DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fanfiction produced for entertainment purposes only. Inu-Yasha - A Feudal Fairytale and all related characters are the creations of Rumiko Takahashi.
Chapter 4: The Third Round
The mood in the locker room of the Youkai Strength Competition was serious and tense, to say the least. The unexpected failure of Kouga and Kanna in the last round had made all of the other competitors realise how serious the competition was. Even one little mistake could cost them dearly.
On one side of the room, the members of Inu-Yasha's group were all in shock. Although Kouga wasn't really part of their group, he was their friend and ally… more or less.
Sango sat with her arm around Kagome, trying to comfort the pale and shaken girl. Kagome was too stunned to speak. She had known that Kouga was nowhere near as strong as Inu-Yasha, of course, but all the same… it had happened so quickly. She was very worried about him.
Inu-Yasha had told her that Kouga had just been knocked unconscious, but Kagome really wanted to go and make sure that he was all right. Because of all the fans who were trying to get in to 'comfort' their idol though, the infirmary had been placed off-limits to anyone who wasn't immediate family. Fortunately, Kouga's two companions had been able to convince the security people that they were related to Kouga. It hadn't really been a lie, since they were all part of the same wolf-youkai tribe. At least Kouga would have someone with him when he woke up. Although Kagome knew he'd be disappointed that it wasn't her.
It wasn't only thoughts of Kouga that were worrying Kagome though. One other thought kept running through her mind, filling her with fear and anxiety.
If Kouga had been taken down so easily, would Inu-Yasha be all right?
On the other bench, Miroku sat silently with his head bowed and his eyes closed. As usual when he was like that, no one was certain if he was awake and deep in thought, or merely asleep. Inu-Yasha sat beside him, unusually quiet as he stared down at the floor.
Kouga's defeat had surprised him. He hadn't expected the overconfident wolf-youkai to go down so easily. It made him wonder just how strong that chain thing had been. He had seen Kouga's injuries when he had caught him as he fell, so he knew how badly the boy had been hurt. That made him uneasy. If the chain had been powerful enough to do that, what would the next round's attack be like? In one way, he was eager to find out. In another way though… He was starting to wonder if this contest was really as innocent as it had seemed to be when they had received the invitation back in the Feudal Era. The strength of the chain attack had made him realise just how much trouble they could be in if this was all a trap of some kind.
Inu-Yasha's hands clenched into fists. Whatever happened, he would protect Kagome. Shippo too, he added mentally as the small kitsune shifted slightly on his lap.
Glancing down, despite his serious mood Inu-Yasha almost smiled at the sight of the little fox-youkai leaning back against his stomach as he anxiously watched Kagome. Shippo had climbed up onto his lap as soon as he'd sat down and Inu-Yasha had let him stay there, knowing that Shippo needed the comfort. What had happened to Kouga could just as easily have happened to him, if he hadn't pulled out of the contest when he had.
Sesshoumaru wasn't entirely certain what to make of what had happened during the last round, or what was happening at that moment. His thoughts whirled and tangled but his expression remained as calm and emotionless as ever. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew that not everything in the competition was as it appeared to be. Until he knew more, he had decided that it would be best if he continued on as though he had noticed nothing. But he planned to be even more alert than usual.
The moment he had seen the glowing chain, Sesshoumaru had recognised it. He had known how fast and powerful it was even before Naraku had started moving. What Sesshoumaru didn't know was how he knew the attack. He could remember seeing it before, but the details of that memory were proving irritatingly elusive. Oddly, the only thing that kept coming to mind was the sound of music and the little song that Rin had made up and which she sometimes sang. The fact that he couldn't remember where he had seen the attack before made Sesshoumaru annoyed. The thought that Rin was connected to it in some way though… That made him very uneasy.
Although Sesshoumaru was outwardly calm, his two small companions were not. Jaken was visibly shaken and little Rin was doing her best to comfort him, despite her own anxiety. She had shifted as close to Sesshoumaru as she could, pulling Jaken with her so the three of them were together. As Jaken shivered, Rin leaned against him. She didn't talk. It was the most obvious sign of just how anxious she was. Her quick glances up at the youkai lord sitting at her side revealed where her anxiety lay. Rin was worried about Sesshoumaru.
