The Demon's Love

III

Kael summoned up his power for another attack. He would not let an incarnation of his enemy get the best of him. And that smug smile and challenging look in Akago's eye was absolutely infuriating. Normally when Kael killed someone, it didn't mean anything to him either way. But this time he was going to enjoy ending this creature's pathetic life, just as he would with Naraku.

Changing his sword to a stabbing position, he brought it down over the place Akago's own heart was. His blade immediately met with Akago's barrier. The shockwaves were bouncing off the barrier and hitting the demon lord, but he did not let up. In fact, he put more power into his blade.

'This infant is very powerful.' Kael thought. His eyes turned red as he tapped further into his demonic powers. 'But he will not best this Kael!'

As their demonic auras increased, Naevia was forced to take a step back. She was amazed by their power. She knew that they were strong, but this was really intense. The very ground began to shake as the sky darken from the level of power.

The smug look left Akago's face as Kael's power increased. The ground beneath him cracked as he continued to hold his barrier and Kael persisted to break through it. The dog-demon was doing a very good job at it too. For a moment, Akago was afraid.

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"Lucretia, Master Jaken, look at the sky." Said Rin.

The two looked where she was pointing. The sky was darkening, almost as if a terrible storm was settling in. And it was happening right over the place Kael, Naevia, and Akago were.

"What is that?" cried Jaken. "Such power! There are two of them. One is definitely Lord Kael's, but what of the other?"

Lucretia's eyes narrowed. He knew exactly who that other power belonged to. 'So, it's begun.'

"Lets go see." Said Rin.

Before Lucretia or Jaken could stop her, she headed towards the two great powers. But she immediately changed her mind and came running back when lightning flashed.

She hurried over to Lucretia and grabbed his arm tightly. "Lucretia, Rin is scared!" She cried, clinging to his arm.

Lucretia put his other arm around her and held her tight. "Don't worry, Rin, it will all be over soon. I'll take care of you."

Rin didn't open her eyes, but she relaxed a bit. "Thank you."

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Lightning began shooting out from the place Toukijin and Akago's barrier touched. Naevia became fearful for her own safety as the two mighty demons continued to overpower the other.

"Naevia, take cover." Kael ordered.

The wind-demon didn't need to be told twice and quickly hid behind a tree. More lightning, or what appeared to be lightning shot out of the point of contact. Slowly Akago's barrier began to bend inward as Kael made small progress.

Akago growled, using all his strength to fight back. As he reached his potential, he began to change. His ears became pointy as his teeth and nail grew into fangs and claws. The whites of his eyes turned blood red as his skin turned dark gray, except for a light yellow stripe on each side of his face, similar to Kael's magenta ones.

The dog-demon himself became frustrated as the dent he made in the barrier began pushing his sword back. The shockwaves of his own power were greatly affecting him. It was almost as if he were attacking himself.

Growling in aggravation, he put more power into his attack. He began to change into his demon form. His face elongated as white fur sprouted all over his body.

Bright light began to emit from the point of contact as the two demons reached their limits. It became so intense that Naevia had to look away. Finally, Kael let out an angry roar and Toukijin burst through Akago's barrier, passing straight through him and burrowing a good foot in the ground.

Akago's eyes widened as an earsplitting cry erupted from his lips. Kael and Naevia cringed at the sound and even Lucretia, Rin, Jaken, and Ah-Un flinched from where they were, having heard the demon's inhuman wail.

There was a flash of light as Akago's eyes rolled up into his head. Veins popped up all over him as he left out one last anguished cry before his body disintegrated.

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Far away, at Naraku's fortress, Hakudōshi and Naraku himself clutched their chests painfully as they felt a piece of their heart die.

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The sky cleared up and the demonic auras began to fade. Lucretia took that as a sign that the battle was over. But he was not going to risk bringing Rin anywhere near Akago until he was sure that he was dead.

"Rin, stay here with Jaken." He told her. "I'll go see if everything is alright."

"How dare you order me around, human!" Jaken shouted.

Lucretia gave the toad-demon a look that instantly shut him up. "I said, stay here. I'll come get you once I'm sure it's safe. Understand?"

Unaffected by Lucretia's anger, Rin nodded. "Ok, be careful, Lucretia."

He nodded and hurried over to the former battlefield.

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Kael was left panting, completely drained of energy. The only other time that had happened was when his half-breed brother had cut off his arm. That demon, Akago, had truly been a force to be reckoned with.

He looked down at the scorched ground that his sword was buried in. At least it was over now. Akago was dead. Now all he had to do was kill this Hakudōshi and Naraku was as good as dead.

Sheathing his sword, the demon lord looked at Naevia, who was peeking out from behind her hiding place. "You may come out now." He told her.

Naevia left the sanctuary of the tree and went to see what was left of Akago, which was nothing. "My, you sure went all out, didn't you?" She commented.

Kael growled at her mocking tone, but didn't say anything. He was in no mood to argue with the wind-demon.

"Naevia?" They turned to the speaker to find Lucretia watching them. "What happened? Where's Akago?"

"Dead." Naevia replied simple. She gave Kael an admiring look. "Thanks to our savior here."

Lucretia sighed, glad to be rid of that terrible burden. "I'll go get the others."

Kael and Naevia waited while Lucretia went to retrieve Rin and the two demons. When they returned, Rin was looking around fearfully, clinging to Lucretia's arm. Kael growled at their proximity. He didn't like the boy being so close to his ward.

