Chapter 37: Battle in the Skies
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Bleach.
"It looks like Naraku just tapped into the full power of the Sacred Jewel." Kagome gasped in horror as clouds of shouki flowed from the monstrous spider, the shear size of the creature easily dwarfing the buildings of the Seretei as it continued to bear down upon the Shinigami.
"Just like five hundred years ago, only this time it seems he's stronger than before…" The former half-demon standing by her side rested one of his blades on surface of his left shoulder, his second hand tightening around the hilt of his other weapon. "In any case what we have to do this time isn't much different. As long as that bastard is around I'd say it's our duty to put him out of his misery."
Miroku turned away from the horrible sight in the sky as he began pondering the situation in the hopes of finding a solution to their current dilemma. "It appears that we are at a disadvantage with the enemy safely out of our reach."
The young priestess raised her bow and fired off a trio of shots, which immediately sought out her target. Two of the projectiles fell short and fizzled out before reaching the spider-like form, but the third merely bounced off of the creature's armored underbelly and dissipated on contact. A disappointed frown graced her features for a second, but the outcome had been partially expected considering how large their adversary had become.
Inuyasha snorted with contempt as he observed the phenomenon. "You just have to hit it harder!" he declared.
Kicking off of the ground, the former half-demon leapt into the air, gaining as high as he could muster before launching his attack. Clicking his blades against each other he sent a large twister towards the arachnid's body, making certain that he had completed the movement at the peak of his ascent. After a few seconds he began to lose altitude, landing back on the ground moments later, yet looking back up he saw that the attack had caused no visible damage to the spider.
"No use, huh?" the monk inquired with a puzzled expression. "Although I am no expert on the extent of your powers, I'm not sure that any of us may even have the capacity necessary to reach Naraku now. Flying is not possible within the Seretei due to the Seki Seki Stone, which surrounds the entire court."
"What do you mean by that? Are you saying that there's nothing that we can do to stop him now?" the younger of the two girls asked.
Although he shook his head, the new captain looked visibly worried. "The presence of the walls prevents any Shinigami from gathering spirit particles beneath our feet, so therefore we cannot take flight like we do in the world of the living while within the boundaries of the court." He stuck a thinking pose for a moment. "We will need to find an alternate method of flying if we are to have any chance of winning… Still, such a task is not easily accomplished without the proper techniques or equipment."
Sango looked nervous for a moment, but quickly worked to conceal her doubt. "I have an idea that might help, but it'll be risky considering how much attention we would attract by doing something like this."
"What are you going on about?" Inuyasha snapped irritably, a low growl escaping his lips as he rounded on the former demon slayer.
The girl standing beside him placed a hand on his shoulder, following up her gesture with a look of disapproval. "Calm down, this isn't the time to lose your temper."
"I was talking about Kirara…" the older girl spoke up as if she hadn't been interrupted. "I know it's probably not a good idea, but I'm not entirely sure that we have a choice right now considering that Shinigami can't fly within the Seretei."
No sooner has she said this then a loud growl echoed from the distance, the sound only impaired by the noises of the battling warriors. The members of the group watched in awe as the fire cat hovered through the air with the greatest of ease, attracting the attention of the surrounding people as she effortlessly soared though the air over the execution grounds where a fierce battle was still waging below.
Turning over in mid-air the creature placed her body into a dive, turning upwards just in time to make a graceful landing a few feet away from Kagome's group. While her friends seemed relatively unperturbed by the sudden appearance of the demon, some of Inuyasha's comrades from the Eleventh Division were noticeably concerned.
Sango extended a hand as she approached her old companion, giving the creature's head a firm stroke as she mounted it's back. Although it was strange, sometimes she wondered if Kirara was much more intelligent than an ordinary demon. It was true that the cat demon had never been capable of speech, yet for some strange reason she had appeared at the moment when they needed her assistance.
"What the hell is that thing?" the bald Third Seat of the questioned with a look of suspicion. "Can't say that I've ever seen a creature like that before."
The feminine Fifth Seat raised a feathered eyebrow in response to Kirara's sudden appearance, while the captain of the combat division seemed not to care at all.
Zaraki merely exhaled with a look of discontent as he turned and sent another squadron of soulless drones scattering with a single swing of his Zanpakuto. The waves of spirit energy unleashed by his attack proved far too much for those unfortunate enough to be hit, causing the monsters' bodies to break down and disintegrate on contact.
"What a pain in the ass…" Kenpachi groaned, seemingly unaware of the fire cat's presence. Since the new arrival appeared to be a companion of the group, he had little interest in what it could be and merely continued his own fight. Spinning to face more attackers, he destroyed a pair of enemies that had come within the striking distance, flattening the first with his foot as he effortlessly butchered the second.
His subordinates watched with interest for a moment or two before diverting their attention back towards the new creature. "What an interesting beast, yet extremely odd…" Yumichika chimed in with a puzzled expression.
"Weird how some people would say the same about you…" Inuyasha stepped forward protectively in the case that someone had an irrational reaction towards the beast standing behind him. "It's a friend of mine, and if either of you idiots has a problem with that then you'll answer to me."
