Ch. 33- Kagome's Last Hope

Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi

"You're going to be a bit stubborn, I see," said Hiten. "Good...all the better for my amusement!"

"Keh!" Inuyasha scoffed. "Plenty of demons have said that to me, punk! And believe me when I say that none of them left this world thinking of me as 'amusing'!"

"Enough of this talk," Hiten said as he held up his Thunder Pike. "My thunderbolts will end this!"

He then sent a blast of lightning at Inuyasha, who gasped as he jumped out of the way, but Hiten soon gave chase after him, swinging his halberd at the half-demon and shooting lightning bolts at him.

"Either you block it, fully, half-demon," Hiten began, "or you die!"

"Rrgh!" Inuyasha grunted as he kept blocking the lightning bolts. "Dammit! Even one brush from that lightning and I'm a dead man!"

Not far away, Shippo watched from a safe distance, along with Myoga, who was sitting on the boy's shoulder.

"...I guess I'll just have to leave this up to Inuyasha," he said.

"Yes, indeed," Myoga nodded.

"Inuyasha!" cried Kagome as she sat in Manten's cloud.

"Eeheeheehee!" laughed Manten as he clapped his hands. "What joy, Hiten! Allow me to assist you, brother!" He then opened his mouth, preparing to shoot out a lightning blast.

"Hey!" Kagome shouted. "That's not fair, ganging up on him!" She then pushed Manten over, causing his lightning blast to hit the ground...and not long after, he fell over, making a small crater in the earth!

"I got him!" Kagome cheered...only for the cloud that Manten was riding to disappear. "Uh...uh-oh...!" She then plummeted to the ground, screaming her head off!

"Oh, no!" Inuyasha cried as he ran to help her. "Kagome!"

"Oh, no, you don't!" Hiten shouted as he attempted to hit Inuyasha with his Thunder Pike, but he blocked it with the Tetsusaiga. "Don't you dare turn your back on me!"

"Damn!" Inuyasha cursed. "Kagome! Just hang on, okay?! I'll be right there!"

"Hang on to what?!" Kagome questioned as she fell, only to bounce off of something and land on the ground on her rump. "Ow! Ugh...well...at least I landed on something soft...for a moment, anyway."

However, an impending sense of dread soon overcame her as she heard a deep growl behind her, causing her to whimper as she glanced back and saw Manten, glowering down at her with darkened eyes.

"How dare you...!" the Thunder Demon growled.

"AAAAAAAAH!" Kagome screamed as she ran away. "HE'S STILL ALIVE!"

"Hang on, Kagome!" Shippo called as he ran to her aid. "I'll save you!" He then pulled out a green and red toy top from his vest. "SMASHING TOP!"

He pulled the string away from the top, causing it to spin on Manten's crown. At first, it didn't seem to do anything...but then it started to grow in size to the point where Manten was completely pinned to the ground, yelling in pain.

"AAAAGH!" he cried. "W...what is this?! Get it off!"

"Kagome, quickly!" Shippo shouted. "Run away, while you can!"

"R-right!" Kagome answered as she hurried over to the young kit's side. "That was really impressive, Shippo!"

"Yeah, well...I have my moments, you know!" Shippo boasted as he ran alongside her.

"Don't let your guard down just yet, Kagome!" Myoga cried. "Demon fox magic is all about the art of deception!"

"Wait...deception?" Kagome repeated. "You mean...that top is...?!"

"It's just an illusion, meant to distract Manten until we get to a safer distance!" Myoga answered.

As soon as he said this, the top shrunk down to normal size and dropped to the ground.

"Huh?" Manten muttered in confusion. "It's just a mere toy! That little fox brat tricked me!"

But then, something fluttered off of Manten's head, causing him to gasp in horror...for it was the very last strand of his hair.

"...Uh-oh...!" Kagome squeaked. "Not again...!"

"No...no!" he cried. "MY HAAAAAAAAAAAIRR!"

On that, he started wildly shoot out blasts of thunder from his mouth, setting the whole mountain ablaze, and Kagome and Shippo could barely get away without getting singed!

"Where are you?!" Manten roared as he stomped about. "Show yourselves!"

Kagome panted as she and Shippo hid behind a rock, the latter whimpering as the former held him in her arms.

'What are we gonna do?' thought Kagome. 'If that maniac catches us, we're dead meat!' That's when she spotted the arrow that was still lodged in Manten's snout. 'Wait...that's it! If I can just get that arrow out of his nose, I can use it one last time!'

"Shippo," she said, causing the kit to look up at her. "Listen...I need you to help me, okay? I have an idea, but I need you to be brave! Understand?"

Shippo gaped up at Kagome, but then he put on a determined face and nodded his head.

"Right!" he said. "Just tell me what to do!"

"There you are!" Manten yelled as he opened his mouth.

