Inferno by mynightshining

Infero

Summary: A town attacked, a raging inferno, Kagome has no choice but to save them both.

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

Author's Notes: This is my delayed submission for Day 6 of SessKag Week 2021! I had so much fun participating in my first writing event last week! Thank you everyone who has read my submissions so far, you are rock stars and your feedback is greatly appreciated. I love hearing your thoughts.

Since this is my first time participating in an event, I had to set up some rules for myself (I was getting carried away with very little time on my hands).

- Fics will be set in cannon, but will diverge.

- Fics will be short, no word limit, but no massive one-shots (like I was planning to do)

- Fics will be stream of consciousness writing with very little editing or futzing

- Only use color as the main prompt, and if I happen to include the others, then it's a happy accident.

I broke my second rule on this one. It's much longer than the others. I'm sure none of you mind.

All errors are mine.

Trigger Warning: Fire, mentions of death

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Inferno

Prompt: Orange

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Towards the end of their annual travels, Kagome and Sesshomaru stumbled upon a well-off town in the midst of a festival. Kagome had given him her best puppy-dog eyes, and he reluctantly agreed to attend. She hadn't seen a town quite this large in some time, and was fascinated by the layout. Huts and rice fields graced the perimeter, not too far from a beautiful, winding river, and as the town moved closer to the sheer cliff and forest on the other side of the main road, more elaborate and elegant homes became visible.

At the city center the festival was in full swing. The night joyous and full of abandon.

But there was a tickling just at the edge of her senses. Kagome couldn't quite get it out of her mind that something wasn't quite right. A quick look to Sesshoumaru confirmed her suspicions. Before either of them had the chance to act, a fire yokai burst through the trees casting the forest and surrounding homes alight, demanding a sacrifice. Instant chaos ensued; yoki-fueled fires started spontaneously throughout the town. Sesshomaru and Kagome gritted their teeth and engaged the yokai in battle.

The villagers, at first, tried to douse the unnatural flames, but water did nothing. A few monks with holy powers were able to use sutras and safeguard the temple, but there were simply too many buildings in the town to save. Many people escaped in panic towards the main road to the next village, some tried to find their loved ones, others, still, ran into their burning homes for one reason or another and never returned.

Kagome's reiki, it seemed, had minimal effect on the yokai. She had shot him with three charged arrows, and while they had limited his ability to create more fires, it surprisingly didn't kill him. Nor did they slow him down. The two yokai battled in the sky, Sesshomaru attempting to herd it toward the river, where it could likely be neutralized. However, by some unlucky fate the fire yokai managed to best Sesshomaru and bring him crashing down to the far edge of the village near the cliff.

Completely opposite of where Kagome was.

Running had never been Kagome's strongest skill, Inuyasha had always done it for her, but she bolted as fast as she could towards the other end of town. Legs pumping, eyes wide, she pushed her way through masses of panicked, screaming villagers running the opposite direction.

Ominous smoke curled thick into the sky.

Ash fell like snow.

Kagome pressed herself against an unburnt fence, trying to catch her breath. She was just about to where he fell now, but the flames were so hot, and the smoke hazy as it floated between the homes, stinging her eyes and limiting her vision.

She pulled her kosode sleeve up to her face once more, breathing through the rough fabric, and ran further into the inferno.

"Sesshomaru!" She screamed, again and again between coughs, voice frantic and frayed.

Every burning home she passed, she called his name and chanced a look inside. Bile rose when she spotted burning bodies, too charred to tell who they were. She refused to believe any of the corpses were his, they couldn't be him. That wasn't how the great Sesshomaru met his end. Kagome turned away, more tears streaming down her face, creating streaks on her soot-covered cheeks.

After images of the carnage obscured her vision every time she blinked.

As more time passed, Kagome doubted herself and her memory. She was certain he had fallen in this area, but with all the buildings aflame and the structures failing, it was nearly impossible to tell which one he had crashed into. She prayed to whatever gods were listening that he was still alive, that she would find him in time.

A loud crash shook the earth as another, larger home collapsed.

Keep going.

More villagers ran past her. One young man collided with her, knocking her to the ground. Elbows smacked her ribs and knees kicked her stomach as he struggled to get back up, too panicked to help her. The next moment he was gone, and she was alone once more.

"Sesshomaru!" She screamed again her face in the dirt, coughing as the haze tinged her lungs.

There was no response.

Letting reiki loose, she searched for him. It was almost impossible to distinguish his yoki from that of the bright orange flames surrounding her.

Another crash, another home collapsed.

Kagome crawled to her feet. Crouching low, she continued running, searching desperately.

Nothing.

Nothi— wait.

She stopped to make sure her senses weren't fooling her in her panic.

There!

A flicker of something… just slightly different than what surrounded her.

Kagome followed the feeling through the maze-like streets, aware that their opponent could still be very much alive.

A nobleman's house came into view. Once a magnificent structure with three stories, detailed architecture, and beautifully tended gardens, was now partially ablaze.

Familiar yoki tugged at her senses, she could feel him there.

He was alive!

