It's a miracle! I got another review! Thank you so much Mink! And I'm sorry about the confusion with all the characters (yes, I will admit, there are way too many characters in this story); I think it would be easier to follow if you at least have a basic knowledge of who the characters are before going into the story just because of a lot of the different quirks, tics, and relationships of the characters from the shows that are in here and are already supposed to be kind of understood (not to mention trying to memorize everyone's names, powers, roles, etc.). I will say, though, if you ever get a chance, you should try and catch Urusei Yatsura because it's an hilariously great show (and, ironically, not very much at all like this story actually, save for the characters used)! Still, you can't be Lum and Ataru! Anyway, thanks so much again - reviews are always appreciated (I'll even accept flaming at this rate, lo1!)
In other news, I'm moving this over to the Inuyasha board for the next chapter and am trying something different - that is, putting the chapter summary of the new chapter up rather than the general summary of the story; hopefully, it will entice more readers. As for the old summary, here it is:
"A Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, Inuyasha crossover alternate universe fantasy fic! The land of Rumi was cursed when the Eternal Goddess Lum mysteriously betrayed her people 100 years ago. Now, schoolgirl Shinobu, her teacher Godai, and the widow Kyoko..."
Well, here we go with chapter eleven! For all those reading (thanks to them, too!), I hope you enjoy!
Chapter Eleven: Battle Outside the Sacred Cave!
"What did you do that for?!" Ataru shouted angrily after the shock seized. "Here I come to save you and this is the thanks I get!"
But Lum's temper was still raging as a few more sparks flew from her. "How could you have given some woman the Sacred Jewel?! You idiot!"
"Well, how was I suppose to know it was going to cause all this trouble!" Ataru retorted.
"You…you idiot, Darling!" Lum cried once more, unable to think of anything more appropriate to call him. "You're so easily tempted!"
"It's not my fault! That woman was practically throwing herself at me!" Ataru argued.
"Darling!" Lum snarled furiously and proceeded to shock him once more.
After it ended and Ataru's hair was fried and his clothes and skin were covered in soot, he exclaimed, "Damn it, Lum! Will you quit doing that?!" Before Lum could argue any further, the roar of Saori came from outside and shook the cave. "The others!" Ataru gasped and then he and Lum quickly headed out to fight.
Sango and Kirara skidded once more onto the ground as the dragon's tale smashed into the cave and Saori let out a violent roar. "Oh, my beautiful Sacred Cave!" Megane cried, tears pouring down his face as he stared up in horror and the battered and beaten cave. Luckily for Sango, however, the last blow of the dragon had jostled her boomerang loose and it went falling down to the earth only a few yards beside her. As Saori went to attack once more, Sango darted for it, grabbed it, and hastily swung it toward the beast, the boomerang cutting across the dragon's face. As Saori shrieked and grew more angry, Sango caught her boomerang and mounted Kirara again, flying off as Saori began its next onslaught.
Kirara landed next to Miroku. Panting hard and already badly bruised and scraped up, Sango got off and said, "We can't do this for much longer, Miroku."
"I know," Miroku answered.
"If that damned Moroboshi would hurry up," Shutaro muttered and Shinobu frowned.
"It's coming back again!" Kyoko cried. Sango held up her boomerang while Miroku prepared his Wind Tunnel once more.
However, from the cave entrance came a large burst of light. The others, including the dragon, turned to see the green-haired goddess floating and immersed in shining golden light. Her face, however, was fierce and vengeful. And behind her stood Ataru Moroboshi, grinning victoriously and sneering at the dragon.
"Is that…the Eternal Goddess Lum?" Miroku asked in disbelief as Lum raised her hands, a bolt of lightning falling down from the clear sky and surging about her. She then thrust that same electrical energy toward the dragon without any sign of mercy.
Saori let out a scream and slowly it transformed from a dragon to a woman with long, dark green hair, who grimaced and held her arms up to block the powerful attack.
"A woman?" Yusaku asked in surprise.
Ataru, however, gasped and pointed directly at Saori. "That's the woman! The woman who took the Sacred Jewel!"
Lum's eyes widened, her concentration breaking, as she looked back to Ataru. "What?"