She wasn't the only one. Kagura sat opposite them and she sent an occasional glance at Sesshoumaru herself. Apart from that, she seemed perfectly calm, if a little paler than usual. Her sister's response, or rather, lack of response, to the attack was obviously weighing heavily on her mind.
Although none of her inner turmoil showed on her face, Kagura was confused and seething. She didn't understand why Naraku had practically ordered Kanna to stay in the competition. He knew her abilities better than anyone. After all, he had created her! He must have known that she would be unable to defend herself without her mirror. Even Kagura had suspected as much, from her observations of Kanna in the past. Kanna's reaction to the news that she would not be allowed to use her mirror had merely confirmed those suspicions.
All in all, Kagura had never hated her 'father' more than at that particular moment. She hated him to the point that she refused to even sit opposite him. Actually, she would have liked to put even more distance between them, but they'd have to be in different countries before she was satisfied so she remained where she was. Inu-Yasha hadn't objected to her sitting only a few feet away from him and at least, with Sesshoumaru sitting opposite her, she had a decent view to look at.
Naraku sat at the end of the bench where Sesshoumaru was. He remained silent and still, apparently lost in thought. In reality, he was furious with Kanna for not even attempting to participate in the round. He ignored the little voice in the back of his mind that reminded him that it was his own fault that she had been unable to protect herself. The same little voice also pointed out that he had been the one to insist on her participation that round.
The evil half-youkai was also furious with his second daughter, Kagura. How dare she sit so close to that wretched half-dog-demon? He didn't like the swift glances he kept catching her giving to Sesshoumaru either. He'd suspected for quite some time that there was something there that he was missing, he was becoming surer of it by the moment. But, aside from ordering Kagura to move opposite him, there was nothing he could do about it. He would have ordered her, except that he was certain that she would not obey him and that would give the others far too much to think about. He didn't want any of them knowing how disobedient Kagura was. They might take it as a sign that she would prefer to be on their side or something.
All in all, this competition was proving to be more irritating than entertaining, as far as Naraku was concerned. Especially since he'd barely been able to keep out of the wretched chain's reach while the others had seemed to have no problem with it…
In the gloomy atmosphere time seemed to drag by and it seemed like forever before the door opened and the announcer and Judge entered the room. The announcer waited until he had everyone's attention and then spoke up.
"I'm sure you'll all be pleased to hear that Kouga and Kanna will both be fine. Kouga should wake up soon and his injuries are healing nicely under his own power. Kanna… isn't healing quite as fast but she should be awake by the end of today at the latest."
The tension in the room immediately lightened considerably. There were several sighs of relief from Inu-Yasha's group and Rin smiled. Kagura displayed no emotion, like Sesshoumaru and Naraku, but inwardly she was pleased at the news about her sister. Kanna got on her nerves sometimes with her quiet ways and constant obedience to Naraku, not to mention that whole Saimyoushou/mirror deal, but she was still her sister.
"Now then, the official results for round two are obvious, but I'll state them anyway. All the participants except for Kouga and Kanna, since they're both currently unconscious, have made it through to the next round!" The announcer consulted his clipboard for a moment.
"The next order of business is to give you the instructions for round three! Remember, if you don't think you can handle the challenge, you may pull out at any time. All right… this round will be a little different. So far, only your defensive abilities have been put to the test. Now it's time to test your attack power as well."
"Yes! About time!" Inu-Yasha laughed, looking extremely pleased. His friends grinned and shook their heads at him. Jaken blinked, Rin giggled and Sesshoumaru looked at his brother as though he was something that he had just wiped off the bottom of his boot. Kagura raised one eyebrow and smirked. Naraku remained emotionless. The announcer smiled wryly.
