Miroku's Hand of Fate Pt.2
Later that day, Sango returned with Kirana. Kirana landed like a swan on a lake, and Sango jumped off her back. This large, white, fang-tooth, two-tail, demon-cat, was one of the gentlest demons the gang had ever come to know. But when in battle, she showed her true marker. She was ruthless, cunning, and powerful. Good thing Kirana was on their side.
From the expression on Sango's face she brought bad news. "I'm sorry, Miroku," she said. "But Naraku had the medicine man killed before I got there." She was sympathetic. "I got to his village too late. All the villagers were slaughtered by the time I got there. It has all the signs of Bankotsu and the Shichinintai, there are huge rips in the ground that could have been caused by a powerful surge of energy, or a team-up attack!"
Miroku sighed. "Thank you, Sango," he said. "I appreciate your help, but I fear there may be no solution to this problem. I have been mediating about it, but no answer has come to me."
"And no answer will," a mysterious voice spoke from no-where but everywhere at once. It was a familiar voice, one the gang had heard before. Nakaru appeared in his Baboon skin, just out of attack range. "I am causing your discomfort, Miroku," he said. "The seal on your prayer beads is rotting away, from a spell I cast upon them during out last encounter. Soon, your family line will end and I will have the satisfaction that you will no longer be a thorn in my side! You have caused me much grief, young monk, but I trust you are ready to die like your father and his father before him, drawn into your own wind tunnel, and cast into the unending, empty void."
Inuyasha pulled out the Tetsusaiga from its protective holster. The magic sword grew to ten times its size sporting a huge blade. "Restore Miroku's seal or else, Nakaru!" he demanded.
"Or else what, Inuyashu?" Naraku said calm. "There is nothing you can do to stop it. Soon, Miroku will die. There is but one thing that can save his life however."
"And what is that?" Inuyasha asked.
"Miroku's life for your fragments of the Shikon Jewel."
"Never!" Inuyasha said outright. "We'll find another way!"
"There is no other way," Nakaru said. "And you have no choice. In order to save young Miroku's life, you must make a decision. Is the Shikon Jewel more important than Miroku's life, or will you allow your friend to be vanquished before his time?"
Kagome stepped up, and was prepared to hand over the jewel fragment, but Miroku stopped her. "The shards are more important, Kagome," he said. "I am but one person. The jewel can save millions of lives when it is whole again. I will not allow it to fall into the hands of a maniac like Naraku to be used for evil!"
"Very valiant of you, Miroku," Naraku said. "But gallantry will not save you. If you will not give them to me, then I will take them from you, and I will watch you die a horrible death before this day is out. I sense the end is near for you, Miroku, and if you use your wind tunnel one more time, you will surely fall prey to its effect."
"I would surely use it one last time if only to suck you into the void with me," Miroku said.
"You can't hope to take the jewel fragments away from us," Sango said, welding her oversized boomerang, Hiraikotsu.
Inuyasha came between Naraku and Kagome. "Yeah, and I'll slice you down with one blow with the Tetsusaisa," he said. "Six against one. Unfair odds, but they work in our favour."
"True, but I will not be battling you for the jewel--"
Naraku waved a hand in the air and two of the seven assassins of the Shichinitai appeared before him. They names, Jakotsu and Bankotsu, brothers in arms and brothers by blood. The Shichinitai warriors are considered zombies, because they were reborn from Nakaru's demon magic, but each has a mind of their own, subjugated by their past lives. Each assassin has a piece of the Shikon Jewel implanted in their body to make them powerful.
"--and I will be assured of the jewel shards!" Naraku said. "You may have beaten in the past, but this time I have given each of them more shards of the jewel to increase their attack strength," Naraku said. "So no matter how powerful you think you are with the Tetsasaisa, you will not be able to defeat them!"
Inuyasha and the gang readied for the battle. "Bring it on! And we'll just see who is the toughest!" Inuyasha said, angling the Tetsusaisa for attack.
Bankotsu was Inuyasha's perfect match, and readied his Banryuu, a sword so huge and heavy that it took three normal, muscular men to carry it. But thanks to the power of the Shikon Jewel, he handled it with ease. He welded it as if it was a part of his own body. And with its immense demon power, and a piece of the Shikon Jewel imbedded inside the blade, the Banryuu was more then a match for Inuyasha's Tetsusaisa!
Jakotsu was the timid one of the two brothers. But like his brother Bankotsu, he was a masterful swordsman. He was also a practitioner of dark, demon magic, like Nakaru, but not nearly as powerful. He was also a master illusionist, and preyed on fear.
"Defeat him, dear brother, but do not scar that pretty little face of his," Jakotsu said, blowing a kiss at Inuyasha. Despite Jakotsu was male, he thought in an different way, believing that emotions ruled the heart, and above all else he was honest with his emotions. He thought Inuyasha was cute.
Bankotsu did not care for his brother's flirtations towards Inuyasha, but he did not blame his brother for feeling the way he did either. He loved his brother either way.
Inuyasha and Bankotsu attacked each other and clashed swords.