"LOOK OUT!" Kagome shouted as she and Shippo dived out of the way of the lightning blast. Manten growled as he drew closer...and found Kagome, lying limp in the midst of the flames, causing him to chuckle in a sinister manner as he approached her.

"Well, well," he said. "I found you, my little morsel. Did you really think you could escape me?" He then picked Kagome up by her hair...but as he did, she suddenly opened her eyes, revealing them to be a turquoise color while her mouth upturned into a smirk, revealing sharp fangs hidden behind her lips.

"Hey there, baldy!" "Kagome" shouted before her hair grew longer, wrapping itself around Manten's arms. "Look what you can do with hair if you have it!"

"What?!" Manten questioned before he noticed the real Kagome running toward him. "Th-there are two of you?!"

"I'll take THIS, thank you!" Kagome shouted as she yanked the arrow out of Manten's nose.

"But then...who is...?!" Manten asked before he looked down to the other Kagome, whose hair began to turn an auburn-red. "Ah! The fox brat!"

"That's right, you scum!" shouted Shippo. "And now I'm going to finally avenge my Father!"

"Keep him there, Shippo!" Kagome shouted as she thrust the arrow toward Manten's forehead, right where the jewel shards were.

'If I can just drive the arrow into the jewel shards on his head, he's finished!'

Manten growled before he threw both Kagome and Shippo off of him, grabbing the former by the throat while he pinned the latter under his foot.

"Agh!" Kagome gagged. "L...let me go!"

"Hahahahaha!" laughed Manten. "I should have done this from the start!"

"Ugh...I...Inuyasha...!" Kagome cried. "Help...me!"

"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted as he turned in her direction, only to cry out in pain as he felt the blade of Hiten's Thunder Pike stab into his left shoulder!

"A bit distracted, are we?!" Hiten asked as he pushed Inuyasha back with a thunderbolt, sending him flying back for several feet. Not only that, but the force of the attack caused him to drop the Tetsusaiga, which reverted back into its rusted form!

"Ugh...dammit!" Inuyasha cursed as he held his bloody shoulder, while Hiten pointed his Thunder Pike right at his heart.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." said the Elder Thunder Brother. "I was really hoping for more of a challenge. You may talk as if you're a warrior...but you fight like a fool. Now then...how should I amuse myself? Perhaps I should rip out your limps, one at a time, starting with your fingers?"

Inuyasha growled as he held his wound, blood seeping onto his palm.

'I can't fight him if I can't concentrate...I gotta find a way to save Kagome, first, but how?!'

"Hahahahaha!" laughed Hiten. "Look here, Manten! It seems our little dog friend has lost his bark!"

"Aye, dear brother!" Manten concurred, mockingly as he continued to squeeze Kagome's neck.

"Ugh...!" Kagome gagged, feeling her windpipe slowly getting crushed.

"Heheheheh!" laughed Manten. "Has there been a lovelier sight than the face of a dying maiden?"

"Ugh...!" Shippo groaned as he got to his feet, then growled as he turned and lunged at Manten. "Let Kagome go, right now!"

"Silence, whelp!" Manten shouted as he smacked the young kitsune across the face, causing him to fall to the ground, rubbing his stinging cheek. "Hahahahaha! What torture for you, eh, fox boy?! Perhaps I should put you out of your misery and have you join your beloved father in death!" He patted the fox pelt around his waist. "Maybe I can make a nice little scarf out of your tail! Or maybe make earrings out of your toes!"

Shippo whimpered as he stared up at Manten, who went back to choking Kagome.

"Now...watch as I snap this girl's neck," he said, cruelly as he squeezed tighter and tighter, causing Kagome to gag before she opened her eyes to look at Shippo.

"Sh...Shippo...run...!" she choked out. "Run away...while you can...!"

Shippo gasped silently...but then he growled, viciously and bared his fangs as he glared at Manten, tears of anger welling up in his eyes. The Thunder Demon had continuously mocked the boy for his cowardice...killed his own father right in front of him...and now, he was about to kill Kagome, too. Well, not again...never again would he let someone die in front of him while he sat back, helplessly!

"NOOOOOOOO!" Shippo screamed as he dashed toward Manten. "I WON'T LET YOU KILL KAGOME!"

CHOMP! He bit down on Manten's throat as hard as he could.

"Well, what have we here?" asked Manten. "A tick?" He then grabbed Shippo by his head. "Well, what better way to kill it than by twisting off its head?!" He then began to tighten his grip on the kit's skull, causing him to grunt in pain, but he refused to let go.

"Sh...Shippo...let go...!" Kagome cried. "He'll kill you!"

"I...don't...care...!" Shippo cried as he opened one eye to look at her. "I...I already put you in danger in the first place...so how can I face my Father if I let you die before me?!"

"...Shippo...!" Kagome whispered.

"...Heh," Inuyasha smirked. "Well said, kid..."

"Yes, well said, indeed," said Hiten. "Too bad such words are wasted."