It was then that Saori saw her chance and threw a powerful surge of energy directly at Lum, sending Lum flying backwards. "Lum!" Ataru exclaimed, quickly kneeling over her as she groaned and laid on the ground. Meanwhile, Saori began marching over to the two, a murderous look in her eyes.
But Lum soon sat up and scowled furiously, unbeaten and more angry than before. "You're the one responsible for Shutaro's death and the destruction of Rumi's palace!" she accused vehemently before gasping when she noticed the black kanji written on Saori wrist. "'Guardian of the Prince…?'" she read aloud in a shocked whisper. However, she soon came to her senses, and seeing that Saori was ready to make another attack - this time fatal - quickly took hold of Ataru and flew rapidly upwards with him as a burst of energy went flying into the Sacred Cave, causing it to finally shatter and collapse in on itself.
"The cave!" Megane cried, still weeping and then looked to Lum in awe. "The Eternal Goddess Lum!"
Meanwhile, Ataru closed his eyes tightly as he clung to Lum, hanging onto her by the neck as they floated high above the ground. Lum then began throwing bolts of electricity at Saori.
Saori blocked them, smirked, and scoffed, "Is that the best you can do, Goddess? No wonder why you are so unworthy to remain here."
"Who are you?" Lum demanded. "Why do you have the symbol of the Guardian of the Prince?"
"Don't act stupid," Saori retorted smugly. "You already know who I am. You and your prince are a dying breed. Hell, your prince is already practically dead, anyway." She laughed cruelly and Lum let out a shrill growl before hurling more lightning at her.
However, Saori jumped up to where Lum was and threw a ball of black energy at her. Lum gasped as it smashed into her, sending both her and Ataru flying back and to the ground.
"No! Miss Lum!" Shutaro exclaimed before urgently turning to Shinobu. "Miss Shinobu, you have to save Miss Lum!"
Startled and confused, Shinobu tried her best to gain her senses and said, "Yes, right, Prince Shutaro!" But as she made her way toward Saori, Saori landed back on the ground and snapped her head back, send a powerful pulse of energy that shot both her and the other flying backwards. Saori smirked and then proceed to walk toward Lum.
"Darling! Darling, wake up!" Lum said, shaking Ataru as he groaned, slowly gaining consciousness. When she looked, however, she gasped when she noticed that Saori was upon her, a great amount of dark light pouring out of her and aimed directly at Lum.
Much to her surprise, someone swiftly came in between her and Saori, shouting, "Wind Scar!" with a powerful swing of his sword. A huge burst of energy and wind came forward and, although she tried her best to brace herself, Saori went flying back.
"Inuyasha!" Lum exclaimed, jumping to her feet as Ataru sat up.
"Inuyasha, you're alive!" Yusaku chimed in and Kyoko smiled in relief, her eyes glistening happily as she saw him.
"Yeah, no thanks to you," he retorted and Yusaku grimaced a bit. He then turned around and gave Lum a smile. "And don't you know I've always got your back, Lum?" he cockily asked.
"Did you find Soichiro?" Lum asked hopefully, eagerly clasping her hands together.
"Well, that gets kind of complicated, but we don't have time to talk about that now," Inuyasha told her. "Now, I've got to finish what I started." Then, with a wicked grin, he glared over at Saori, who was regaining her footing. "I knew you weren't any ordinary dragon." He then charged toward her.
A sword quickly formed in her hand and she successfully blocked Inuyasha's large sword from cutting through her. "Don't tell me you're out to avenge your girlfriend," she jested callously through clenched teeth as her sword held fast against Inuyasha's.
"What?" Inuyasha asked, also strained as he continued to bear his sword down on hers.
"Oh, that's right, she had already pinned you to a tree!" Saori exclaimed, shrilly cackling.
Inuyasha growled and narrowed his eyes. With a ferocious scream he pulled his Tetsusaiga away and swung it down at her, but she quickly jumped out of the way. "What did you do to Kikyo?"
"What does it matter?" Saori asked. "It's already been a hundred years; she would have been dead by now, anyway." She laughed again and Inuyasha became enraged, his hair turning white as two dog ears formed on him. He then charged for her.