"So glad that you approve. As I was saying… This round is a bit different to what you've been doing so far. You will each face the Judge in an attack/defense test. The test will begin when you attack the Judge. You may each make only one attack, so I suggest that you make it a good one. The Judge will remain completely still, however he will be able to use his own abilities to defend himself against your attack. Depending on what you do and how he responds, his defense may also be his retaliation, or it could be completely different. Either way, you will need to defend yourself against his attack in any way that you can. You may use any natural ability or object that you possess. That includes your physical skills so you can simply jump out of the way, if you so wish." The announcer looked around to make sure that everyone was listening. He had their full attention.
"To get through to the next round, you merely need to survive. Your attack does not need to hit. In fact, it's extremely unlikely that it will. To ensure that the Judge remains uninjured, he will be using a barrier that extends only around himself. Anyone who attempts to break that barrier will be disqualified." The announcer gave Inu-Yasha and Naraku a very long, hard look. Inu-Yasha frowned slightly. Naraku merely looked bored.
"Uh… this barrier… my sword…" Inu-Yasha hesitated, not really wanting to reveal the full details in front of either Naraku or Sesshoumaru.
The Judge stepped forward. "It is my understanding that your sword generally breaks barriers such as mine only when you deliberately command it to. As long as you do not do that, it will hold against whatever you send against me."
"Great!" Inu-Yasha grinned. Now that was settled, he was really looking forward to this round!
"One last thing, is there anyone who wishes to withdraw from this round?"
"Are you kidding?" Inu-Yasha was practically bouncing in his excitement. "And miss this? No way!" His friends sighed, grinned and shook their heads. This was obviously something that they were very used to enduring from him.
"I will proceed," Sesshoumaru calmly confirmed as Kagura silently nodded in agreement.
"As will I." Naraku's voice held a note of impatience. All the rules and red tape were apparently starting to get on his nerves.
"Good. In that case, the next round will begin in a few minutes."
Although it didn't seem possible, the wild whistles, cheers, cries, screams, shouts and general craziness of the crowd seemed to almost double in volume the moment the four remaining competitors stepped onto the field. While Naraku and Sesshoumaru strode to their markers without so much at glancing at the crowd, Inu-Yasha and Kagura weren't so ill-mannered.
After a quick glance to make sure that Naraku wasn't looking, Kagura gave the audience a smile and a wave. She only intended it to be quick, but the roar of the crowd was intoxicating and she started enjoying herself. It wasn't until she heard Naraku snort in disgust and looked around that she realised she had reached her marker and both Naraku and Sesshoumaru were looking at her. Kagura ignored Naraku's glare, but she couldn't help but be embarrassed about being caught out by Sesshoumaru. She was very relieved when he turned away.
Kagura couldn't resist watching the handsome youkai covertly for a moment more. She was startled at the look that suddenly passed across his face. It looked like he was having trouble deciding whether he should burst out laughing or kill someone. Kagura smirked and looked back towards the locker room, knowing whom she'd see. There was only one person who had that particular effect on Sesshoumaru. When she saw what Inu-Yasha was doing, she barely managed to restrain a laugh too.
Inu-Yasha was standing in the middle of the field showing off, as usual. In this case, he had Tetsusaiga out of its sheath and in full fang mode as he did a few warm-up swings. At least, they could have been warm-up swings, if anyone else had been doing them. Since Inu-Yasha wasn't known for that type of planning, he was definitely just showing off his very big sword.
Judging by the fact that the front two rows of fangirls had all fainted from delight, he was apparently doing a rather good job of it. A little too good actually. Every single fanyoukai in the arena was now struggling to get as close to the front as possible so they could get a better view. If there was one thing that fanyoukai loved above anything else, it was a cute guy with a massive sword. Of course, the resulting crowd made it very difficult for anyone else to see what was going on and cries of 'down in front!' and 'hey! do you mind? I was watching that!' started to rise over the cheering.
Sesshoumaru seethed. As usual, Inu-Yasha was not only acting like the immature pup that he was, but he was doing it in such a way that Sesshoumaru would look jealous if he stopped him. Not that he would ever be jealous of his little brother… half-brother, he mentally reminded himself… but the fans would definitely not be happy if he intervened. Not that he cared what any of them thought, of course, but he didn't want to have to fight his way out of a hoard of angry fangirls if he could help it.
