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.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: A very big thank you to everyone who's taken the time to review this! Again, a special thank you to Orlando-Bloom-fangirl, this time for the idea of security breaches at the infirmary ^_^ Oh, and Vorsith, don't worry, Naraku will pay for what he did to Sesshoumaru -_^
CONTENT NOTE: Fair warning, this chapter contains a very long, rather graphical, battle scene. And I do mean 'long'. It's a third of the whole story... ;^_^
Chapter 6: The Final Round
Inu Yasha hesitated outside the locker room, nervous about entering and seeing Jaken and the little human girl that had been collected by Sesshoumaru at some point. He really didn't want to see the little girl. He knew he'd be hearing her cries in his sleep for some time as it was and he had no trouble imagining the accusing look in her large eyes. He had injured her Sesshoumaru-sama… even though it hadn't been intentional. "Blast Naraku… I should have known he'd do something like that. I should have seen it coming!" Inu-Yasha punched the wall angrily, leaving a rather large hole in it.
"What did that poor wall ever do to you? Save your anger for the competition, Inu-Yasha. It isn't over yet." The half-youkai turned to look at the Judge in surprise. For a moment he'd forgotten that he wasn't alone. Then the Judge's words sank in and Inu-Yasha looked thoughtful.
"Hey, that's right. With Sesshoumaru out, it's down to me and Naraku. I think. Naraku got carried off the field too. I don't suppose…" He looked hopefully at the Judge. "Think you did enough damage to take him out of the contest, or am I going to get a go at him next round?"
"He was injured, but not seriously. The medics will have him patched up in no time, so I have no doubt that the next round will see his participation as well as yours. Now, in you go. You can't stand out here all day."
"Why not?" Inu-Yasha muttered softly. He really didn't want to face the others.
"They won't blame you. It was Naraku's trickery that caused this, and they all know it. Even the child." The Judge's voice was very soft, but Inu-Yasha could sense the sincerity in it. He nodded and went inside.
As soon as Inu-Yasha stepped into the room, Kagome threw herself at him. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and buried her face in his shirt. "Inu-Yasha!" Her voice was muffled, but he could tell by its shakiness that she was crying. Besides, her tears were soaking through his shirt. As his arms went around her, the bewildered boy looked around at the others.
"What's going on?"
Miroku was standing a few feet away. He was oddly pale and he looked Inu-Yasha up and down before sighing softly in relief. "Oh good, you are uninjured. We were concerned. We heard that two of the competitors were injured, but not which ones." On his shoulder, Shippo sighed in relief too.
Inu-Yasha frowned. "You weren't watching?" He was more than a little insulted.
Shippo shivered. "Too many fans out there…" He'd already been caught by them once that day. Miroku nodded sadly, glancing wistfully towards the door.
"Shippo didn't want to go out again so we stayed with him. Jaken and Rin went out though," he explained. "We heard the announcer say that two of the competitors were injured, but the crowd made so much noise at that point that we were unable to hear who they were."
"We knew Sesshoumaru was one of them when we heard Rin cry out. But we were afraid that you…" Sango stopped, unable to give voice to the terrible thoughts that had run through their minds in the past few minutes. She hugged the small cat-youkai in her arms a little more tightly but Kirara didn't seem to mind. She too was looking up at Inu-Yasha as though relieved that he was all right.
"Oh. No, I'm fine. Not even a scratch. In the second battle, Naraku aimed for me but he missed and then…" Inu-Yasha's eyes clouded as he relived the battle in his mind. He was so caught up in his memory that he didn't realise he had instinctively drawn Kagome even closer. She shifted in his hold but didn't pull away, sensing that he needed her.
"I attacked Naraku, but he used Sesshoumaru as a shield. I… I couldn't stop my attack from hitting him and… Sesshoumaru went down." Inu-Yasha could barely bring himself to say the words. He winced as his friends all gasped. "I know. I was an idiot. I should have known Naraku wouldn't play fairly. I should have expected him to do something evil." He waited for them to scold him.
"Oh, Inu-Yasha! It wasn't your fault!" Kagome hugged him even more tightly as Sango, Miroku and Shippo echoed her reassurance. She felt him shudder as his tension suddenly eased and her heart ached for him. She knew how much he would have been torturing himself over how they would react. He always did that. Especially when he was blaming himself for something. "It wasn't your fault," Kagome repeated softly. "It was Naraku's."
Inu-Yasha was about to reply when the door on the far side of the room burst open.
For a moment, as he stood with light shining from behind him and with a determined look on his face, it was one of the most impressive entrances Jaken had ever made. Then he tripped and fell into the room and the effect was ruined.
Jaken quickly scrambled to his feet and looked around wildly. As soon as he spotted Inu-Yasha, he ran over. "Inu-Yasha! You have to come with me! Right away!"