"Oh please, like we would bother causing a fuss about your oversized pet." The Fifth Seat placed a finger to his cheek with an odd expression. He glanced over Inuyasha's shoulder to observe the other Shinigami who were still fighting. "We obviously have any number of more important things to attend to at the moment, wouldn't you agree?"
A loud explosion sounded as a large wave of black spirit energy soared over their heads, colliding violently with the monstrous beast floating in the sky. The eruption easily caught their attention as the entire group turned towards the source of the noise. Strange smoke filled the surrounding air for a moment or two, but the creature showed no outward signs that it had received any damage.
"What the hell was that?" the ill-tempered Fourth Seat thought out loud.
Miroku glanced around quickly. "It appears that someone else tried to attack Naraku's body, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to have been much more effective than Kagome's arrow."
Before they could respond, two figures shot through the air and landed a few feet away. Ichigo's bright orange hair stood out against the darkened environment, while the petite girl standing to his left merely inclined her head in a show of respect.
"Hey, you guys have any idea how we're going to stop that?" the Substitute Shinigami asked, glancing upwards for second to emphasize the point. "I tried using my Getsuga Tensho on it, but it seems that whatever that thing is can really take a hit and keep going."
Rukia Kuchiki nodded with a dour expression, the grip on her own weapon loosening. "It appears that launching attacks from a distance is ineffective against this enemy, but I'm not entirely sure if there's really anything else we can do in this situation."
"That's where you're wrong." Kagome gave the others a reassuring expression, which seemed much less effective than she had hoped. "We still have Kirara, and she can fly? I know she can't carry all of us, but at least we have a small chance, and that's definitely better than nothing."
Ichigo's normally serious expression changed into a smirk as he listened to her. Holding out his blade, he stabbed the end into the dirt at his feet with a confident sneer. "She's absolutely right… We'll win this no matter what happens, and that's a fact!"
"Count me in too!" Inuyasha replied with a smile of his own. "I'm not giving up until I'm dead… I never had and never will."
Miroku seemed relieved for a moment that they were still managing to stay in high spirits in the face of adversity, and followed up by launching a blast of lightning to neutralize a crowd of the enemy's armored drones. After dispatching the most immediate threats, he turned to his wife just in time to see her mounting Kirara. Although she motioned for him to do the same, he declined the offer with a polite gesture, silently considering an alternative.
"There's no time for arguing, just get on." She beckoned to the others, giving her companion's back a firm pat.
The former monk closed his eyes for a moment as if praying, but a familiar shape shot past him out of the corner of his eye, quickly catching his attention as the small breeze created by the back draft pushed back the edge of his captain's haori like a gust of wind.
Yoruichi Shihouin appeared standing amongst his friends seconds later, looking unusually serious as she took a moment to regain her breath. "Phew… I must still be out of shape to be so tired after that dash across the Seretei and back. Were I still in my prime I would have arrived sooner." She muttered to no one in particular.
"Hey Yoruichi, it's about time you caught up with the rest of us." Ichigo commented with a gruff smile. "Are Renji and the others coming too?"
The dark-skinned woman acknowledged that she had heard, but merely swept past him without so much as an answer. The young priestess had been seconds from mounting Kirara before the sudden appearance of her mysterious ally. She froze for a second upon the realization that the ex Shinigami was heading in her direction and quickly steadied herself as the older woman came to a sudden halt when they were a few feet apart.
Plunging her hands inside the grubby sack hanging loosely from the strap on her shoulder, the former Stealth Force Commander withdrew a metallic bow and a quiver holding a single arrow from the folds of the aged material.
Moving forward to meet her, Kagome accepted the new tools with an awkward expression. "Is this for me?" she asked timidly, silently realizing how thick-headed the question made her sound as soon as the words passed her lips.
"Well that would be the reason why I gave them to you." Although openly sarcastic, her blunt statement had a note of playfulness to it even though the latter was greatly overshadowed by the severity of the situation. "Consider these gifts a little present from Kisuke…"
Inuyasha shoved the members of his unit aside to get a closer look at what was going, cocking an eyebrow in confusion as he caught sight of the newly forged weapons resting in her arms. "Just why would Kagome need new weapons anyway? She already has that bow given to her by the Quincy boy, and what's the deal with handing her a single arrow anyway?"
"This all seems like a real waste of time when we should really be focusing on how exactly the rest of us are going to fly up there and fight that monster floating around in the sky." The orange-haired substitute added with impatience.
Rukia instinctively cupped a hand over his mouth, shooting her unruly friend a reprimanding expression as he took a few seconds to wriggle free. "After what we have been through, I highly doubt that Urahara would send help without due reason. I'm sure that those weapons he made for Kagome are no ordinary tools."
"Is there a greater purpose, Lady Shihouin?" Miroku interjected suddenly. "I would be lying to say that I am well acquainted with the many eccentricities of Kisuke Urahara, but knowing you I can imagine that this gift is something far more significant than it appears to be."