"...You know something, buddy?" asked Inuyasha. "I'm not the 'refined' type of guy...but even you make me sick to my stomach!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Hiten.

"It means this," Inuyasha said...holding up his bloodied fingers. "BLADES OF BLOOD!"

He swung his claws at Hiten, unleashing bloody blades of demonic energy, but the Elder Thunder Brother only blocked them with his Thunder Pike. While he was distracted, though, Inuyasha ran for the Tetsusaiga and grabbed it, causing it to turn into its Fang Form!

"...Yes," Hiten smirked. "This is much better!" He then charged at Inuyasha, who held up his sword.

"NOW!" he yelled as he threw the Tetsusaiga at Hiten, who dodged out of the way.

"Ha!" he laughed. "What kind of aim is that, half-breed?!"

"...Perfect," Inuyasha smirked.

"Huh?" Hiten muttered as he turned around...only to gasp in horror as he saw the giant blade going right toward his brother! "MANTEN! LOOK OUT!"

"Eh?" Manten asked...only to cry out in shock as the Tetsusaiga pierced through his back and out his chest!

"NOOOOOOOO!" Hiten screamed.

"Ugh...urrrgh...!" Manten groaned as he collapsed on the ground. As he did, the Tetsusaiga returned to its rusted form, again.

"The sword!" Kagome cried as she ran up and pulled it out of Manten's back. "I gotta get this back to Inuyasha, and quick!"

"Ugh..." Shippo groaned as Kagome held him in her arms. "F...Father..."

Kagome gasped before she looked down at the fox pelt sash around Manten's waist.

'Right! I can't leave his father's fur!'

She quickly untied the pelt from Manten's body, just as Hiten flew toward her!

"Kagome! Move!" Inuyasha called, causing Kagome to gasp as she tried to run out of the way, only for Hiten to strike at her with his Thunder Pike, causing her to be sent tumbling away before he dropped down to Manten's side.

"Manten!" Hiten cried as he helped him up to his knees. "Are you all right?!"

"Urrgh..." Manten gurgled, blood dripping from his mouth. "Hiten...they're gone...every last strand of my hair have fallen...and with them, my hopes of becoming happy..."

"Don't be foolish, Manten!" Hiten replied. "We can make it grow back!"

"It's no use kidding myself," said Manten. "I'll never have your beautiful hair. You were fortunate enough to inherit our Father's looks...but fate smote me. It was my unfortunate lot in life to resemble our homely Mother, with her receding hairline and decidedly reptilian countenance...how I longed for the looks of you and Father."

"Beauty isn't about what's on the outside!" Hiten exclaimed. "I wouldn't change a thing about you, little brother! I love every last bald inch of you!"

"Thank you...even if you don't mean it," Manten said. "Say a prayer for me when I am gone...pray that I will be reborn as a fuzzy caterpillar, covered in hair from head to furry toe...no, brother...who am I trying to kid? I'd rather be reborn bald again...I'd make that sacrifice if I could be reborn as your brother." He then looked up at his brother with a weak smile. "Wouldn't that be nice, Hiten?"

Hiten only smiled back at him...just as Manten gave a quiet sigh and fell limp, causing the former to gasp.

"M...Manten?" he asked, gently shaking his body. "No...no, Manten! Please, don't die!"

As for Kagome, she and Shippo were thankfully unharmed as Inuyasha ran to their aid.

"Kagome! You okay?!" he asked. "You're not hurt, are you?!"

"I...I think I'm all right," said Kagome before she looked around, only to gasp. "Wait! Where's the Tetsusaiga?! I had it in my hand!"

"How's Shippo?" asked Inuyasha.

"Huh?" Kagome muttered in confusion, but then gasped as she looked down to the unconscious kitsune child. "Shippo!"

"Ugh...K...Kagome?" Shippo asked as he opened his eyes. "Are you all right?"

"...I'm fine," Kagome smiled as she hugged him tightly. "Thank you for trying to save me...my hero."

Shippo smiled at her before looking at Inuyasha, who stared at him for a moment before he smirked and nodded his head in approval, causing him to smile back.

As for Hiten...he sat next to his younger brother's dead body as the thunder in the clouds began to rumble louder...as if resonating with his pain.

"...Manten...!" Hiten whispered as tears fell from his eyes...before he threw his head up to the dark heavens. "YOU WRETCHES! YOU SLAUGHTERED MY POOR BROTHER!" He then sobbed as he hugged Manten's dead body. "...My dear, Manten...!" He then sniffled as he gently rubbed his brother's bald head. "...Rest assured...we will finish the as one, my fallen brother!"

On that, he opened his mouth...and bit down on Manten's forehead as his eyes flashed red and a bolt of lightning cracked the sky.

I gotta admit...that moment between Hiten and Manten did make me tear up a little. It doesn't justify what they did, though. Just sayin'.

Review, please!