Inu-Yasha blinked down at the small toad-like youkai tugging with both hands on his sleeve. "Jaken? What's up? Why aren't you with…?" He tensed. "Has something happened? Sesshoumaru…?"
Jaken scowled up at him as he tried unsuccessfully to tug him to the door. "That's why I'm here! The security guards won't let anyone into the infirmary unless they're family! The fools say Rin and I don't count! They won't let us in to see Sesshoumaru-sama! You're his brother, so they'll only let us in if you say it's all right!" He suddenly collapsed at Inu-Yasha's feet, sobbing pitifully. "My poor Sesshoumaru-sama! He needs me and I can't go to him!" As he wailed, Inu-Yasha's sharp hearing caught a faint sound from the doorway. He looked up and tensed. Rin was standing there, her face tear-stained and her eyes so sad they would have melted even the coldest heart.
"All right! That's enough, Jaken! I get the idea! Come on then." He hauled the startled minion up by his belt, so he was dangling in the air, and turned to his friends. "I'll be back as soon as I get this sorted out. If the Judge and announcer come by, can you let them know what's going on?"
Kagome gave Inu-Yasha one last hug before stepping away. She nodded. "We will." He smiled at her and headed for the door, his smile fading as he drew closer to the small girl standing there. "Come on Rin. Let's go get you and Jaken in to see Sesshoumaru." She nodded, hope filling her eyes. As he strode down the hall, he could hear the quick pad of her little feet following him. The sound made him feel oddly protective of her and he couldn't help but wonder if that was the way his brother felt too, whenever he heard it.
The first thing Inu-Yasha noticed on reaching the infirmary was the large crowd of very large youkai standing barring the way. Since each of them was wearing a black zip-up jacket with a black on silver badge stating 'Security', they were obviously the guards Jaken had mentioned.
The second thing he noticed was the large pile of unconscious youkai, all wearing the same black jackets and security badges, lying on the floor just behind the row of guards. He blinked. "What happened to them?"
One of the security guards, a large ape-youkai, winced. "Security breaches. We've been having them all day. Most of the fans have been okay. They give us messages, flowers, chocolates, fruit, plushies, stuff like that, to give to their heroes and then they go away peacefully. Others… Well let's just say that some fans get very annoyed if someone tries to get between them and their idol…"
Inu-Yasha winced. "Yeah. I see that. Anyway, I'm…"
"Oh, yes, we all know who you are, sir. Please, go right in. Your brother is in the sixth room on the left. It's the second one around the corner and it's right before the one where all the noise is coming from. You can't miss it. Family only past this point though, I'm afraid," he added as he eyed the little girl peeking out from behind Inu-Yasha. Since it was a youkai competition she definitely wasn't related to anyone in the infirmary and his orders were clear.
Inu-Yasha blinked at the odd directions. "Um… thanks… Oh, they're with me." He nodded towards Rin and held up Jaken, who was still dangling by his belt in the half-youkai's grasp. "Sesshoumaru's minion and… um…" He looked at Rin for a moment before shrugging at the guard. "I have no idea what she is to my brother, but he'd definitely be annoyed if you didn't let her in to see him."
The guard winced and nodded. "That's good enough for me." He stepped aside and let them through. Some orders were made to be broken, especially when doing so meant that he wouldn't be killed by an annoyed youkai lord…
The infirmary turned out to be one long twisting corridor with doors all both sides of it. Most of the doors were open and Inu-Yasha could see into the rooms as they passed. Most seemed to have just an odd metal bed and a bedside table and uncomfortable-looking chair in them, although there was one that had a long table with chairs around it and another that had a very unfriendly looking woman in a prim white apron and cap sitting behind a desk marked 'Information'. Inu-Yasha held his breath and got past that room as quickly and quietly as possible, so she didn't see him. They had just passed the fourth door on the left and turned the corner when he stopped in surprise.
If the loud complaints that could now be heard weren't enough of a shock, the sight of the woman leaning against the wall beside the second door on the left definitely was. The voice from the room beside Sesshoumaru's was definitely Naraku's, while the woman…
"Kagura. Still alive, huh?" Inu-Yasha smirked.
"Sorry to disappoint you." Kagura smiled and lazily turned her head, but she moved more quickly to catch Rin as she ran past. "Whoa! Slow down, kid! You really don't want to go in there right now."
"What? Why not? What's going on? What are they doing to Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken tried to wriggle out of Inu-Yasha's grasp as his transport moved closer to Kagura.
Inu-Yasha's eyes were shadowed as he looked past Kagura at the door. "Are they healing him?"
"Not exactly." Kagura smirked. "He's being… tidied up for visitors."
"What?" Three sets of surprised eyes blinked at her and she laughed.