Especially since he would probably have Rin with him at the time.
Sesshoumaru shuddered at the thought of fangirls seeing him with the child. Ever since arriving at this fangirl haven, he'd had very disturbing dreams about fangirls chasing him yelling out that he was fluffy and made such a cute daddy for such an adorable little girl. So far, he'd managed to keep that nightmare from becoming reality by keeping himself, Rin and Jaken locked in their hotel suite instead of looking around the rest of the competition, but Rin had pleaded to be allowed to watch the event today and he had reluctantly agreed. He had even more reluctantly agreed to take her and Jaken to the carnival being held in conjunction with the competition. They were supposed to be doing the whole 'tourist' thing that afternoon, after he won the competition, and that would be risky enough. Angering fangirls by pulling Inu-Yasha to his marker by his ears would not be in his best interests. No matter how tempting the idea was.
"Inu-Yasha… if you don't get to your marker in one minute, you will be disqualified for…" The announcer paused for a moment to consider and then grinned evilly, "inciting a riot!" He pointed to the stands where several battles had already broken out between fanyoukai trying to get closer to the sword-wielding cutie and youkai who thought the fanyoukai were ordinary fangirls and had decided to try to eat them in revenge for blocking their view. The fanyoukai appeared to be winning…
Inu-Yasha blinked up at the crowd and then grinned sheepishly at the announcer as he immediately bounded over to his marker; his sword slung casually over one shoulder. "Um… sorry about that."
"Well I should think so…" The announcer frowned at the still-battling crowd. "The third round of the… oh honestly!"
Very irritated at the fact that no one was paying him the slightest amount of attention as all eyes were on the battles in the stands, the announcer raised his hand towards the sky. A blaze of dark blue fire flickered around him for a moment before racing up his arm to form a ball of flickering dark blue energy that hovered above his fingertips. Suddenly, the ball blasted up into the air, where it exploded with a bang loud enough to make everyone in the stadium, especially those with extremely sensitive hearing, cover their ears and cringe. But that wasn't all. The clear blue sky suddenly became covered by menacing black clouds that shut out almost all the light, casting the stadium into a gloom almost as dark as night. The crowd went absolutely silent as everyone crept back to their seats, most of them giving the now smiling announcer nervous glances in the process.
"That's better." The announcer lazily waved one hand and the clouds faded away, returning the sky to normal and bathing the stadium in light again. A massive sigh of relief rose from the crowd. "Now then, as I was saying… The third round of the Youkai Strength Competition is about to commence!" He paused and blinked when not a sound came from the audience. The announcer sighed. "I've said all that I needed to say. You can go ahead and cheer and whatever now."
As the stadium erupted with applause, screams, cheers and everything else in-between, the announcer sighed and went back to what he did while he wasn't making announcements. Namely, making his plans for revenge on the dragon who had volunteered him for this particular job.
On the field, the Judge had paused, apparently trying to recover what hearing had been lost in the explosion, which had been much louder on the field than in the stands, owing to the way the magical barriers were set up. They were intended to keep stray blasts from the competitors from hitting the crowd. Because the explosion had been directly above the field though, they had also kept most of the sound in!
The Judge wasn't the only one who had been affected. Inu-Yasha was now lying flat out on the ground with his hands over his ears. Sesshoumaru had bowed his head so his hair covered his eyes, hiding his expression. Kagura was wincing as she gingerly rubbed her tapered ears and trembling slightly in pain. Naraku was the only one who didn't seem to be affected, but he was shooting a very nasty glare at the announcer so it must have been annoying to him, at the very least.
The Judge looked around at the four competitors and seemed to think for a moment before approaching Naraku, who was on the first marker again. "Would you like a moment more to recover from that auditory assault, or are you right to proceed with the test?"
Naraku scowled. "Of course I am ready! That was nothing for me!"
The Judge shrugged. "Very well then. As soon as I raise my hand, you may attack. Don't forget, you only get one shot, and then it's my turn."
