Inuyasha: Lords of the Night

Chapter Ten To My Heart-Filled Regret...Watashi no kokoro-ippai kōkai shimasu

He woke in a cold sweat, and looked around him, holding his chest trying to ease his rapidly beating heart. He was all alone in the dark cold cave and he shivered. Standing and gathering his wits around him, he exited the cave and blinked. There was no one around, no signs of his pack members, no traces of them ever being there. Something felt off about this whole situation, the coldness soaking through his clothing, as though some dark presence was in the shadows pulling strings.

He hesitantly called out. "Kazuki?" All he got was silence and panic began to drift into his heart.

'They have all left you. You have failed, and they abandoned you.' That voice he so diligently tried to ignore laughed mockingly at him.

He shook his head to dislodge that cold dark voice. Menacing clouds loomed overhead and a loud clap of thunder caused him to jump and look up at the same sky that lingered over his island. He shuddered. Had they moved on without him? Had he been such a burden that even Kazuki had left his side?

Not believing it, he moved through the camp and as soon as he walked into the treeline, a large field came into his vision, and his heart jumped in shock. It was the field from his prior night terror. To his right sat a trickling spring, and in the distance he could make out the treeline. Squinting, he wondered if he would see that large white forest spirit from his previous nightmare. He swallowed the lump in his throat, glanced around and his eyes fell on the bodies of his clans men, scattered around, torn apart and blood everywhere. A menacing chill ran up his spine and he closed his eyes from the horror.

'You killed them all.' The voice spat out in a condescending manner.

He shook his head again. Glancing down at his hands, they were covered in blood, his claws holding bits of flesh in them. He fell to his knees and put his face in his hands. "I did not do this!" He cried out to no one in particular. The horror of the situation hit him full force as guilt and overwhelming sorrow entered his heart.

'This is your fate.' The voice boomed inside his head.

"My fate is my own!" He cried out.

He lifted his face and his eyes fell on the lifeless body of Kazuki and he choked back a sob. The rain began to fall then, and the field glimmered and shifted to him much older and covered in blood, looking over massive amounts of bodies, both humans and youkai. In his hand he held a large broad sword covered in a red hilt, a large glowing orb on the pommel. He shuddered and his world shifted again, in a swirling mass of colors. Silence overwhelmed him then, and he looked around and stood beside a large steaming pool, a beautiful youkai woman sat next to it, staring at the water a look of contentment on her face. Without warning she gasped and fell into the water, her lifeless eyes staring up at him, her blood seeping into the water. In his hand he held the same sword from the massacre fields.

He began to run then, and stumbling, he fell to the hard earth grunting at the impact. Lifting his gaze, his eyes fell upon the white forest spirit, shimmering before him but behind a golden barrier, and it was glaring at him accusingly.

'You bring death and destruction to everything around you, give in to your darkness, unleash me. Release me!' The insidious voice hissed, getting more demanding.

"Never!" He cried out into the darkness that began to surround him.

The voice in his head howled in rage, and his world fell beneath his feet causing him to fall. He closed his eyes and heard his heart beating rapidly in his ears. Opening his eyes in terror, he saw the earth far below him rising at such a rapid pace he wasn't certain he would survive the impact.

* * * * *

Seihomaru shot up from his bedroll crying out. "Ah!" He glanced around him and heaved in huge amounts of breaths, trying to still his heart.