"They've been having a few problems with security. Some fans got in to Sesshoumaru and… they messed up his hair. The minute Yura saw it, she insisted on fixing it for him." Kagura shook her head. "Talk about obsessed… and I thought Naraku was bad with his insistence on wearing that awful baboon pelt…"
"Wait a minute… Yura? Yura of the Hair?" Inu-Yasha blinked. Yura had been one of the first youkai he and Kagome had defeated after the Shikon no Tama had been broken. She had eventually met her end when the comb protecting her soul had been shattered by Kagome and one of her arrows. For a moment Inu-Yasha was confused, but then he remembered something he'd been told earlier. Quite a few youkai had been brought from other times specifically to help out during the competition.
"Yeah. You know her?" Kagura looked curious.
"Kagome… uh… Yeah, we've met. Or will meet. Something like that. She's evil, anyway. She uses hair to manipulate people like puppets. She also likes to collect heads." Inu-Yasha eyed the door again, this time warily. As he recalled, Yura had been particularly intrigued by his hair…
Kagura looked thoughtful. "Well… that explains it."
Inu-Yasha blinked. "Explains what?"
"Her comments about how she'd have to go after his hair as soon as she was back in the Feudal Era. She really has a thing for hair, doesn't she? She keeps saying how soft and silky his is. That's why I'm out here. If she'd asked him what he used on it one more time, I was ready to burst out laughing. Considering how annoyed he was at the time, that would have been bad. I didn't particularly feel like being used as target practice for that sword of his."
It took Inu-Yasha a while to sift through all that information. Jaken however immediately latched on to one thing. "You were in there with Sesshoumaru-sama?" He glared at her.
Kagura shrugged. "Sure. Why not? It's not like they'll let me do much else around here. I've been wandering around since I was strong enough to get out of bed… which was about ten minutes after they brought me in here. Their healers are good… and fast!"
Inu-Yasha looked interested. "Seen any of the others?" Kagura nodded.
"I came across Kouga first. He was joking with his friends while a cute nurse fussed over him. Ayame, I think her name was. Anyway, he's fine but they won't let him leave. Something about their worrying that he'd try to interrupt the last round… I sat with Kanna for a while after that, but that was boring. They're keeping her in a bespelled sleep. Apparently there's some concern that Naraku might try to use her to cheat in the contest." She pulled a face, obviously agreeing, then smirked.
"Then they brought Sesshoumaru in and I thought I'd annoy him for a while. It was either that or visit Naraku. No choice, really. Although, from what I've been hearing from Naraku's room, it might have been almost as amusing. He and Jakotsu have been trading insults and very suggestive comments ever since I've been standing here. The insults are Naraku's, by the way. Although… I think Jakotsu's starting to wear Naraku down. He's started repeating himself." Her eyes gleamed with amusement.
"So, I was in with Sesshoumaru when the fans raided. Oh, that was educational, I must say! On top of quite a few other things that I'll be mentioning to him as frequently as possibly from now on, I never knew there were so many theories about that fluffy thing of his. I was talking to one of the security guards about it just before you got here. He said he's been hearing them all day."
Inu-Yasha looked interested. "Really? Like what?"
Kagura smirked. "Let's see… most say it's his tail, quite a number swear it's part of his armour, a few say it's a weapon, a few more say it's a mode of transport and some believe it's purely a fashion statement. A couple are convinced it was his father's and others are just as convinced it wasn't. There have been claims that it's the pelt of a great enemy, or a lot of not-so-great enemies, or even his father." Inu-Yasha blinked at that one. "There was also one group who begged to know the name of his tailor, since they'd been looking everywhere for an extra-large feather boa. There was even one guy who insisted it was armpit hair. Apparently he told the guard to pass along his congratulations on being able to grow it out of only one armpit."
As Inu-Yasha snickered, Kagura shook her head. "One of the fans who got in asked him about it. You know what Sesshoumaru said it was? His!" She and Inu-Yasha traded a look before they both burst into laughter.
Throughout the conversation, Jaken had been struggling to get free. For the last few minutes, he'd been whacking Inu-Yasha repeatedly with his staff. As soon as his laughter faded away to a few chuckles, Inu-Yasha lifted him up so they were eye to eye. "You wanted something?"
"Yes. Put me down! I want to see Sesshoumaru-sama! Sesshoumaru-sama needs me! Put me down, put me down, put me down!" As he cried out, he wriggled in agitation.
From the next room, a voice came clearly. "I really wish he would!"
Inu-Yasha scowled in the voice's direction, easily recognising Jakotsu's voice. "Fine! There!" As he dropped Jaken on the floor, the voice came again.
"Oh good!"
Kagura put her ear to the door of Sesshoumaru's room and looked thoughtful. "Well, I can't hear anything. She's either finally stopped praising his hair or he's killed her."
Inu-Yasha sighed. Since Kagome eventually killed Yura, she had probably just stopped talking. He could hope though. "Might as well get this over with," he muttered as Kagura pushed the door open.