Jakotsu moved towards the others, and proceeded with his own strategy to obtain the Shikon Jewel shards. His brother Bankotsu fought with brute strength, but Jakotsu thought it was less dangerous to outsmart his opponent and began an illusion attack.
Jakotsu caused Inuyasha's friends to believe they were being attacked by ground demons and they were being pulled underground. Boney hands grabbed their feet and no matter what they did they could not escape the demons' grasp.
However, Kirana being a cat, and with a keen sense of smell, could not smell the demons, so she knew it was a trick and attacked Jakotsu. Jakotsu, more involved with the others, did not notice Kirana as she flew at him and she collapsed with him dead-on, knocking him to the ground. Without Jakotsu to maintain the illusion, the connection broke and it stopped.
Jakotsu shook his head and looked at Kirana directly. Kirana snarled at him as she positioned herself between him and the others. "You sly feline," he said, a drop of blood trickled from the side of his lip. "I may be able to fool the others, but your sense of smell can not be tricked. But every demon has a hidden fear. What is yours?" He smiled. "Yes! I see it now. I have seen it in your mind. The thing in the whole world that frightens you. . ."
Meanwhile. . .
Inuyasha was having a difficult time with Bankotsu. Bankotsu was matching him strike by strike, almost as if he could read Inuyasha's mind, and predict his attack pattern before he struck. But Inuyasha did not think that was possible. Bankotsu could not read minds.
"What's the matter, Inuyasha. . ." Bankotsu said. "Can't hold yer own against me?"
"I seem to be doing pretty well, don't yer think?" Inuyasha said in reply.
"How bout we take it up a notch!" Bankotsu gave Inuyasha a smug grin and called upon the demonic powers of the Banryuu to drive Inuyasha and the Tetsusaiga back. Inuyasha could not believe Bankotsu's awesome power. But he was not able to give up! Inuyasha managed to brake away from Bankotsu's Banryuu attack and ran downhill to gain some distance for what he had planned. He turned, faced Bankotsu, saw the positive and negative parting energies, and used the Wind Scar attack, striking his sword forward.
The ground shook, and the surface cracked, sending a lightning strike of energy towards Bankotsu. Bankotsu used the Banryuu as a shield and it stopped most of it. But it was so powerful that it was too much to handle and he caved under the pressure. Bankotsu was struck directly. But due to the low yield of the attack mainly because the Banryuu blocked a great deal of the energy he was only knocked down as was not seriously hurt.
He looked back at Inuyasha. "Nice one," he said, actually impressed. "You managed to infiltrate my defences. But you were lucky. I have field advantage and I intend to use it!"
"No!" Naraku told him, knowing what he intended to use. "I do not want Inuyasha killed!"
Bankotsu looked at Naraku strange. He hated serving under Naraku. When he was ruler of the world many eons ago he did not have to take orders -- he gave them! But Naraku held all the cards -- he controlled his life with the Shikon Jewel shards implanted in his body that made him powerful -- and he was forced to obey him or risk them taken away.
Bankotsu was planning to use his dark demonic powers to win against Inuyasha -- the same powers he had used to rule the world -- but as he recalled he had once tried that tactic before against Inuyasha and he lost. Perhaps patience was the way to victory. . .this time!
Jakotsu smirked. "Naughty, naughty, kitty cat. Now it's time to die!" he said, looking at Kirana, and concentrated outwardly and brought to life one of his deadly mind illusions.
Suddenly in Kirana's mind she was a cute little kitten again in the middle of a town square. The sky was dark and cloudy and the town was completely deserted. She was all alone. And when she turned to see all around her she saw Sango laying on the ground and her chest bloodied from multiple stab wounds from a sharp instrument. Kirana cried out with a sorrowful meow and began to cry. In reality, outside her illusion, Kirana converted back to her cute little kitten form, taken in by the illusion. With her eyes glazed over Kirana saw only the illusion, while in truth Sango, her keeper was very much alive.
"What have you done to her!" Sango cried out, cradling Kirana in her arms. Kirana was unresponsive to her touch or any of her words. "Kirana, what's happening to you?"
"I have her in one of my illusions," Jakotsu said. "She believes you are dead, and it terrifies her." He smiled. "And normally with that kind of negative reinforcement the animal will die broken-hearted. I feel her sorrow. She cares for her very much. She would die for you in battle if the occasion arose. Curious. Her mind is so complex for an demon cat."
Jakotsu could now see Kirana in his illusion and it bewildered him that Kirana was no longer crying. Kirana was sitting calm on Sango's chest looking directly at him, as if she could see him. But he had not inserted himself into the illusion. He then realised the illusion had failed. "You're a smart one, you are," he said. "You can see through my dark illusion. There is no fooling you! So why try. I will just destroy you will a solid attack and be done with you. . ."
It was then that the connection between the illusion and Kirana was broken and she returned to this reality. Kirana blinked, and looked at Jakotsu.
Jakotsu pulled out his sword. "I'll strike you down once and for all!" he said to Kirana. "No one masterminds one of my illusions inside my own illusion." He raised his sword and was about to strike, when Miroku stepped between them and stopped the blow with his staff. "How dare you block my strike! You insufferable monk!"
"If you want to take someoneon, then Iwill be that person!" Miroku said.
to be continued...