The former Captain of the Second Division merely nodded. "You would be correct if that is your assumption… That weapon I entrusted to the priestess was created a few days ago when we realized that the enemy forces were probably planning to make their move. Naturally he felt that it was necessary to take some precautions on the off chance that the Sacred Jewel would return to this world in the hands of those who would use it for evil. It is now apparent from the current dilemma that he was wise to prepare."
The young archer held up her new bow with a nervous expression, thoroughly observing the item again as she noted the metal craftsmanship. "Wait a minute… Do you mean to tell me that this bow and arrow has the ability to destroy the Sacred Jewel forever?"
"How is that possible?" Inuyasha wore an impatient expression, but his eyes displayed a sense of disbelief at the very thought.
The former Shinigami folded her arms and paused for a moment as she contemplated on how she would properly answer them. "Admittedly that is yet to be seen, but the materials that were used to forge these weapons are the key to its true power." She turned again so that she was facing the priestess. "I would appreciate it if you would channel a miniscule amount of spirit energy into the arrow to demonstrate."
Kagome hesitated for a moment, but decided did as she was told largely out of curiosity. She felt awkward as the group's attention gravitated towards her, but the sensation only intensified as the arrow between her fingers began to emit an eerie red glow. The other's watched with fascination as the waves of spiritual energy surrounding them began to intensify, eventually forming a fiery aura that enveloped her entire body.
After a few moments of this she managed to gain control over her powers, her grip on the arrow loosening slightly as she relaxed her reiatsu. Temporarily at a loss for words, the young priestess waited in silence for a few moments as the aura surrounding her body began to dissipate into the surrounding air.
"So what the hell does this mean?" Inuyasha commented bluntly, having recovered from the initial fascination.
Sango glanced around in the hopes that someone would provide an answer, but did not voice her own concern as the others displayed similar reactions. Ignoring the presence of the others, she immediately turned to her husband for an answer, but he shrugged off the gesture with an equally confused expression.
Having been rather surprised by this strange phenomenon, Miroku looked rather curious. He stroked his chin once before speaking up. "I assume you plan to explain?" he addressed himself to fallen head of the Shihouin Clan.
"As the situation stands I can only give you a quick explanation of what will happen, but it's probably a good idea if I provide some background information first." She said calmly.
"Hurry up, we don't have time for this…" the former dog hanyou replied irritably.
Despite the blunt manner in which he usually spoke, many of the others present appeared to agree with his approach. The orange-haired substitute scratched the back of his head impatiently while Rukia Kuchiki's eyes began darting back and forth nervously. They pair of Shinigami watched the expanding poison with a wary gaze before returning their attention to the conversation.
Yoruichi took a deep breath before speaking up again, her golden orbs scanning the group for a second or two. Exhaling deeply she let out a weary sigh, signs of her great age surfacing for an instant on her youthful face, but the moment passed rather quickly. "That bow and arrow was made so that only the priestess can use it, and the key material used to forge it were the shards of the shattered Sokyoku."
"Did you just say that the Sokyoku was shattered? Who could have possibly broken a weapon rumored to possess the destructive strength of one million Zanpakuto?" Sango replied.
"I heard that carrot top over there was the one who did it, but he had some help." Inuyasha replied, sticking a thumb over his shoulder to indicate the Substitute Shinigami.
The bald third seat of the Eleventh Division nodded in agreement, wearing a thorny expression. "I guess it's not that surprising considering that Ichigo also defeated me and Captain Zaraki… Even so, the kid's fighting style is a little bit sloppy sometimes."
Despite having left her post centuries ago, the former demon slayer gave off a sense of bewilderment. Having been a lieutenant of the Eighth Division, she had once witnessed an execution alongside her captain. It had been a beautiful sight to behold, yet the unsealing of the legendary halberd was terrifying at the same time, and the phoenix fire released withered everything that it came into contact with.
The lecherous monk noticed her expression, but proceeded to observe the intense spiritual pressure coming from the orange-haired Shinigami. He eyed the boy with an appraising look, but quickly pushed the thought aside for now.
Advancing on the former Commander of the Punishment Corps, Miroku decided to inquire further. "Even if that weapon you gave Kagome is composed of shards of the Sokyoku, how can you be sure that it is capable of destroying the Shikon Jewel?"
"Time of the essence, but since an this next bit of information is important I will do my best to make it quick…" Yoruichi answered. "Having studied the origins of that accursed jewel, Kisuke already knew that it was created by the warring souls of the ancient priestess Midoroku and a demonic entity."
Inuyasha folded his arms and sighed with exasperation. "We understand that much, but how exactly does that relate to the Sokyoku shards?"
"Souls follow the cycle of transmigration between the Soul Society and the world of the living, so he compared this with the cycle of destruction and rebirth that the Sacred Jewel followed for centuries after its creation. He deduced that if that cursed object was really composed of spirits, then there was a distinct possibility that it could be completely destroyed like any ordinary soul. Before it was broken, the Sokyoku was used as the ultimate punishment to execute prisoners by completely evaporating their weakened souls with an intense thermal disruption caused by the unsealed weapon." She explained.
