A Heart's Desires by Walter205

The Meeting

 I don't own Inuyasha, nor will I profit from it.

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The tank gunner lined his sights upon the fellow striding in his direction.

"Enemy leader in sight," said Hassan.

"Targeting the main cannon," replied the gunner. The 75mm cannon swiveled on its mount, coming around to face the fierce demon directly. Once the barrel was lined up, the gunner depressed the trigger and the tank rocked backwards as another high explosive shell was loosed out of the Scorpion.

"Target is....he cut the shell...in half....," breathed the driver.

"What did the shell fragments do?" asked Hassan, who wasn't really suprised. Rumors had been swirling around the ranks for weeks now about the capabilities of this so-called dog general.

"Unknown, too much dust was kicked up by his movements," stammered the driver.

"Well then. Let me know when he's coming this way," ordered Hassan.

"He's looking our way, he's coming! He's fast!" screeched the driver.

"Pull yourself together Adi, and engage him with the machine gun," Hassan admonished.

"He's....he's picked up the bodies of one of our comrades and is using him as a shield against the bullets. He's almost here!" exclaimed Adi.

A corpse shield? That was unusual from what Hassan had learned about the demon.

The driver yelled one last time, then a sharp report of what sounded like metal on metal. The turret roof above Hassan's head was removed, and he withdrew his machine pistol, ready to spray 7.92mm lead in the face of the demon, but no one appeared. Instead, something clanked down into the turret and came to rest at the base of the shells.

Hassan looked down to see a grenade.

"Ahhh, so he wasn't using a shield, he was merely grabbing a," was the last words Hassan ever spoke.

***

Sesshomaru caught up to his father just as the tank's flaming turret came crashing down fifty yards from where the rest of the Scorpion's remains lay.

"Your bare hands? Really Father, really?" asked Sesshomaru sardonically.

"You watch too much western culture. It's clearly impacting your speech," rumbled his father.

"Really?" Sesshomaru asked again, ignoring his father's first sarcastic answer.

"Yes really. They," gestured Tamon torwards the enemy ranks, "see me fight all the time with my swords. How do you think it'll impact their morale to see me take down a tank with nothing but my claws and a small borrowed human weapon?"

"Hnnn, you might think it impacts their morale. I think you're just showboating for your own ego," rebutted Sesshomaru. This brought a growl to Tamon's lips, which in turn brought a small chuckle from Sesshomaru's own.

Both male dog demons stopped in their tracks as a powerful energy surge up ahead caught their attention.

"Well well. This feels like miko energy, from the way my arm hairs are standing on end," commented Tamon.

"Yes, although it feels strangely familiar, not at all like the energy exhibited by the priestesses the Chinese were trying to crash train," murmured Sesshomaru.

"Father!" spoke up another voice from behind. Sesshomaru already knew who it was, so did nothing. But Tamon turned to greet the youngest of his four sons.

"Kitashima, what a pleasent suprise," said Tamon enthusiastically. Sesshomaru barely reigned in a snort of disdain. His youngest brother still loved his father's dramatic attention to his day and was perhaps the only son that inherited his father's massive ego.

"Father, let me take on this miko?!" asked Kitashima in excitement.

"Very well then son, she's all yours," said Tamon. Yipping in excitement, Kita surged forwards as he withdrew his sword.

"Father...," began Sesshomaru before being cut off.

"Now now Sesshomaru, he needs to learn how to fight one sooner or later. Besides, if she's anything like the hastily trained Chinese mikos that we slaughtered back in Urumqi, Kita should be able handle himself just fine. If not, then we'll step in," assured Tamon.

"All right, Father," nodded Sesshomaru.

***

"Miko, I will taste your blood tonight. Prepare yourself!" challenged Kitashima, charging straight in at the priestess. Raven locks spilling out of the hood waved in the desert wind. Her head tilting upwards, azure eyes briefly became visible as she took a look at her incoming target, a nasty smile becoming known only to her as the miko's lips were concealed behind a partial face mask.

Withdrawing his sword, Kitashima made to slash his opponent in half. However, the miko had other plans.

Drawing her hands together, she channeled and then unleashed a terrific blast of purification energy. In his reckless charge and assumption of an undertrained opponent, Kitashima had no time to dodge or do anything except let a little whimper escape his lips. The blast hit him full on and sent him flying backwards.

As Kitashima was flying backwards, the miko withdrew a bow from her sash and an arrow from her quiver. The arrow was notched, purified, and let loose in a mere second.

Observing all this from a distance, Sesshomaru and Tamon re-evaluated their opponent. She was clearly capable, they could give her that much. Both of them stood aside as Kitashima flew past them, landing in the sand a hundred yards behind them.

"Her powers and training are formidable," whispered Tamon.

"Yes, but her aim still leaves much to be desired. She still seems familiar to me somehow," commented Sesshomaru as the arrow arced high into the air.

Sensing distress from his pup, Tamon turned back to see Kitashima lying stunned on the ground, his eyes gazing up into the air. Tamon's eyes turned upwards to see the arrow beginning its downward descent, straight towards his fourth son.

"Kitashima!" yelled Tamon. Even as he started to run for his son and even throw his sword, he knew in the depths of his heart that it would be too late. The arrow struck his helpless son in the chest. With a mournful wail of agony and sadness, Kitashima dissolved into bones and dust.

Tamon collapsed onto his knees, grief overcoming him.

"Sesshomaru...please deal with her," he managed to stammer out while still composed.

The sound of metal sliding across leather made itself known as Sesshomaru withdrew Bakusaiga from its sheath, his red tinted eyes narrowing as he studied his opponent.

"Miko, you have made your last kill. Are you prepared for death?" asked Sesshomaru in a calm and cold voice.

"Now that I've avenged Souta's death, I don't mind dying at your hands, Sesshomaru-sama," came her reply.

Hearing her voice, his eyes widened, for in his head;

A memory clicked.

 

INUYASHA © Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan • Yomiuri TV • Sunrise 2000
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