. He shook his head. He always knew that his brother was born with only half a brain if he would go after the dead and leave the living one behind.

He continued walking while he thought about different things that were of importance to him, like the destruction of Naraku.

---oOo---

Off in the distance the evil hanyou was finalizing his plans. He has come up with the perfect way to get rid of Sesshoumaru. He knew that the powerful Daiyoukai was looking for him and he did not want to be found. Of all the Youkai that are looking for him Sesshoumaru was the one he feared the most.

He was a powerful Daiyoukai, the like of which he has never seen before, and he tried to absorb him once. But that did not work out at all when the half breed showed up and freed his brother from his grasp.

As a matter of fact, if it was not for Inuyasha he would have killed his pack already. That little miko that resembles Kikyou so much was a pain in his side. She was always getting in his way and the bad thing about it was that she was getting more powerful. If her powers continue to grow, then she will surpass Kikyou in power. He turned to his incardination’s, “Kagura, Kana, Hakudoshi, is everything set?”

Hakudoshi, his latest creation, stepped forward and said, “Yes Naraku, we have everything we need and we know his location, by tonight he will be dead.”

Naraku laughed, his eyes glistening with excitement. He will finally be rid of the Western Lord once and for all. He has been a thorn in his side for years and it was about time that he took care of him. Sesshoumaru has proven to be a powerful opponent but his time in walking these lands is over. “Good, now off with you. Make sure that you take care of the great Lord Sesshoumaru.”

Kagura, Kana, and Hakudoshi took off and went to do their masters bidding.

---oOo---

Sesshoumaru has been walking all day, he never stopped to eat or rest. It was not in his nature to stop, when he traveled with his pack he would only stop because of Rin and her need to rest and gather food. Once night fell he would go hunting and have his fill. This was the only time that he would let his inner Inu out. He knew he could not keep his beast chained forever, he had to give him some freedom, so he would let him out every now and then.

He was walking through a clearing when he stopped in his tracks. His eyes were scanning the area around the clearing. He was detecting many Youkai approaching him. They were all coming towards him and forming a circle around the area. He could feel them getting closer, his hand opened and closed, allowing his claws to grow in length, and getting them ready with his poison.

His nose twitched while he scented the air, ‘This is Naraku’s scent, I wonder if he is responsible for the Youkai coming into this area.’ He stood there and waited, though he could smell Naraku in the area it was Kagura, Kanna, and Hakudoshi that were coming towards him. Sesshoumaru braced himself, he knew this was a trap but he had to see what the evil hanyou was up to.

He didn’t have to wait for long when Naraku’s three incarnations appeared in front of him. He was eyeing them intently to see what they were going to do, while he detected the rest of the Youkai stopping by the forest edge.

Hakudoshi stepped forward, addressing the Western Lord, “Good day Lord Sesshoumaru, we bring a message from Naraku.”

Sesshoumaru raised an elegant eyebrow, stating in a regal voice, “Oh, why would Naraku be sending this Sesshoumaru a message? Is he afraid to come here himself to deliver it?”

Hakudoshi gave a smile that did not reach his eyes, “Naraku is too busy now for this type of work. He would rather that we deliver his message for him. But he did send his apologies for not being able to deliver this himself. He hopes that you will like what he has sent you.” He raised his staff and the Youkai attacked Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru was ready, he expected this much from Naraku. He saw the hordes of Youkai coming in to attack, he leaped into the air and lashed out with his whip. The mindless Youkai did not have a chance against him, while he was cutting them all down with ease.

Even though Sesshoumaru was fighting, he was mindful that this was a little too easy. Naraku never offered up his servants unless he had something else in mind. He knew that he could not find his ward. She was in a well-protected area and it was impossible for anyone to know where she was located. He continued to use his claws and whip, making quick work of the Youkai that thought to attack him.

Whereas Sesshoumaru was busy with the Youkai in the area, Kanna was busy as well. She took a small bag out of her kimono and held it in her hand. She looked at Kagura and asked in a small and timid voice, “Are you ready Kagura?”

Kagura nodded her head indicating that she was ready, and pulled her fan from her obi. Kanna then turned her attention back to Sesshoumaru and the moment they saw that Sesshoumaru defeated the last Youkai in the clearing, Kanna threw the small bag on the ground, allowing it burst open, making a cloud of blue smoke come forth.

Kagura used her fan causing the wind to blow the smoke towards the Youkai lord before he came after them.