Naraku sneered. "One shot is all I need." His eyes glittered with the anticipation of defeating his opponent.
The Judge sighed softly while moving into position. There was one in every contest…
As soon as the signal was given, Naraku's hands shot up and a massive blast of poisonous miasma burst out of him. It arced through the air and hit the Judge, engulfing him in toxic goo. Naraku sneered. No barrier could possibly withstand his attack! "Fufufu. I hope they have a spare judge."
He was still gloating when the miasma began to glow. Naraku gasped in horrified shock as his beautiful miasma was suddenly purified. It shone with an ethereal silvery-white light, sparkling like a massive crystal (bearing a striking resemblance to the Shikon no Tama) for a moment before the light suddenly shot out, aiming directly for Naraku. The startled half-youkai almost didn't get his barrier in place quickly enough to block it.
The light was so bright that everyone in the stadium had to look away as it covered Naraku's barrier. After a few moments, it faded. The crowd held their breath as they looked to see if Naraku had survived the attack. When they saw him standing on the field, apparently unharmed, the stands erupted with applause, screams and cheers!
Naraku forced himself to remain upright, although he barely kept himself from swaying. He was exhausted, and horrified at the strength of the Judge's attack. He glared at the Judge as the small figure calmly moved on to the next competitor. Naraku was shocked that he'd almost been defeated. His barrier had almost been overwhelmed! It had taken every ounce of his will to sustain it. If the Judge's attack had lasted a few moments longer… He gritted his teeth and comforted himself with the thought that the Judge must surely be just as exhausted as he was. That calm attitude and light step was just a front… Naraku was sure of it… well… almost sure… maybe… He glared at the Judge.
Inu-Yasha was back on his feet, but he was still rubbing his ears with a look of pain on his face. The Judge hesitated. "Are you all right to proceed or do you need a few moments? I could call for a rest period if you wish. That really was unacceptable behaviour. He should have taken the barrier spells into consideration. Needless to say I'll be taking him to task over the matter during the next break."
Inu-Yasha managed a smirk, although it wasn't as bright as it normally was. "Yeah, I wouldn't mind a shot at him too." He gave himself a shake and tilted his head as he considered. "I think I'm right. There's still a bit of an echo. But it won't stop me from using my sword. Let's do this!" This time his grin was genuine. The judge nodded and moved into position, then gave the signal.
"Kaze no Kizu!" With a determined look on his face, Inu-Yasha brought his shining sword smashing down on the ground in front of him. He put as much strength as he could into the blow and was pleased with the results. Three streaks of flaming red and gold energy burst out of the sword and across the field to the waiting Judge, leaving blazing trails of fire behind them. They all struck the Judge at the same time. There was a brilliant burst of light where they struck and then a massive explosion rocked the stadium!
Inu-Yasha covered his sensitive nose with the sleeve of his coat and coughed as he tried to peer through the smoke. "Uh… Judge? You okay?"
"I'm… fine…" The soft voice sounded more than a little strained and the words were immediately followed by a coughing fit.
A helpful breeze began to blow the smoke away. Inu-Yasha glanced at Kagura in surprise and she shrugged as she used her fan to manipulate the wind. "What? It's my turn next and I hate waiting, that's all."
"Feh. Whatever." Inu-Yasha shrugged back at her and went to check on the Judge, who was now lying on the ground about ten feet away from the position marker. "Sorry about that." He held out his hand and the Judge gratefully accepted the help.
"Not your fault. It was the same thing that happened with your little fox friend during the first round. My power sometimes reacts with other powers, but I can't tell what it will and won't react with until it actually happens. Apparently your sword's attack and that particular form of my barrier cause the reaction. That's handy to know." The Judge sounded more amused than anything else. "Now then… I still have to attack you…"
Inu-Yasha nodded and returned to his marker, relieved that he hadn't hurt the Judge. He was starting to like… Him? Her? He still wasn't sure. Either way, he was pleased that the Judge hadn't been hurt. Besides, killing the Judge would probably have earned him a disqualification…
After a moment's rest, the Judge raised both hands, crossed at the wrists with the palms facing outwards. The air in front of them began to glow and an orb of light appeared. As it began to shine more and more brightly, the atmosphere in the stadium grew tenser as everyone waiting with great anticipation to see what would happen. The Judge suddenly pushed the orb of light towards Inu-Yasha, and it shot forward almost faster than the eye could follow!