"His hair really did turn white…" Yusaku trailed off, watching in disbelief and recalling what Kyoko had said a couple of days earlier.
Kyoko, meanwhile, turned to Miroku and said, "There must be something we can do! We have to help him!"
They then heard Inuyasha let out a painful scream and Kyoko gasped and turned around, her hair blowing behind her as she saw Saori's sword pierce through Inuyasha's shoulder. "No…"
"Damn it," Inuyasha grumbled, falling to his knees and spitting out a bit of blood. Meanwhile, Saori smirked in satisfaction.
"Stop it," Kyoko whispered, her voice growing louder as she kept repeating the words and walking toward where Inuyasha lay. "Stop it…stop it…stop it!" she finally cried, running in between both Saori and Inuyasha. She fell to the ground in front of Inuyasha, kneeling before Saori. Tears falling from her beautiful eyes, she pleaded, "Please, stop it. Don't hurt him. I'm begging you."
Saori snarled. "You must be Soichiro's wife," she said, face contorted with disgust. "A nuisance, really, but I'll soon remedy that." She then raised her sword and went to swing it at her throat.
Yusaku gasped and cried out, "Kyoko, no!" before leaping in between Kyoko and the sharp blade. The sword cut across his chest, slashing his shirt and the first few layers of his skin, blood spilling out onto the dirt and grass.
"Godai!" Kyoko cried, taking hold of Yusaku as he fell to his knees in shock, touching his chest and staring down at his blood-covered fingers in fear.
However, Inuyasha took this as his opportunity as Saori was taken off guard by this sudden rescue, hastily picking up the Tetsusaiga and jabbing it past Kyoko and Yusaku and right into Saori's gut. Saori shrieked and dropped her sword. She quickly pulled back, the sword yanking out of her flesh and staggered backward. She glowered furiously, eyes flaring with rage as she cupped one of her hands over her wound that gushed with blood.
She then looked up to see Lum flying in the air, her power level increased and electricity swarming all around her. Saori scoffed, disgusted with her inevitable defeat, and with a swing of her hand released a blinding light. She then transformed into the black crow, rapidly fleeing the battle as the others slowly gained their eyesight again.
"Is she gone?" Shinobu asked.
"I think so," Miroku replied.
Shinobu then looked to where Yusaku kneeled and cried out, "Oh, Mr. Godai!" She then ran up to him.
Meanwhile, Kyoko was urgently asking, "Godai, are you all right?" as the initial shock wore off and Yusaku was now bent over, wincing in pain as he held tightly to his wound.
Inuyasha scoffed bitterly as he stood up, his own deep wound in his shoulder still bleeding. "He'll be fine; it's just a shallow flesh wound. Jeez, suck it up, kid."
Yusaku frowned, but then found himself wincing again as the pain ensued.
"Wow, Mr. Godai, that was so brave!" Shinobu exclaimed. "You were like a knight-in-shining-armor, rescuing Miss Otonoshi like that."
Yusaku's face turned bright red as he stammered, "No, I…I mean, I was just…"
"Oh, no! Your face is turning all red!" Kyoko exclaimed. "Do you feel sick? Maybe you have a fever!"
"But don't you usually became pale when you start losing blood…" Shinobu pondered, placing a finger to her chin.
"No! That's not it!" Yusaku insisted, cheeks becoming an even brighter shade of scarlet while he tried to sit up straight. This just caused him to wince again and yelp again, clutching onto his chest in pain.
"Pathetic," Inuyasha muttered with a shake of his head.
Lum, meanwhile, floated down to the ground again, the light dying around her. "Are you all right, Inuyasha?"
"I should be fine," he told her, taking his Tetsusaiga and tossing it to his wounded arm. Swinging it with ease, he said, "Yep, I'll be all right."
"But tell me; what about Soichiro? Where is he?" Lum asked eagerly. She then looked to Kyoko, who was still kneeling on the ground. "You're…Kyoko - Soichiro's wife," she said, remembering what Saori had just said. Kyoko looked up at her a little worriedly as the powerful goddess gazed down at her with a certain wonder. "You're…you're so pretty," Lum replied still in a daze.