"Sesshoumaru! You have visitors!" Kagura's grin faded as she got a good look at what was going on. She rushed into the room. "Get your hands off him!"
The dark haired female youkai, scantily clad even by youkai standards, jerked back with a guilty look on her face. "What? I was just… combing his hair…"
Kagura glared at her. "With that?" She pointed to the object in Yura's hands and the youkai girl smiled sheepishly and swiftly hid it behind her back.
"Um… It's not what you think…" As Kagura stalked towards her, Yura backed away. When there was nowhere left to run, her eyes darted nervously around in search of an escape route.
"I think you were about to use that sword in your hands to cut off his hair!" Kagura glared at her opponent and made a swift move towards her. Yura gasped and dove under the bed. Rolling to her feet on the other side, she sheathed her sword and headed for the door.
"Oh, I guess it is what you think… Gotta go… See you later, Sesshoumaru!"
Inu-Yasha pulled Rin and Jaken out of the way as Yura ran out the door and headed off down the hallway. The three peeked into the room in time to hear Kagura mumble, "In your dreams. That's the last time you get anywhere near him. There is no way you're getting his hair."
Jaken gasped when he saw the state Sesshoumaru was in. Yura had used her control over hair to bind him tightly to the bed so he couldn't move while she gave him her version of a haircut. He didn't look happy. When he saw Inu-Yasha peering at him, he looked even less happy. "Leave. Now."
"If he leaves now, you're going to be stuck like that. She's bound your swords to the bed too. Serves you right for insisting that they stay with you. Unless of course you trust your servant to use that staff of his… I suppose he might be able to do it without setting fire to you as well…" Kagura looked doubtfully at the hair, the bed and Jaken, who scowled up at her in response.
Sesshoumaru glared at her, then at Inu Yasha. He growled softly, but didn't say a word as Inu-Yasha, smirking the entire time, cut through the hair. When he was free, he was about to repeat his demand when he was distracted. Jaken had grabbed hold of his empty left sleeve and was sobbing into it. At the same time, Rin was trying to climb up on the bed on his right side. Sesshoumaru went very still as Inu-Yasha suddenly picked her up and put her on the bed, far more gently than the youkai lord would have thought possible for his normally heavy-handed younger brother.
Inu-Yasha's smirk softened into a genuine smile as he watched the small child snuggle into his brother's fur. He was still smiling as he met his brother's eyes. "I just came to get them past the guards. I'll mention what happened with Yura on my way out." He turned to leave. For some reason, the sight of Rin's reunion with Sesshoumaru had made him anxious to return to his friends.
"Inu-Yasha." The voice made him pause at the doorway, but he didn't turn around. "Defeat Naraku."
"I intend to."
The mood in the locker room was far lighter after the gang heard the news from the infirmary. Not only were they pleased that Kouga was fine, but Sesshoumaru and Naraku's predicaments had given them a few good chuckles too. When Naraku came through the door with a furious expression on his face, the group was hard pressed to keep from laughing out loud. As it was, their snickers made him glare at them.
Naraku was still mentally running through appropriate methods of torture for them when the door opened again, this time admitting the Judge and the announcer. They looked far more serious than the other times they'd come. Everyone immediately gave them their complete attention and the tension in the room was so thick that it was almost visible.
"Well… this is it. This next round will be the last in this competition." The announcer looked around the room. "Inu-Yasha and Naraku, you have both done well to get this far. For one of you though, this round will hold your defeat."
He studied the two. Inu-Yasha looked far more serious than usual. There was none of his earlier smug confidence. Naraku on the other hand… he was all arrogance as he leaned against one of the lockers with a smirk on his face. The announcer wasn't surprised by either reaction.
"I have to ask you, one last time, do either of you wish to concede defeat at this point?"
"Never." Inu-Yasha's voice was a low growl, filled with menace and hatred. The announcer blinked.
"I agree. I haven't come this far to back out now. Especially when victory is within my grasp." Naraku sneered at Inu-Yasha, but the look was wasted on him since he was refusing to look in Naraku's direction.
The announcer nodded. "Very well then. Here are your instructions for the final round. In this round, the two of you will face each other in battle. The only restriction is that you must both remain in the arena at all times. So, if you flee, you will be disqualified immediately. The barrier spells will remain in place, so that neither of you will be able to kill the other, however I must remind you both that these spells protect only against death. Severe injury is still possible." He eyed the two half-youkai. "In this case, I'd say it's more along the lines of being definitely probable. That's it. This contest has all come down to one battle. It will end when only one of you, the winner, remains conscious. Is that clear?"
Inu-Yasha nodded briefly. There was an odd stillness to the air around him, as though he was so tense and focused that he was drawing in energy from everything in his vicinity. His golden eyes gleamed with determination and seemed to be deeper in colour than usual. His gaze also seemed to be far more intense. There was something in his eyes that hinted at how long he had been waiting for this moment, and how much he was going to enjoy having a chance to go against Naraku.