"Wait a moment…" A dawning realization hit Miroku like a falling stone. "So by forging a new weapon from the remains of the Sokyoku and infusing the arrow with its power, you must plan for Kagome to evaporate the jewel into a state of nonexistence."
The dark-skinned woman nodded in acknowledgement. "That is what we hope, but it seems that this task has become all the more difficult now that the enemy's power has grown exponentially. Even if the priestess is to engage him head-on, it might still be difficult to get a clear shot of the Shikon Jewel."
"That's where we come in!" Inuyasha declared with a note of excitement. "I'm not sure about carrot-top and his friends, but the rest of us are more than willing to get this over with and send that bastard Naraku to Hell!"
Ichigo merely nodded in agreement before wrenching his cleaver-like blade from the cloth wrappings on his back. "Count me in too…"
The small woman standing to his right glanced up at him and smiled reassuringly. "If he's going to get involved someone has to keep him in line so it may as well be me as usual."
Although he prepared to retaliate, the substitute quickly found himself facing off down a group of approaching enemies quickly stole his attention away from the conversation. Shielding Rukia from an oncoming attack with the end of his sword, he fired off a gigantic blast of spirit energy into the mob of attackers, scattering the drones in different direction as the force of the impact tore through them like a gigantic knife.
Leaping over her partner's form, the raven-haired Shinigami sliced through an enemy's midsection with her blade, landing a powerful kick to the monster's head as a distraction so that she could fire off a Kido Spell. "Hado 31… Shakkohou!" she shouted, firing off multiple spells, which immediately incinerated their targets on contact.
All seemed quiet as the group fell silent again, but things were about to take a turn for the worst, as they soon discovered that the battle was far from over. A loud groaning noise issued from above their heads as the gigantic spider launched into action. Seconds later, the gargantuan fangs protruding from the monster's face opened wide, releasing a large amount of miasma which immediately descended towards the ground below.
"Damn it! Look up there!" Miroku beckoned to the others with a slightly panicked expression.
To the horror of those who watched, the smoke shifted aside moments later to a newly spawned legion of Naraku's puppets, all of which were armed and ready for battle. Most of the Shinigami present displayed hesitation in the face of this new threat, many of which were thoroughly exhausted from the previous bouts against the first army or still in the midst of fighting off the previous fighting force.
"My numbers are endless… I cannot be defeated!" Naraku's voice erupted from the mouth of the towering arachnid. "You have fought well Shinigami, but the rule of the Thirteen Court Guard Companies has come to an end."
"The spirit of our military forces will not be shattered by the meaningless prattle of an degenerate monster!" Yamamoto's fierce tone echoed loudly throughout the Seretei, reaching the ears of all who were present. "This court has stood proud for countless millennia against all odds, and it will take more than the actions of an insolent child like you to destroy that which stands for the true justice!"
With that said, the Soul Society's soldiers counterattacked with renewed vigor. Whether it be the implication set down by the commander general or the power of his words, the combined forces of the army appeared to have returned at full strength. Raising their weapons into the air they clashed with the enemy lines once again, forcing the ghastly specters to defend themselves as waves of attacking Shinigami began cutting them down once again.
The old monk felt comfort knowing that the Soul Society's military forces were far from giving up, but the clouds of poisonous gas raging above the battlefield had grown again, only this time it seemed to be dropping more of Naraku's mindless soldiers into the battlefield like rain from the sky. The strange part was that the enemy creatures were only appearing around them, almost as if the villainous fiend was concentrating his attention on their group in particular.
Inuyasha moved to protect his beloved, but the number of enemies within his line of vision was simply overwhelming. He released a few whirlwinds to stave off the enemy troops, turning around just in time to another group closing in around Kagome. Unable to hold them back she closed her eyes for a moment, but before either of them could make a move to stop them, a gigantic surge of power leveled their attackers into the dust.
She looked up to meet the intimidating sight of Kenpachi Zaraki, who stood against the enemy lines with his back turned to them. The former half-demon blinked in surprise before finding his voice. "C… captain Zaraki… …"
"You really are stupid, aren't you? Allowing yourself to be distracted like that in the middle of a fight… Pathetic!" He observed them for a moment before turning his gaze back towards the battle, swinging his sword out menacingly with an unreadable expression. "Get moving you'll only get in my way!"
The ill-tempered Fourth Seat opened his mouth to speak, but was quickly silenced as he felt his captain's spiritual pressure rising again. "That's not a request!" Zaraki reiterated his point.
Kagome was shocked again to see how silenced her beloved was in the presence of his commanding officer, but was promptly whisked off of her feet before she could verbalize her thoughts. "Get on my back and hold on as tight as you can!" he ordered.
Sensing the air of authority behind his words, she decided that it was best to cooperate. Shifting into the proper position, she wrapped her arms around his body and tightened her grip around his midsection. She silently wondered exactly what he was planning to do, but in a few moments she was going to regret the fact that she had not voiced these concerns.