Kyoko then politely stood up and bowed her head. "I am very glad to meet you, Lum. Thank you for being such a good friend to my husband." She raised her eyes to meet Lum's. "I will try my best to help you as best as I can; whatever you need, please, ask. I want…I want to help; to fulfill my husband's duty to you since he is unable to now and because your friend, Oyuki, asked me to. And to thank you for taking care of Soichiro for all these years."
And Lum's eyes glistened and her heart broke as she suddenly realized what had happened to Soichiro.
"Almost done…" Miroku said as he wrapped up Yusaku's wound. "There we go; should be healed up in no time."
"Thanks," Yusaku said, placing a hand on the bandages and then winced.
"Well, it's going to hurt if you keep touching it," Miroku told him, standing up and walking over to where the others sat in front of the now demolished Sacred Cave. Yusaku frowned, hastily put on his shirt, despite the fact that it now had a big hole slashed through it, and scrambled to his feet to catch up with Miroku.
"I can't believe it," Lum said quietly as she sat, her eyes glistening with her shining tears. "First Shutaro…then Kikyo…now Soichiro." She placed a hand to her heart and closed her eyes in a quick, silent prayer. Opening her eyes again, she asked, "But how could Kikyo turn on me like that? Why?"
"She thought how everyone else thought," Inuyasha, who still had his white hair and dog ears, said. "That you were an imposter and responsible for the death of Prince Shutaro and the destruction of Rumi. You were the one who destroyed the Mendou Palace, weren't you?"
"Yes, but that was only to stop them from coming through! I had no choice, otherwise the curse on this land would have been much worse," Lum told them.
"Stop who?" Miroku asked, taking a seat.
Lum lowered her eyes and answered in a low voice, "The Demons of the Reverse World."
"Reverse World?" Inuyasha asked. "You mentioned that before."
"It's a world outside of Rumi - a place called Imur," Lum explained. "In a way, it is a reflection of our world here. Thousands of years ago, before I was born, my father sealed up the demons from Rumi and placed them in a parallel world from our own. That's why Rumi had been free of any demons and the Mendou Dynasty was able to prosper so much. But now…when the seal Kikyo and I placed on the barrier between the Reverse World was broken, the demons began breaking free of Imur. So I had no choice but to destroy the gate entirely - that is, the entire Mendou Palace."
"But who is Saori?" Shinobu asked. "And why does she have the same mark I do?"
"She's the Guardian for the Reverse Prince," Lum answered. "That is, the Prince of the Reverse World. Both she and the Reverse Prince wish to leave the dark world of Imur and come to Rumi to rule this world as they feel they are destined to as well as release their own Eternal Goddess, the Reverse Goddess of Imur - the woman Shutaro saw in the mirror. That's the reason why she hated him so much; because she felt that he had taken her rightful place in this world."
"But what about Amane?" Ataru asked. "He wouldn't have really killed Mendou."
"I'm sorry, Darling," Lum said. "I didn't want to tell you…"
Ataru grew angry. "But why would he do that?" he questioned. "He was Mendou's Guardian of the Prince."
"Because he was also chosen by the Reverse Goddess to be her High Priest, just as I chose Kikyo to be my High Priestess," Lum said. She then frowned and added, "At least…that's what he told me when I found him over Shutaro's body with his sword drawn…I don't know why Shutaro can't remember him; he must have stolen his memories somehow for some reason…"
"But just because he was chosen by this stupid Reverse Goddess didn't mean he had to…" Ataru trailed off, scowling and not wishing to finish.
"Hey! Will you two stop acting like I'm really dead?!" Shutaro exclaimed in frustration.
"Prince Shutaro's right!" Shinobu chimed in. "Prince Shutaro's right here and as soon as we find his body, he'll be back to new again!" She then frowned and asked, "Right?"
"He had only been dead for a few moments, and so his spirit still lingered. I used my horn to preserve his body so that his spirit could return to it," Lum explained. "And, now that you've accidentally become his Guardian of the Prince, it's your duty to bring him back. That's why you can see him - and why Amane still can. Because, as Guardian of the Prince, you are deeply linked to each other now - not just on a physical, but on a spiritual level."
Shinobu blushed. "Oh…right…deeply linked…" she awkwardly said, glancing at Shutaro with a frown. When he looked toward her, her eyes quickly darted to her lap and she felt her face grow hotter.