She ran through the garden, past the koi pond, to a window on the main floor. Standing on tip-toe, she could just barely manage to discern two black boots sticking out from behind a partially opened shoji. There wasn't much smoke yet, nor were there flames nearby. Invigorated, she ran back to the koi pond, ripping her sleeve off in the process, and soaked it in the water. Only for a moment she lamented the fate of the helpless fish before ringing out her sleeve. Drenched and dripping, she wrapped the cloth around her nose and mouth and tied it securely at the back of her head. With strength she was utterly surprised to wield, she rolled one of the decorative boulders over to the window and used it hoist herself up over the window's edge and into the house.

Heat trapped in the room pressed against her skin. The wet fabric helped her breathe, but it wouldn't last long. In order to conserve her energy and temper her breathing, she sprawled out on her tummy and slid across the warm floorboards to the waiting boots.

She reached the screen and pushed it open to reveal Sesshomaru's prone form. A sob of relief escaped her. Urgent hands grabbed one silk-covered thigh and shook, but there was no response. He was alive, she knew, but neither of them would be much longer if she couldn't get them out.

Remaining close to the floor and beginning to cough, Kagome untangled mokomoko from his person, laying it out flat. She rolled the unconscious lord on top of it, and tugged him back to the window. Through the grey smoke, she could see lights and shadows of flickering flames in the hallway. They were running out of time.

There was no way she'd be able to get him through the window.

"Please, please let this work."

Kagome wrapped shaking hands around Bakusaiga's hilt, gripping it hard against a zing of yoki. She tugged at the sword, but nothing happened. She tugged again, this time with more force. It didn't budge. Heat had swollen the sheath, trapping the blade. She untangled the sword from Sesshomaru's obi, and tried one more time, using her booted feet as leverage. With a shink, the sword unsheathed.

Desperate, she begged Bakusaiga for its cooperation.

"I know you don't like me, but can you please try, just this one time?"

Or we're all going to die…

The sword pulsed in her hand, activating her reiki, drawing the power out of her hands and into the hilt.

With her hips leading the way, she swung the sword into the wood paneled wall.

Thunk.

Bakusaiga sunk into the wood, and when she pulled it back there was a large gouge.

"Again" she begged. Smoke stung her eyes.

She swung this time with reiki behind it, three panels cracked, but it wasn't enough.

"Come on!" she yelled voice scratchy, between heaving coughs.

One more swing and Bakusaiga awoke, yoki and reiki roiling, blasting an opening in the wall. Kagome fell to hands and knees crying with relief

"Thank you, thank you."

Dizzy, the edges of her vision greying, she forced herself to keep going. They were so close. She couldn't give up now.

Using mokomoko, and Bakusaiga now tucked under her arm, she pulled Sesshomaru out of the house just as the room they had occupied erupted into flame.

With the last of her strength she pulled him into the garden, stopping next to the pond.

In the back of her mind she knew they had to get out of there soon, that the yokai responsible for all this destruction was likely still alive, that if the wind changed they'd be goners. She knew this, but it didn't stop her from frantically checking his breathing, and pressing her forehead against his as tears streamed down her face.

Gathering herself, she moved to the pond. Cupped hands doused his face with water in the hopes that would awake him up. When that didn't work, she slapped is face. Then again, harder.

He was still out cold.

"Oh, fuck this!"

Charging reiki into her hands, she fisted the lapels of his hankimono, pressing into his chest, and letting loose a large charge of power. Clear! she thought morbidly as she watched his entire body jolt from the shock. Now wasn't the time for jokes, but it was the only way to cope.

Golden eyes snapped open.

"Oh, thank the kami!" Kagome lifted his head with her hands, then slid them under his shoulders, helping him sit up. Through gritted teeth, she spoke "We need to go. Now. Can you walk?"

Sesshomaru gave a brief, imperceptible nod.

"Great," she said hoisting one of his arms over her shoulder, reached around for his opposite hip, and pulled him to standing. "Let's go"

Their pace was slow with his shuffling (pieces of his shattered armor scattering to the dirt like breadcrumbs) and both their coughing (somewhere along the way, she lost her makeshift mask), but they made it to the riverbank unscathed.

Both collapsed in the mud, and watched flames still dancing bright in their vision and smoke from the charred town curling into the sky.

"The yokai?" Kagome barely managed to push out.

"Escaped," Sesshomaru's voice was harsh.

Their ragged breathing filled the silence.

As the adrenaline receded, Kagome pushed herself the last half meter to the water's edge. Barely making it past the stagnant pools to the open stream, she cupped the fresh water in her hands and drank greedily.

"Thirsty?" She asked, looking back at him. Most of his armor had broken off by now, and she could see a splotch of red liquid staining the silk underneath. Panic once again set in. "You're hurt?"

"This One will heal."

Favoring his side, Sesshomaru crawled to the water to join her.

"Your armor…"

"Will be replaced. Eventually."

When she could muster the energy to move from the cool water, she inspected his injury. Deep and wide, but not life-threatening. At least, not for him. Eddies swirled around them as they caught their breath.

"We're going after it, aren't we?" she sighed, knowing the answer long before he spoke.

"Hn."