Once he was sure that she would be safe, Inuyasha jammed the hilts of his dual blades together, forcibly bonding them back into a single weapon. After a short pause, he channeled his reiatsu into the blade, releasing a large draft of wind that immediately began surrounding his body like a fierce whirlwind. The windy currents shifted and swirled, eventually shrinking down so that they were surrounding the area around his feet.
Kicking off of the ground, he leapt into the air with blinding agility, his ascent slowing as he reached a particular level of altitude. The girl on his back only tightened her grip as she felt his speed increase, struggling to keep her eyes open as they took to the skies. She glanced around nervously as they came to a halt, silently confused that they had not begun to descend.
For a moment the priestess felt her teeth sinking into her lower lip. "I thought that Shinigami couldn't fly inside of the court walls?" she questioned warily.
"I'm using my Zanpakuto's special ability to manipulate the wind beneath my feet." He responded. His toughened expression was slowly replaced by a look of reassurance as he realized how the distance from the ground was affecting her. "Don't worry… I won't let you fall."
Once she had gotten over the shock, Kagome exhaled deeply and felt her nerves relax. It had been awhile, but back in the feudal era she had occasionally flew to heights just as dangerous while riding on Kirara's back. Even clinging onto Inuyasha during travel had been frightening at times due to his enhanced speed and agility, but thinking back she realized that her trust in her friends had never once failed before. They would never allow anything bad to happen as long as she was with them, and she had grown stronger since those days of reliance. Bearing these thoughts in mind, Kagome felt her fears slip away instantaneously.
Seeing their friends taking flight, Sango leapt onto the back of her demon companion, gesturing for Miroku to follow after them. He broke into a quick run and landed softly on Kirara with a graceful flip, his arms instinctively wrapping themselves around his wife's body.
Before she could give the command to the fire cat, the former demon slayer felt a familiar hand groping her butt. "This isn't the time for that!" she snapped indignantly.
"My apologies…" Miroku replied stroking the back of his head nervously as he spoke. "It's just been far too long since we've spent any amount of time together that I was beginning to lose my restraint. A five-century duration is much longer when you don't have the people you care about to spend it with."
Although she had shouted, the small burst of frustration didn't seem to reach her eyes, and after a second her expression softened considerably. Even though she had not seen him in years, they were still married as far as she was concerned. Nevertheless things were far too hectic right now to spend time dwelling on her personal relationships.
"Come on, Kirara! Let's get going!" she beckoned her old companion.
The fire cat's ears perked up as soon as she had received the order, a small growl escaping from her mouth. After bracing her feet against the ground, the flying demon leapt into the air to follow the rest of their group, taking to the skies with amazing speed. Kirara let out a mighty roar as they soared through the air, the fiery rings around her legs flaring up as she soared to even greater heights.
They quickly caught up to Inuyasha, who had already begun moving in to begin the assault on Naraku's arachnid form. "Are you guys ready for this fight?" he questioned his friends with a look of anticipation.
"As ready as we'll ever be…" Sango replied with a confident expression. Reaching up she used her finger to straighten her glasses and urged the demon cat to fly faster by calling out her name once again.
Taken aback by this sudden increase in velocity, Miroku found himself glancing towards the ground with a twinge of fear. Despite having ridden on Kirara countless times during his mortal life, it had seemed like forever since then and he hadn't completely grown accustomed to it again. Needless to say that he now preferred flying of his own accord during his career as a Shinigami, but from the look on her face it seemed that Sango was rather unfazed.
As the group drew closer to their target, the gargantuan beast opened its filthy maw once again. Although the voice of their nemesis did not emerge this time, his seemingly unlimited supply of poisonous gases spewed forth from the within, surrounding the spider-like form in a bank of noxious haze.
Pausing mid-flight they began backing away from the clouds of miasma, but the billowing smog dissipated by itself after several seconds, revealing yet another nuisance to them. What appeared to be dozens of figures now blocked the way between them and Naraku's main body, but these looked nothing like the weakling specters that they had fought back on the ground.
The new set of attackers seemed vaguely humanoid in shape, but each of them wore a thick white fur over their bodies in the style of a large cloak. Their faces were also concealed from view by helmets resembling the heads of baboons, giving them a similar appearance to Naraku's original form that they had initially seen years ago. The demon puppets levitated in an eerie manner, remaining in a wide protective line around their master's body as if they were nothing more than a mere extension of his will.
"It looks like that bastard is using some of his old tricks to slow us down." Inuyasha commented with an indifferent glance. "Too bad it won't be enough to stop us this time…"
Miroku stroked his chin inquisitively, his gaze lingering on the formation of enemies for a moment of two. "It's odd how they don't seem content on attacking us right away, or else they would have moved in for the kill by now. It seems like he's only trying to delay us from moving in until the Commander General can no longer stop the spread of the jewel's power…"
The former dog hanyou merely spat towards the ground. "Either way it makes no difference to me what he's up too. As far as I'm concerned, it's all the more reason for us to make this fight as quick as possible."
"He's right!" the former demon slayer commented boldly. "From our own experiences in the feudal era, I would imagine that these demon puppets are just as powerful as the ones we've fought before or stronger. I can't say it's going to be easy to break through Naraku's defenses if that is the case, but we have to try at least."