Sesshoumaru had just finished killing all the Youkai in the area, he turned looking for Naraku’s incarnation, when he was hit with a blue cloud of smoke in the face. His eyes started to water and then he was coughing. He was surrounded by blue smoke, while he used the sleeve of his kimono to cover his nose from the foul stench. Using his youki, he removed the poison from the area. He felt dizzy for just a minute and then he regained his balance. When the smoke cleared, his eyes opened wide.

Sesshoumaru noticed that everything around him was a lot bigger than it was a few moments ago. The grass around him was a lot taller, it came to about his knees and he thought this to be strange. The trees around the area were taller than he remembered. He thought that the saplings that were near the clearing were a lot smaller than they were now.

He didn’t understand what happened, he started to move, looking around the area trying to figure out what they did to him. He scanned the area looking for Naraku’s cast offs when he spotted them in the distance. ‘So… they think that they can come here, attack me, and then leave to go back to that half breed.’ He made up his mind that he was going to follow and took off after them.

Sesshoumaru stopped in his tracks when he noticed that the group was coming back towards him. They were moving faster than he ever noticed before. When they were within range he had to look up to see them. That’s when he understood what happened to him.

Naraku’s underlings watched as the potion worked its magic. It shrunk Sesshoumaru down to the height of a child’s doll. They all walked closer to the Youkai lord and stopped just a few feet away from him. Hakudoshi smiled, looking down he stated, “I hope you like your new form Sesshoumaru. Naraku is tired of you pursuing him and he has sent us to take care of you. Now we will take our leave, we are sure that you will enjoy playing with Naraku’s new pets.”

Three Youkai came out of the forest and started going towards Sesshoumaru. They towered over Sesshoumaru miniature form when they saw their target.

Sesshoumaru turned and faced his new opponents. He will not be defeated by such low-level Youkai. They were a lot larger than they used to be but that did not mean that he was defenseless against them.

Sesshoumaru got ready when the first of the Youkai attacked him. He leaped out of the way and sent his whip towards his target. To his surprise his whip had no effect on the Youkai, it only left a red mark on its chest.

Sesshoumaru’s mind was working fast, he did not expect this, his powers were greatly diminished because of his size and now he was in real trouble. He pulled Tokijin from its sheath and sent a blast from his sword towards the attacking Youkai. The strike did a little more damage than his whip but not much. This was not good and Sesshoumaru dodge the next attack until he figured out what to do.

The three incarnations watched Sesshoumaru battling for his life. They knew it would only be a matter of time before the Youkai lord was dead. They left before the Youkai destroyed Sesshoumaru, knowing that he will not be able to defeat Naraku’s pets, they will return to their master with the good news.

Sesshoumaru was fighting the most intense battle of his life, though he still had his speed it was no match against the Youkai that were attacking him. He was hit on his side and landed hard on the ground. He was struggling to get up, his only arm was now broken. He was defenseless, while the three Youkai made their way towards him.

Sesshoumaru stood on shaky legs, he was bleeding from the cuts on his face and he was breathing hard. His arm hurt like hell and he was swaying on his feet. He had no idea what to do as he faced his opponents. He was no match for them in this form and he was running out of options. He now lost the use of his only arm and there was no way he will be able to fight them off without his sword.

He stood there looking at his opponents, blood running down his face from the several cuts that he received in battle. Even though he could not kill them he had inflicted some damage to them. Sesshoumaru was quickly coming to a decision and knew that this was a fight that he could not win. He made up his mind that he will die a warrior’s death, facing his enemies.

The three Youkai that were attacking Sesshoumaru moved forward for the final blow. They knew that the Western Lord could no longer fight and they were gloating over what they have done. They will earn a reputation for themselves as the ones who killed the great Lord Sesshoumaru. They stopped right in front of him as the Youkai in the middle raised his arm and was about to deliver the final deathblow.

Sesshoumaru stands his ground, determined to face death head on when three arrows hit the Youkai in the chest and they were purified. He turns to see who has helped him when his eyes opened wide. He never expected her to come to his aid, now he was indebted to her and he did not like this one bit.
 
---oOo---

Hello everyone. Sorry for the delay in posting this story but life has a way of getting in the way. But here is the long awaited Ultimate Sacrifice. This story is complete and I will post it all as we progress. I have heard your request and the chapters are kept to about 15 pages. I will try to post weekly or sooner if I know I will not be on the net. So stay with me as we journey together to see what happens.

I hope you enjoy it.

Jani