Naraku had also tensed, but the first reaction in his eyes hadn't been pleasure. A flash of fear had flickered deep in his dark eyes as he heard the words he hadn't expected to hear. He had expected a one-on-one battle against the Judge, or even a two-on-one battle, but this… this was worrying. The little whelp had come close to destroying him on a couple of occasions. Naraku hid his concern behind a mask, smirking to disguise the sudden coldness trickling down his spine. Surely he wasn't actually… afraid? Him… afraid… of a pathetic little half-youkai pup with an oversized sword and an ego to match? Ha! Not likely!
Naraku's smirk became real as he reminded himself that this time would be different. This time Inu-Yasha would be facing him alone, instead of with all his friends! Together, the group was a problem. By himself… Inu-Yasha was nothing!
All of that took only a moment to run through his mind. It was a barely noticeable hesitation before he smirked and nodded to the announcer. "Perfectly clear."
The roar of the crowd shook the stadium with its force. Obviously all of the cheering, screaming, wild yelling, whistling, crying, caterwauling, fainting, squealing, applauding and expectation that had filled the stadium during the earlier rounds had merely been practice for this, the final round of the competition. The fans were all on the edges of their seats as they waited for the battle to begin.
Anyone who knew anything about the history between the two final competitors knew what a long-awaited match this was, on both sides. There was a long list of grievances against Naraku, and an even longer list of the people and youkai who wanted to see him defeated. Inu-Yasha and his friends all headed that list. On Naraku's side… he had hated Inu-Yasha ever since he had first learned about his existence. For fifty years he had believed himself rid of the half-dog-youkai, but that had proven to be only a temporary respite. Inu-Yasha had been hunting him ever since he had learned the truth behind what had happened on the day he had been sealed. Although this battle would not be the ultimate end that they both sought, it would still be the first time they had fought face to face in quite some time. They were both strong. They both knew each other's moves. This would be interesting.
Naraku stood at one side of the field, Inu-Yasha stood on the other. About 60 feet separated the two of them. The Judge stood with the announcer on the small stage up one end of the field, one hand in the air. At the signal, the final round of the Feudal Era Youkai Strength Challenge would begin.
A glow surrounded the Judge's hand and then shot up into the air, where it soundlessly exploded in a brilliant burst of light. As the Judge sat down to watch the final round, the announcer muttered, "Mine was larger," just loud enough for the Judge to hear him.
"Perhaps, but at least mine didn't half deafen everyone," the Judge muttered back.
The signal was still clear in the sky as Inu-Yasha drew his sword, Tetsusaiga, from its sheath and charged towards his enemy. His golden eyes gleamed with determination and Tetsusaiga pulsed. A crackle of energy passed along the blade. Where the energy passed, the fang blade turned as red as blood. In that form, the sword had the power to break any barrier, including Naraku's!
Naraku stood calmly as Inu-Yasha ran towards him. He had put the few minutes of waiting time to good use, formulating a plan that would leave the insolent puppy writhing on the ground in a matter of moments. Best of all, he wouldn't need to exert himself. Inu-Yasha was rushing headlong into his trap! Naraku knew he had to time it perfectly. Too early and Inu-Yasha might have time to stop his plan. Too late and he might be able to get his attack off. He had to strike at just the right moment…
Now!
Just as Inu-Yasha began to raise his sword into the air, tentacles whipped out from beneath Naraku's clothes, and wrapped around the boy! One tentacle held his arm so he couldn't complete his attack, the others wrapped around his body, squeezing him tightly so he could barely breathe and preventing him from moving. Naraku sneered at his captive as he moved in closer. "Inu-Yasha… did you honestly believe that you could defeat me without anything even remotely resembling a strategy? A frontal assault. How predictable. "
As he spoke, Naraku's eyes gleamed and his hair and clothes began to flutter as though tossed by a wild wind. He lazily held out one hand towards Inu-Yasha. The noxious miasma that was Naraku's trademark attack streamed from his fingertips, enveloping his captive. The half-youkai turned his head away, in an attempt to keep it out of his face at least a little, but the gas was everywhere. He coughed as smoke began to rise from his clothes. But that wasn't all Naraku did.
One of the tentacles that were wrapped around Inu-Yasha began to grow stingers almost three inches long! The barbs stuck into the captive boy, delivering their poison into his bloodstream wherever they pierced his skin. Naraku looked on in malicious glee as Inu-Yasha gasped in pain.
"I had expected more from you, Inu-Yasha. That was really quite pathetic of you. Even that little fox-child you associate with could do better than that. In fact, I'm sure that he will. I may not be able to kill you today, but now that I know how weak you are, I will come after you. Once you are dead, I will go after your friends, one by one. I think I'll make the kitsune my first target."