The newly appointed Shinigami Captain considered them for a moment before turning towards the priestess who seemed to be contemplating the same thing. After receiving a small nod, he seemed to agree. "It would be unwise to act without a strategy, but there are times in life when you need to throw all caution to the wind and do what is right."
Without another moment of hesitation Sango urged the fire cat forward at full speed. Reaching into her sheath the fallen Shinigami instantly released her Zanpakuto, making sure to catch the second tool as her blade changed shaped and split into two separated tridents. Holding out one of her weapons, she produced a large jet of water, which collided forcefully with a few of the flying enemies, causing all demon puppets in the immediate facility to scatter like flies. Floating backwards to avoid destruction, the drones retaliated by spreading Naraku's deadly smog as they retreated.
"Howl Kamikaze!" Inuyasha declared. With a quick twirl of his dual-bladed sword, he generated and released a pair of small twisters infused with his spiritual energy.
The whirlwinds easily scattered the poison heading in their direction, but the sources of the toxins were not foiled. Darting around like a swarm of killer bees, the demon puppets quickly surrounded the group, tentacles shooting out from within to seize their prey.
Before they could complete the attack, a pair of arrows sent a few of them scattering again. Although they had successfully dodged her first strike, Kagome readied her weapon and tracked the enemy's movement with her eyes alone. Silently calculating approximately where they would stop, she firing off four more projectiles at the same time and destroyed all of her targets in a single twang of her bowstring.
The ill-tempered Shinigami smiled inwardly as he saw how precise her shots had become, an odd expression appearing on his face as he turned his head to get a better look at her. "Looks like all of that training really paid off… I guess that arrogant Quincy knew what he was doing after all."
She took a moment to fire another pair of arrows over his head before responding. "Thanks! It really means a lot to hear that from you." Caught mid-sentence, the couple turned their attention back towards another group flying drones heading in their direction.
The demon puppets sprang forward viciously to begin their assault, but were quickly contained by a giant ring of water created by Sango. The waves immediately surrounded the demon puppets as they formed walls of liquid, ensnaring them within. "Do it now!"
The monk sitting behind her raised his Shakujo and fired off a blast of lightning at the water prison she had created. The current passed through her trap and annihilated those monsters that were trapped inside, instantly disintegrating their synthetic bodies as the electric charge took its full affect.
The group took a moment of peace to regain their composure and rest, but they were soon forced to defend themselves as another wave of aerial attackers began to close in around them once more. They raised their weapons and began the battle anew… beads of sweat clinging to Inuyasha's face as he prepared to launch a counterattack.
He swore silently as they clashed with Naraku's demon puppets again, but his eyes moved towards the girl sitting on his back, effectively rekindling his motivation to get through this alive. It was difficult to maintain air currents powerful enough to keep him in the air while attacking at the same time, but they had already made it clear that giving up was no longer an option.
Meanwhile on the ground below, Ichigo Kurosaki and many of the others took a moment to watch as the war waged on in the skies. Although he hadn't said anything so far, the orange-haired teen was silently wishing that he could join them in what seemed to be the real battle. Turning back to his own fights, the boy raised his blade and cleaved the nearest enemy to pieces before moving onto the next, repeating the process over again in rapid succession as he placed his full efforts into the battle. "Hey Rukia, do you think they'll be all right?" he asked the girl fighting alongside him.
"One of them is a captain, the second a seated officer, and Ishida also expressed great faith in the girl's development and spiritual abilities." She responded rationally. "I am not sure about the last of them, but her reiatsu was rather impressive so I would naturally assume that she too is strong enough to hold her own."
Lifting her own sword, the petite Shinigami began clearing out as many specters as she could in an attempt to help her partner. They stood with their backs facing each other so that neither would be overwhelmed by the oncoming onslaught, each of them watching the other person's blind spots in a way to prevent themselves from being caught off guard.
"Dance… Sode no Shirayuki!" Rukia declared. Holding her sword up vertically, the chant immediately caused her blade to transform. A chill filled the surrounding air as a large ivory tag extended from the hilt of her released katana, glistening flakes of powdered snow lingering as she prepared to attack.
Taking a rather unique stance, she focused her own powers and seized the handle of her Zanpakuto with both hands. "Tsugi no Mai… Hakuren!" she shouted, thrusting the blade of her sword forward and releasing a wave of ice. The blast froze her attackers in their tracks, rendering them helpless to her powerful barrage of Kido.
Stepping away she added some distance between herself and the explosions caused by her barrage of spells. "Some no Mai, Tsukishiro!" she declared, creating a white circle around the next group of specters.
Unaware of what was about to happen, the creatures were caught of guard and instantly frozen to death on the spot as a gigantic column of ice shot forth from the circle, engulfing their bodies as they became trapped within the crystal. After a moment of waiting, the petite Shinigami relaxed her spiritual pressure and allowed their disintegrating forms to hit the ground.
Once she had cleared out the opposition within her own domain, Rukia felt back make contact with something. Even without looking, she could immediately tell it was Ichigo from his familiar scent and the sheer volume of his impressive spiritual presence.