"But there's one thing I don't understand," Miroku began. "I understand that Ataru stealing the Sacred Jewel caused the destruction of the Mendou Palace and the releasing of the curse onto Rumi, but Ataru seems to have had nothing to do with Prince Shutaro's death. Wouldn't Amane have still killed Prince Shutaro, anyway, if he was obligated to the Reverse Goddess? But in Ataru's village, Prince Shutaro reigned for King for seventy-two years. Unless, of course, the barrier between Imur and Rumi never began to break to begin with. How did your father's barrier originally break in the first place? Did it just weaken over time?"
"I…I don't know, really," Lum answered in surprise.
"Hey! Are you trying to say that this whole thing is my fault?!" Ataru questioned. "Because I didn't break any stupid barrier."
"Not intentionally perhaps," Miroku remarked. "But you seem to have a knack of breaking through barriers - the heavens, time, and Soichiro's world."
"But what should we do now?" Sango intervened. "We've woken the Goddess Lum and these questions aren't helping any."
"I suppose next we should wake Prince Shutaro," Miroku said. "That is, if we can find his body and it hasn't been destroyed yet. Also, if we can find this Tenseiga…"
Inuyasha gasped. "What do you need the Tenseiga for?" he heatedly questioned with narrowed eyes.
"That's right," Miroku recalled. "According to Master Sakura, the Tetsusaiga is the sister sword of the Tenseiga…"
"Why do you need it?" Inuyasha reiterated, growing more irate than before.
"We need it to bring Prince Shutaro back to life," Shinobu answered. "That's what Master Sakura said. Do you know where it is? It's very important!"
"I…" Inuyasha trailed off.
But Lum stood up and interjected for him, saying, "It's with a man called Seisshomaru. I made the two swords - the Tetsusaiga was one of power and the Tenseiga was one of healing. I gave the Tetsusaiga to Inuyasha because I knew he was a loyal spirit of Rumi who would use the sword to defend others. I gave the Tenseiga to Seisshomaru so that he would have no choice but to use his sword for good."
"So this Seisshomaru is a bad guy?" Yusaku asked and then glumly hung his head. "Do we really need another bad guy…?"
"He's not a bad guy exactly," Lum clarified. "He's more…self-interested. Like a business man."
"Where is he?" Kyoko asked. "Do you know?"
"On the outskirts of the old capital of Rumi - a couple miles before the ruins begin," Lum answered.
"And what about Prince Shutaro's body?" Shinobu asked hopefully.
Lum closed her eyes and concentrated. She let out a small gasp as the fluttered back open. "His body has been brought to the Mendou Palace…well, what's left of it."
"Why would Amane bring it back there?" Ataru asked.
"I don't know, Darling," Lum answered. "Maybe he didn't have anywhere else to go."
"All right, then; so we know where we're heading," Miroku decided. "We'll first get this Tenseiga and then we'll go to the ruins of the Mendou Palace to find Prince Shutaro's body."
"But…the ruins?" Sango asked warily. "That place is dangerous; it's the most cursed part of Rumi."
"We have no choice, Sango," Miroku said. "Besides, we have the Goddess Lum to protect us."
Lum smiled weakly and said, "I'm afraid that I'm not as strong as I used to be; most of my strength has gone to preserving Prince Shutaro's body for the last hundred years."
"Stupid Mendou, ruining everything," Ataru muttered.
"What is that supposed to mean?!" Shutaro questioned defensively.
"Um…he still can't hear you…" Shinobu reminded Shutaro, but it was in vain.
Miroku, meanwhile, said, "The only question that truly remains is how are we going to reseal the barrier of the Reverse World for good?"
"We'd need to get the Sacred Jewel back," Lum replied. "But, even if we did, now that Kikyo's gone, no one will be able to use it. It's connected to her spirit. I'd have to find someone strong enough to make another jewel."
Inuyasha snarled bitterly. "I swear, I'm going to get that damn witch who killed Kikyo."
"Well, we can worry about the Sacred Jewel later," Miroku decided. "Right now, we should focus on resurrecting Prince Shutaro."
And the others nodded in agreement.