Fury flooded through Inu-Yasha at those words. Eyes ablaze his head whipped around so he was glaring at Naraku. When he spoke, his voice was a low snarl. "You'll have to get past me first."
He focused all of his energy into one action. His anger lent him the strength he needed. The tentacle holding his arm strained and suddenly snapped as Inu-Yasha broke free! As Naraku gasped in shock, his opponent brought the red blade of Tetsusaiga down in a smooth arc, delivering its attack! The blast shattered Naraku's barrier as if it was nothing but air, leaving Naraku shaken and vulnerable. But Inu-Yasha wasn't finished. His blade faded from red to its usual gleaming silvery-white and he brought it down again, and again, slashing through the tentacles that held him prisoner until they were nothing more than pieces lying on the ground around him.
Naraku sent more tentacles out, but Inu-Yasha destroyed them with a single swing. As Naraku sent even more out towards his opponent, he smiled an eerie smile. His expression did not go unnoticed though. Inu-Yasha caught a brief glimpse of it in-between attacks and wondered at the cause of Naraku's glee. He didn't pause to think about it, since there were more tentacles coming his way. Instead, he continued to destroy every tentacle that Naraku sent out, until there was a pile of pieces surrounding him.
Naraku's eyes flashed and the pieces lying on the ground suddenly rose up, obeying their master's will as they surrounded Inu-Yasha! They clung to him and his clothes began to smoke where they touched. As more and more pieces clung to the struggling boy, they began to merge together until they had formed a shell completely encasing him! Naraku's laughter echoed around the arena as the watching crowd gasped in horror, certain that the battle was over.
The shell suddenly shattered, light bursting from within it as the fragments of shell dissolved under the intense attack. Naraku gasped, his eyes widening in horror as the light headed straight for him! It struck him before he could make any move to defend himself and he was knocked down to the ground by its force. As he struggled to sit up, wincing at the pain his movements caused, a shadow fell over him. He looked up and barely managed to keep from shivering in sudden fear.
Inu-Yasha stood over him, his sword pointing straight at Naraku's chest. His top hung in tatters around him and he impatiently pulled the shredded fabric off completely, leaving his chest and abdomen bare and causing more than a few fangirls (and fanyoukai) in the audience to collapse in delight. He was panting and it was obvious that Naraku's attacks had done considerable damage to him. He was covered in blood from the wounds he had received from the poisoned barbs earlier, and there was a flush on his cheeks that signalled the start of the poison's effect on him. Despite all that though, he was still standing and more than willing to continue fighting.
"Did you really think that trick would get me? I've seen it before, remember. It's all over. Say goodbye, Naraku." He raised his sword.
Before Inu-Yasha could make his attack, Naraku threw out his hand and the air was suddenly thick with the noxious clouds of his miasma! As the poisonous fumes engulfed his opponent, the evil half-youkai sneered. "I'm not done yet."
The swirling clouds of miasma grew until they covered almost half of the arena. The crowd craned their necks, trying to see into the thick fog but it was no use. The moments passed and the crowd began to mutter amongst themselves, wondering what was going on. Their mutters turned into a roar of approval as a figure suddenly leaped out of the cloud!
Inu-Yasha landed and crouched down, his senses straining to detect Naraku's presence. He had to be in there somewhere; it was just a matter of finding him. The disgusting smell of the miasma made it difficult for him to concentrate though. It tickled his nose and caused him to feel faint. Not to mention that the stuff itself was making him cough. He also felt more than a little sick. Inu-Yasha cursed to himself. It wasn't just the miasma affecting him. The poison was starting to work its way through his bloodstream. He could feel it beginning to weaken him. This was not good.
He stood up and raised his sword. Time was no longer on his side. The longer the battle lasted, the more the poison would circulate and the weaker he'd get. He had to end this quickly! But before he could attack, he had to find…
A movement within the miasma caught his attention. A dark shape that the gas seemed to be swirling around instead of through. Inu-Yasha smiled and brought his sword down. "Kaze no Kizu!"
As his sword hit the ground in front of him, three blazing lines of energy struck out at their target. The powerful attack parted the miasma and Inu-Yasha gasped as he was finally able to make out the figure standing there. "No! Kagome!" It was far too late to stop the attack. Inu-Yasha sank to his knees as the blazing lines of energy converged on Kagome. He shuddered as he was forced to watch helplessly as the energy swallowed her up. He bowed his head, his ears ringing with her screams.
"Inu-Yasha! That wasn't me! I'm here! Inu-Yasha!"
His eyes snapped open and his head turned as her voice rang out across the arena. There! In the entry to the hallway that led to the locker room! Kagome was safe! She waved to him urgently, her face a mask of fear and worry. Inu-Yasha breathed a sigh of relief as he realised what Naraku had done. He had manipulated the miasma into a false image of Kagome… just because he could. Even in the middle of this battle, Naraku was still playing his evil little mind games. Rage burned in the boy's heart. For that, Naraku would pay. Dearly.