He faced her with a slight grimace as they took a brief amount of time to rest from the constant legions of enemies flooding the battlefield. After a second they exchanged identical expressions of weariness, and immediately knew that both of them were thinking the exact same thing. With the flying monster above them constantly spawning more ghastly drones, it almost felt as though they were up against an unlimited number of paratroopers falling from the sky.
Shoving his partner aside, the orange-haired teenager destroyed an attacking specter with a few quick slashes as Rukia blasted another group with a few low level Kido in an attempt to slow them down. Waving her hand, she conjured a barrier spell to stop their progress long enough for Ichigo to finish them off with a blast of spiritual energy from his Zanpakuto.
"Damn it! If only we could do something to help Kagome stop that thing!" he shouted, gesturing towards the air with his left hand.
After destroying another group of soulless puppets, Rukia spared a quick glance at her disagreeable companion. "Unfortunately for us, we're stuck here trying to dispose of these endless creatures. Even if by some chance we could escape the fight on the ground, there's no way for us to fly within the Seretei."
Not wanting to give up, the male Shinigami seemed to be on the verge of bringing up the subject again, but a loud crash sounded off in the distance and drowned out his words. Looking around for the source of the eruption, he saw a gargantuan snake-like object ripping though the enemy lines like the waters of a raging river.
"Hey Ichigo, you've got some nerve starting the party without us?" a familiar voice rang out through the crowded battlefield. Renji Abarai appeared beside his two friends in an instant as he finished pulling out of a flash step. As if on cue a large explosion sent even more enemy soldiers scattering like insects, closely followed by Chad and the other two members of their little group.
"Sorry it took us so long, but we were taking care of some business for Yoruichi earlier and had to stay behind to deal with it." The Sixth Division lieutenant explained with a smirk. "It's ironic how we managed to wipe out the remnants of the enemy strike force just to arrive here and find the main army engaging what appears to be the entire Soul Society military."
The stubborn substitute seemed surprised, but relieved that they had managed to arrive safely. "Glad to see that you guys finally showed up."
"We don't have time for the pleasantries." Uryu Ishida straightened his glasses causing his eyes to flash dangerously. "We saw Higurashi-san and her friends flying towards that giant demon in the skies… I assume that whatever it is must be responsible for this threat."
"You're right about that, but I need to find a way up there to help them stop it." Ichigo replied with an anxious look.
Before he could say anything else, the young Shinigami felt a hand grasped his shoulder. Startled by the sudden provocation he quickly turned to face the possible threat only to find another familiar face behind him. The former Commander of the Stealth Force wore a serious expression that quickly gave way to her apparent amusement.
"You must be really riled up right now, Ichigo… I was actually going to give this to you earlier, but the sudden upsurge of the enemy's fighting power was a cause for immediate attention on my part." Yoruichi commented with a mysterious look. She became more serious after realizing that her witty nature only seemed to exacerbate his temper. Reaching into her equipment bag, she withdrew a large roll of material and draped it over his left arm.
The orange-haired youth looked down at the aged cloth for a moment before glaring back up at her. "And just what do you want me to do with this piece of crap?"
"My, you certainly are quite dense…" The dark-skinned woman closed her eyes and shook her head with a grim expression before unfolding the material with a quick pull. The brown mantle fanned out onto the ground, revealing a badge with the Shihouin crest engraved onto the surface of the metal.
"The flying cloak!" Ichigo observed in a hushed whisper.
Yoruichi waved his comment aside with a roll of her eyes. "I see you catch on fast… I highly recommend you use it now before everything we've done becomes meaningless. Head-Captain Yamamoto is currently expending all of his energy to contain the power of the jewel within this area, but even he will not be able to continue this for very much longer. If the Seretei falls, all hope will be lost…"
The Substitute Shinigami had already begun taking action before she had even finished speaking. Placing the large mantle over his standard black shihakusho, he flipped into the air with a well-placed display of Shunpo and took off into the skies like an oversized bird, the lower half of his cape flowing flapping behind him in a dramatic manner as they were caressed by the winds.
While the others continued to stare, the former Head of the Shihouin Clan whipped out a small wand from the inside of her sleeve. Tossed it into the air she caught it with her left hand and pulsed her spiritual pressure into the object as she tightened her grip around the handle. After a second, a small pair of wing-like shapes shot out from the sides of the scepter, quickly followed by an attachment that wrapped itself around her arm. The large protrusions that had appeared earlier expanded with a small creak as they pumped up and down like the wings of a bird.
Another second later she had joined Ichigo in the skies. "I'm heading out too, so the rest of you should just try to stay alive while we're gone." The dark-skinned woman replied quickly, and with that she was off.
Ishida merely bowed his head as if wishing he could join in the battle, but realized that right now it really wasn't his place to intervene any further. There was no way he could even hope to assist the others now that they had brought the battle into the air, and with no way of reaching the action he could really do much to assist them in any case. Right now all he could do was deal with the situation on the ground and hope that his first and only student made it out of this alive.
