Nocturne - An Inuyasha Fanfic

Chapter Twelve: Revenge, Served Cold

Nocturne - Chapter Twelve: Revenge, Served Cold

Rated - M (for suggestive adult themes, references to some violence, and coarse language)

o - o - o - o - o : Indicates scene or POV change

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

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Kagome nearly thought she saw a semblance of a smile on Sesshomaru's face, but the light must have been playing tricks on her eyes.

"Are you returning to my brother?" he asked.

"No, he is...he's away," Kagome responded, finding cause to look elsewhere. Inuyasha had stormed off after a fight they'd had several days ago and had yet to return. This was becoming a relatively common occurrence.

"I know," Sesshomaru stated.

Kagome's brow crinkled quizzically, "You know? But you just asked..."

"What you see in him, I will never comprehend," he said icily and flew away without another word or glance.

o - o - o - o - o

It was not challenging to locate the witch. The smell alone was a beacon for any who dared seek the oni out. Just as Jaken had said, Sesshomaru found the onibaba's domicile on the mountainside located within an abandoned shrine. While it was now dark, Sesshomaru could see the disheveled mess that lay before him. His nose wrinkled as another scent assaulted it. The smell of spellwork permeated the area, masking everything else.

He alighted upon the doorstep to the house and entered without waiting for a greeting from the witch. He, a daiyokai, had nothing to fear from the likes of an onibaba — even one as fabled as Yamauba. Still, upon entering, he was greeted with an odd sight.

A black cauldron lay on its side, a congealed mess spilling out onto the ground and adding to the horrendous odor of the area. He raised a sleeve to his nose to fend off the assault to his senses. Stepping carefully around the upended pot, he noticed a disemboweled horse laying off to the side. The sight did not bother Sesshomaru but was rather intriguing.

The animal seemed relatively fresh, judging from the blood that pooled around its carcass. The creature's presence indicated that someone else had been to visit the witch fairly recently. There was not a chance any animal would willingly come this far into the witch's territory. The harness was evidence enough that the horse had recently belonged to some unsuspecting mortal. Perhaps what remained of the mortal was now spilled upon the floor, cooked into a meal for the witch within her cauldron. That was likely, given the witch's penchant for eating any who were mad enough to come calling.

He glanced around the room, looking for the witch. There had been a scuffle here, as evident by the toppled pot and large hole in the wall. But the question was not why this had happened, but who had done it?

He stepped closer to inspect the hole in the wall and peered out into the darkness to see nothing. Yamauba was near. He could sense her.

Within an instant, the onibaba come flying in a rage towards him.

Sesshomaru side-stepped the attack and used a clawed hand to slice the witch down the middle. The witch cried in surprise and pain, falling to the floor in a heap and grabbing at the dark blood that spilled from the cut. Her wild eyes looked Sesshomaru up and down, and she began to laugh, sputtering blood.

"Ye look like him," she spat.

"Who is that, Onibaba?" he inquired.

"Inu....taisho...," she responded. She coughed and spat blood onto the floor through her broken teeth.