Inu-Yasha surged to his feet, his sword rising as the wind of the Kaze no Kizu whirled around it. Before he could complete his attack though, a tentacle whipped out of the miasma and caught his arm. As he struggled to break free, another tentacle caught him around the waist and tugged… hard. Inu-Yasha gasped as he was pulled back into the poisonous cloud!
As he struggled to breathe amid the noxious fumes, Inu-Yasha was vaguely aware of movement ahead. He gripped Tetsusaiga tightly, waiting for an opportunity to use it. Sooner or later, Naraku would make a mistake and he needed to be ready. When the massive form of Naraku in his full spider-youkai form loomed out of the miasma directly in front of him though, Inu-Yasha had a sudden moment of doubt. He wasn't worried about the size, he'd fought larger youkai and won, but he'd forgotten just how bad Naraku's breath was in that form…
Naraku sneered at his captive as his tentacles strung Inu-Yasha up in front of him, one holding each wrist and ankle in such a way that he was suspended in mid air. "What's wrong Inu-Yasha? You look so pale. Where is that strength of yours now? Surely a little poison wouldn't trouble you." He gave a malicious chuckle as he moved nearer. "Or perhaps, you're still upset over that little… incident… with Kagome earlier."
Inu-Yasha's golden eyes blazed as he jerked his head up. "Give it up Naraku. I know that was just an illusion. Even if you did catch Kagome, your miasma would never be able to hide her like that. She'd purify it in a heartbeat!" He winced as Naraku, infuriated over being reminded of the truth, slashed at him with one of his legs, causing a line of fiery pain to burn across his chest. Each of Naraku's legs was tipped with a poisonous talon sharp enough to cut down a tree. Inu-Yasha's skin was tougher than a human's, but it was no match for those talons. Still he managed a smirk. "Truth hurts, doesn't it?"
Naraku snarled and slashed at his overly-talkative captive again, creating a second cut alongside the first. "You more so than I. Keep talking Inu-Yasha. The more you annoy me, the more I'll strike." He suddenly smirked. "On second thought, don't bother. I don't need to be annoyed to strike you. I'll do it just for the fun of it!" His dark eyes gleamed with triumph as he slashed Inu-Yasha again, this time in a downward arc so the resulting cut ran from the boy's right shoulder down to near his left hip.
Inu-Yasha winced, but refused to give Naraku the satisfaction of hearing him cry out. Things were starting to look pretty bad though. He could feel the poison draining his strength and now that he was in the middle of the miasma, with poison in every laboured breath he took, it was working on him twice as rapidly! If he was going to get out of this, he needed to do something… fast! There was just one chance… if he could summon up enough strength to do it.
He closed his senses off, forcing himself to ignore everything that was going on, including the pain and Naraku's taunts and jeers. Focusing all his strength inward, he gathered as much power as he could and sent it into his sword. Tetsusaiga pulsed in his grasp and he felt the pull of the fang blade. It hungered for battle and Inu-Yasha was only too happy to oblige it. He tensed and summoned all of his strength, straining against the tentacle that bound his sword arm.
Naraku saw the boy struggling against his bonds and sneered. "You won't be able to…" He bit off his words with a gasp as Inu-Yasha made a sudden movement with his wrist, bringing the sword down just enough to slash the binding tentacle! His arm free, Inu-Yasha quickly finished the attack, his blazing eyes locked on Naraku's as the lines of power blazed out from the sword, with Naraku in their sights!
"Kaze no Kizu!"
There was barely a moment between Inu-Yasha's cry and the searing pain that struck Naraku right across his face. It was just enough time for Naraku to realise that he had severely misjudged this half-youkai brat. With the pain almost blinding him, he reacted instinctively. His miasma burst out, thickening the already dense fog as Naraku stumbled away. Normally he would have been making so much noise that Inu-Yasha could have easily located him, but his gamble paid off. Inu-Yasha was too busy escaping from the strength-stealing miasma to attack again.
The boy leaped out of the miasma for the second time in the battle. This time though, he was in far worse condition. He barely managed to land on his feet instead of crashing to the ground. As it was, he stumbled slightly from pain and exhaustion.
Turning to face the swirling clouds of poison again, Inu-Yasha released a harsh snarl as his eyes blazed. He'd come close that time. He'd done some damage. But close wasn't good enough! Naraku had the upper hand. With his miasma in place, all he had to do was stay hidden and he would win. Inu-Yasha knew it wouldn't be long before the poison would take the last of his strength. As soon as he fainted from it, Naraku would be declared the winner. He didn't even have to make another attack, not unless Inu-Yasha could work out a way of forcing him out into the open. Or of defeating him while he was hiding inside his poisonous fog.