Inu Yasha gripped his sword tightly, but stood in his usual confident stance. He raised the sword and swung it as hard as he could just as the orb reached him. There was a brilliant flash of light as Inu-Yasha unleashed his sword's power and the energy of the youkai-fang sword swallowed up the orb with apparent ease. The only sign of the intense amount of energy that it had taken to get that result was Inu-Yasha's panting breaths afterwards. He dug the point of his sword into the ground and leaned on it slightly as he rested. "Good attack!"
The Judge chuckled and moved on to Kagura, coming to a halt just in front of her. "Are you recovered from the earlier explosion?" The Judge spoke very quietly.
Kagura nodded. "Yeah. My hearing's not as sensitive as a dog-youkai's." Her voice was just as quiet as the Judge's, and her eyes flickered to her left, where Sesshoumaru was still standing with his head bowed and his eyes hidden. He remained still and her eyes returned to the Judge, a slightly worried look flashing through them. The Judge nodded at her silent message.
"I'll send a medic along to the rest room after this round to check on him and Inu-Yasha. Naraku?"
"His hearing isn't anything special. It's worse than mine and I'm fine now." Kagura raised her voice a little. "I'm ready." The Judge nodded and moved to the appropriate marker to give the signal.
Kagura stood in her usual deceptively-relaxed pose. She held out one hand and expertly flipped her fan open, then moved it in graceful and precise motions to create and focus her attack. The powerful wind blades sliced through the air, moving swiftly towards their target. The Judge waited until the last possible moment before raising his hand.
A strange shimmer of vibrant green light filled the air between the small cloaked figure and the attacking blades, as if a curtain had been drawn. The wind blades hit the shimmering veil and it looked like they'd pass through it, but the veil began to twist around them, trapping them within its folds! Kagura blinked, stunned by the effectiveness of such a simple defense against her wind blades. "Oh… that Judge is good…" she muttered to herself. She tensed, preparing herself for the retaliation, but it still caught her by surprise.
The shimmering veil began to sparkle, as though green fire was crackling all over it. It began to untwist and as it did so, although the top remained still, the bottom began to billow out, exactly like a curtain caught in a strong breeze. There was no sign of Kagura's wind blades. The veil's movements became stronger until it was whipping around. Suddenly, the whole veil whipped up at once and the wind blades burst out of it and sped back towards Kagura!
With a gasp, Kagura started to raise her fan, but she hesitated in shock when she realised that the blades flying towards her were more than just her wind attack being reflected back at her. These blades were larger, faster and Kagura could sense the power coming from them in awesome quantities. They also shimmered with a faint light and Kagura realised that they were completely out of her control now that they were more than just wind!
Unable to use her fan as she'd intended, Kagura tried to jump out of the way instead, but she had hesitated a heartbeat too long. She managed to avoid two of the blades, but the third one caught her! It slashed across her hip and she cried out. Her attention distracted by the sudden pain, she was unable to miss being hit by the remaining two blades! One slashed her across the shoulder, but the fifth one caught her directly front on. As the crowds in the stands gasped in shock and horror, Kagura hit the ground hard! She didn't move.
Naraku scowled and turned away, clearly angry with Kagura for her failure. Inu-Yasha glared at his back before he bounded over to the fallen woman, scrunching up his nose against the smell of blood. The moment he saw the wound, he went still. His startled amber eyes looked up as the Judge knelt down beside him. "She's badly hurt." The Judge nodded and called for the medics. Kagura didn't stir as they carried her off the field.