"Lord Kael, what happened?" she asked worriedly.

Kael glanced at the scorched ground where Akago had lain. "All is well, Rin. You have nothing to fear."

Rin looked relieved. Then she started looking around when she noticed someone was missing. "Lord Kael, where did the baby go?"

Kael decided to was best not to mention what really happened or let her know what Akago really was. "It's gone." He said simply.

Rin frowned. "Aw, Rin wanted to play with him."

"Foolish girl!" Jaken cried. "Don't you know that that infant was one of Naraku's incar-"

He was cut off by Kael stepping on him to shut him up. "Rin, we are leaving. Jaken, gather Ah-Un."

Jaken moaned beneath his master's foot. "Yes, milord."

As Kael began to walk away, Rin ran up to him and tugged on his sleeve. "Lord Kael, can Lucretia and Lady Naevia come with us?" she asked hopefully.

Lucretia and Naevia were surprised by Rin's request while Jaken looked angry. "Lord Kael will not be bothered by those two!"

Rin gave the toad-demon a curious look. "But they're not a bother. Rin really likes them."

Jaken's mouth dropped open. "What? Don't you know who they are? Don't you remember what they did? Did you forget that the human tried to kill you and the wind witch kidnapped you and turned you over to Naraku?"

Rin just laughed. "Silly Master Jaken, they wouldn't hurt Rin. Naraku was controlling them. They would never do anything bad, right?"

Lucretia was quick to answer. "I would never harm you, Rin, or anyone else. Naraku was controlling my mind back then."

Naevia nodded. "I too was at his mercy. I took no pleasure in the things that I did."

Rin gave Jaken a proud look. "See, Master Jaken, they're not bad guys. They're our friends."

"Friends!" Jaken cried. "Now you listen here, girl, we do not make friends with those that associate themselves with our enemies. And these two are-"

"Jaken." Kael growled, silencing his servant. "Let them do as they wish."

"Wha…" Jaken was about to give his opinion, but the look Kael gave him made him change his mind. "As you wish, milord."

Beaming, Rin turned back to Lucretia and Naevia. "You will come with us, won't you?" she pleaded. "Rin would really like you to come. Please."

Lucretia and Naevia shared a look of uncertainty. Truth be told, they never thought beyond this point. Naevia had been set on destroying Naraku and having her freedom, and Lucretia had been set on finding Naraku's heart and killing its owner. Neither of them had ever really thought past that. What did they want to do?

Naevia had her freedom, and as long as Naraku continued to think that she was dead, she could do as she pleased. But what did she want to do with this new freedom?

Lucretia had always planned on returning to his sister and Kilala after he killed Naraku, but he couldn't face her, not yet. He wasn't ready. How could he just waltz up to his last remaining family member, whom he had attempted to kill on several occasions, especially after he had killed their father and friends?

But whatever they decided to do would have to be put off. They both still had one goal in mind. And that was to end Naraku's reign of terror. And it would be much easier to do this with Kael's group.

After they both came to a silent agreement, Lucretia turned to Rin. "Ok, Rin, we'll come."

"Yay!" the girl cried, jumping up and down. "Rin is so happy!"

She grabbed Lucretia's hand and pulled him along. Naevia followed behind them, giving the angry Jaken a smug look. Ahead of them all, Kael led the way, a small smile displayed on his lips.

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Naraku stood shakingly to his feet, his hand clenching his chest to ease the pain. He knew what had happened. Akago had been killed. He had felt his 'son' die, and damn did it hurt. He hoped that Naevia had suffered that much and more when he had crushed her heart and ended her miserable life. And as for the demon slayer, he would suffer before he died too.

Hakudōshi struggled to stand up, also feeling the painful affects of his brother dying. "Akago is dead." He said, stating the obvious.

"I'm aware." Naraku seethed, trying to control his temper. Damn those traitors. He should have killed Naevia long ago, and he never should have brought Lucretia back to life, regardless of their usefulness. Well, at least the wind b***h was dead. Next he would retrieve his jewel shard, ending the demon slayer's life. He would then deliver the boy's head to Inuyasha's group, just to spite them.

Glancing at his remaining companions, Naraku realized that he was shorthanded. True, he had an endless supply of poisonous insects, since they could come back to life after they were killed through the Saimyōshō hive, which was why these insects of Hell found it so easy to sacrifice themselves, but they were only really useful for spying on others and stopping the monk's Wind Tunnel. Kanna was useful, but she wasn't a fighter. She had many special abilities, but wasn't strong herself. Hakudōshi was, at the moment his number one servant, but the child-like demon held the remainder of his heart. He would not send him out unless he was sure of his safety. His last servant, Mōryōmaru, was, without doubt, his strongest and most dangerous minion. The problem was that Mōryōmaru could hardly think for himself. He needed someone else to act as his consciousness.

It seemed as if Naraku had no choice but to create another incarnation. He closed his eyes and did a quick mental scan of his body. He had a few parts of demons he had absorbed that he could spare. He would use that to create another incarnation. But he would have to go out and absorb more demons later, or else regeneration will become difficult for him because he will have nothing left to create his body with.

He began to concentrate on his body. Bones and flesh began to move within him as he fused pieces of himself together. New life began to stir within him. He felt his creation begin to grow on its own and make an attempt to separate from its parent.

Naraku severed his new child from him and extracted it from his body. The mound of flesh fell away and began its own birth. When it was finished, a hand burst out of the mound of flesh, reaching for the sky as Naraku smiled down at his new child.