Inu-Yasha glared at the clouds of miasma hovering over the field like a poisonous storm. There was more to the miasma than there seemed. It wasn't just poison. Naraku had made it more potent by adding some of his own power to it. There was so much power in the air it was making Inu-Yasha's skin tingle and he could even smell Naraku's energy swirling and moving within it. The boy went still as the thought crystallized in his mind. Then he began to smile.
Within the miasma, shadowy forms began to appear as Naraku spiced up the battle with a little mental cruelty. When Inu-Yasha tried to use his sword on them, they would reveal themselves as images of his friends. Naraku smirked as he waited for the impulsive half-youkai's attack. He frowned when it did not come. Surely Inu-Yasha hadn't already fainted from the poison?
Beyond the edge of the miasma cloud, Inu-Yasha didn't notice the shadows. He stood with his head bowed and his eyes closed as he focused all of his senses onto one task: finding the most explosive spot in the swirling power! His nose and ears twitched, but other than that he made no movement. He stood with both hands gripping his sword in front of him as the winds of the Kaze no Kizu wound around the blade. As soon as he knew where he needed to strike, he would be ready to do so!
Naraku smirked as he sensed the growing power of the impending attack. Believing himself safe within his miasma, he began to laugh. "Foolish pup. Do you really believe that your attack would do any damage from all the way over there? Even if you were able to find me, I would have more than enough time to avoid your attack before it could reach me!"
Inu-Yasha's eyes snapped open. He had hoped that Naraku's ego would compel him to speak and it had, giving away his location in the process! Once he knew where Naraku was, the rest was easy. He just needed to choose the most explosive spot in that direction! Inu-Yasha was smiling as he raised his sword and brought it down with a cry that made Naraku's smirk fade into a look of confused shock.
"Bakuryuuha!"
Tetsusaiga pulsed as it slashed through the air, then blazed with light as Inu-Yasha called forth the fang blade's ultimate attack. The crackling energy ripped through the air, striking the miasma. Instead of cutting through the poisonous cloud though, the energy began to absorb it! As it did so, it increased in strength and began to change, dividing and then forming into six massive wind twisters, each one energised with both the sword's power and the power that Naraku had put into his miasma! The twisters whirled rapidly through the fading clouds, draining the power in them as they went. Within moments they had drained away almost all of the miasma. There was nothing left but a faint haze over the field. Naraku was now clearly visible.
He tried to move out of the way, but there was nowhere he could go. The Bakuryuuha didn't rely on accurate aim, or even proximity to the target, to hit. Once Tetsusaiga struck the right place and ignited the blast, a general direction was enough, because the attack spanned a considerable area through its own nature. Between them, the six energy twisters were spread wide enough apart to make escape impossible. Once one of them hit Naraku, the others immediately converged on him. He tried to fight back, but the more power he used on them, the stronger they became! By the time he realised that the attack was turning his own power against him, it was too late. The twisters were already upon him.
One of the whirlwinds struck Naraku in the middle of his back, pinning him to the ground. It hit at the precise spot where his spider-shaped scar was. He cried out as agony seared through him, more intensely than it ever had before. The energy twisters were beginning to fade, but they were beyond Naraku's notice as he fell into the arms of oblivion.
The audience surged to their feet, the stadium thundering with their applause and shaking with their shouts and cheers as Naraku slumped unconscious to the ground. Inu-Yasha remained still for a long moment, holding his last attack position, while he watched his opponent for any signs of movement. Finally accepting that the battle really was over, he released his control over Tetsusaiga, allowing the blade to regain its usual battered form. He stuck its point into the ground and released a heavy sigh as he sank to his knees in exhaustion and pain.
The poison was now coursing through his body. Every breath was a struggle and his vision was beginning to blur. As he knelt on the field, Inu-Yasha could smell his blood and he knew it was falling to the grass around him from the wounds he had sustained. The poison was affecting his body's natural healing ability so the wounds were not closing on their own, as they should have been. He felt every ache and pain and he knew his wounds were serious, but not life-threatening. Now that the battle was over, he'd soon be fine. He might even celebrate. But first, there was one last thing he had to do.
Inu-Yasha pulled himself to his feet and looked over towards the stage where the Judge and announcer were. It took more of his remaining strength than he liked, but he raised one arm and waved. The announcer stepped up to the microphone.
"Ladies, Gentlemen, Youkai, Fans, Shikon-seeing Schoolgirls, Priestesses alive and undead, Glomp-willing Monks, Glomp-stopping Exterminators, Oblivious Wolf Leaders, Fluffy Youkai Lords and Minions of varying degrees of sarcasm, willingness, cuteness and intelligence. May I present the winner of the Feudal Era Youkai Strength Challenge… Inu-Yasha!"