In the stands, hoards of fanboys started making their way to the infirmary to try to comfort their fallen wind-princess. The fangirls and fanyoukai warned them not to bother since security around the infirmary was too tight, but they wouldn't listen. The fangirls, fanyoukai and general humans and youkai sighed at their stupidity and claimed the fanboys' forgotten buckets of popcorn. All eyes turned to the Judge as he crossed the field to Sesshoumaru.
"Sesshoumaru… Can you hear me at all?" The Judge's voice was soft, but there was a note of concern in it.
"Of course." Sesshoumaru's voice was ever so slightly tense and he didn't raise his head. "I am ready to proceed."
"No. You're not. Look at me." Startled, the youkai lord almost did so, before his head lowered even more. "I will stop this round here and now if you don't. I can disqualify you, if I feel the need to."
Sesshoumaru growled very softly. The fact that he growled at all confirmed that he did not like being bossed around at all. As if there'd ever been any doubt of that in anyone's mind… He reluctantly looked up, glaring at the Judge out of red-rimmed, pain-filled eyes. The Judge looked more closely, noticing how Sesshoumaru's facial stripes had become slightly more obvious. "Oh dear… you are in a bad way. Dratted announcer and his dratted Exploding Orb of Darkness. How bad is it?"
The youkai lord looked away, unhappy about having to admit to such a foolish weakness. "I can hear well enough to proceed with the contest."
The Judge thought for a moment before nodding. "Yes, the contest doesn't really require sensitive hearing, so it shouldn't put you at a disadvantage or anything. Watch for my signal, then attack and prepare to defend against my retaliation. All right?" Sesshoumaru silently nodded.
The crowd grew silent in anticipation of Sesshoumaru's turn, which really annoyed Inu-Yasha. They hadn't been quiet for him. What was so special about his older brother? Half-brother, he mentally corrected himself. He crossed his arms and glared at Sesshoumaru for a moment before he noticed something odd about his brother's eyes and facial stripes. Then it hit him.
Considering how painful the explosion had been for him, it must have been even more so for his brother! After all, his brother's hearing had always been far more sensitive than his, since Sesshoumaru was a full-youkai.
Inu-Yasha struggled for a moment against feeling anything resembling compassion for his brother, then sighed and gave in to the human side of his heart. On the bright side, if he did show his brother any concern at all, Sesshoumaru was sure to be extremely annoyed about it. Inu-Yasha smirked.
At the Judge's signal, Sesshoumaru drew Toukijin in a smooth motion that brought sighs and squeals from the fangirls (and fanyoukai) in the stands. Holding the sword straight out, Sesshoumaru summoned its incredible power. The blast of energy struck the Judge with enough force that, even with the barrier firmly in place, the Judge was pushed back several feet.
The blast crackled around the barrier, which began to glow brightly. Sesshoumaru kept up his attack, refusing to admit defeat, and the barrier glowed more intensely. Suddenly, there was a flash as the light enveloped the power from Sesshoumaru's sword, swallowing it in a single instant! Sesshoumaru blinked as his sword began to shake in his hand. He stopped the attack, but the power he had already sent out was also sucked in to what was now a small glowing orb hovering just in front of the Judge.
Suddenly the orb shot forward, moving faster than the eye could follow. Sesshoumaru met it head on, his sword crackling with energy as he slashed at the orb. The stands erupted with cheers as he cut it neatly in two, but then the cheers turned to horrified shouts as the power the orb had taken in was suddenly released, directly at Sesshoumaru!
The youkai lord jumped back; barely managing to avoid the power as it sped towards him. It came at him again, and again he dodged it, although his movements weren't quite as graceful or efficient as they had been during the previous round. By the third charge, the power was beginning to fade away and he was able to avoid it easily. When it faded completely, the crowd's wild cheers and shouts made the entire stadium tremble. The noise also covered Sesshoumaru's not-quite inaudible sigh of relief. That attack had been stronger than he had anticipated.
The announcer stepped up to the microphone and immediately the cheering crowds fell completely silent. The announcer blinked and looked rather disconcerted for a moment before speaking.
"That ends the third round of the Challenge! Once again, there will be a brief break and then round four will begin!"