Thinking back to their lessons together, it seemed as though he may have had growing feelings for the young priestess. Looking at her now with her old lover, he silently realized that there really hadn't been much hope for such a relationship to begin with. Never before had he imagined that love could span through multiple lifetimes… It was almost like some kind of fairytale in the making, yet even with his limited knowledge of their relationship, something inside told him that they were destined to be.
To the surprise of his companions, the Quincy separated from the main group and glared up at his former rival with a deathly serious expression. He placed a hand to his mouth before calling out to the Substitute Shinigami. "Whatever happens you had better make sure that Kagome makes it out of this alive."
Before ascending any further he paused for a moment and turned to face his friends who had so far been watching him with intense fascination. "I intend to." Ichigo shouted back, before turning back towards his destination.
Rukia Kuchiki stared after him with a grim expression. "Please don't do anything stupid…" she muttered more to herself than anyone else.
After reaching the proper altitude he begin flying towards the giant spider with all the speed he could possibly muster, quickly catching sight of the airborne battle occurring over the heads of his companions. "Hey Yoruichi, do you see that?" he asked out loud.
"It appears that the priestess and her friends are currently engaging the enemy's aerial forces."
The dark-skinned fighter flew after him using her wand, easily catching up to her disagreeable charge seconds later. "From what we can see so far, it looks like this won't be as easy as we originally thought."
"Never mind that! All we need to worry about now is getting over there and helping them out." Tightening his grip on his Zanpakuto, Ichigo increased his own speed in an attempt to reach the battle waging ahead.
Once he was in range, the Substitute Shinigami fired off a Getsuga Tenshou from his weapon, decimating a swarm of aerial attackers that had begun to close in around him. It seemed that the enemy forces were splitting up to attack him separately, therefore diverting their attention from Kagome's group.
Ichigo picked up on this trend rather quickly as he noticed more demon puppets began to break away from the main defensive positions to attack him. Swinging his sword with remarkable precision, he began slicing through their numbers in an attempt to thin the ranks.
Yoruichi Shihouin thrust her foot into the head of a nearby drone, using her great physical strength and the leverage to push herself forward. "You guys need some help?" she shouted to the others once they were in earshot.
The former half-demon's ears perked up as he heard her voice, prompting him to look for the source. He easily caught sight of the reinforcements heading in their direction, but found himself distracted by their sudden appearance. "What! How the hell did those guys follow us up here anyway?"
Miroku took a second to observe them and seemed to understand. "They must be using talismans invented by the Shihouin Clan in order to fly within the boundaries of the Seretei. I heard rumors that such devices existed, but never once gave it much thought until now…"
"Never mind that! In case you haven't noticed, we have bigger problems right now." his wife snapped as she fired off a Kido spells in the direction of their assailants. "There doesn't seem to be any end to these things, what do you think we should do now?"
"We just have to work a little harder!" Inuyasha said aggressively.
Splitting his weapon into two swords, the ill-tempered Shinigami let loose a trio of powerful twisters powered by his spirit energy. After a moment, the wind began engulfing his targets and ripping their makeshift bodies to shreds, but a number of enemies scattered to safety only to be shot dead by Ichigo's Getsuga Tenshou blast.
More drones attempted to attack the rear of the group, but Kagome responded by releasing a flurry of arrows from her bow. Sensing that they were about to dodge, she fired off a few more shots to intercept them. Once they had been destroyed, the young priestess looked up from her spot on Inuyasha's back before assessing the situation for herself.
Thinking back to the last few minutes of fighting, she was hit with a sudden realization about the enemy fighters. "Everyone listen to me… I think I figured out the weakness of these flying demons. It seems like Naraku's puppets are unable to concentrate on more than one thing at any given time, which is why they have trouble dealing with multiple attacks!"
"I noticed that too…" Ichigo added. "They seem to have trouble dealing with too many targets at the same time, which is probably why the guy behind this mess is trying to overwhelm us with raw numbers."
Yoruichi seemed to agree as she went over the situation in her head. "If we continue mixing our attacks than there's a good chance we can break through the Naraku's defensive lines long enough to attack the main body. If we can do that much, than we might be able to finish this battle with minimal casualties to the Soul Society."
"All right, let's give it a shot…" Inuyasha replied with an indifferent shrug.
A murmur of agreement swept through he group as they prepared to resume the battle. Holding up his released Zanpakuto, the monk drew a handful of sutras from the inside of his captain's haori and tossed them into the air and sent another wave of lightning towards the army of mindless puppets. "Let's do this…"
Miroku took the opportunity to destroy the remaining demon puppets with his own attacks. Twirling his monk staff like a baton, he generated a gigantic ball of electrical energy by converting his spiritual powers into lightning and hurled it into the air. The sphere rose further into the sky until it was several meters above their heads before exploding in a magnificent flash, raining down bolts of electricity upon the enemy and destroying them all with a single attack.
The others watched in awe as his attack cleared the area of enemies, but were equally as shocked by what they saw next. Several more soulless drones descended from the clouds of poison above them and replaced their destroyed comrades… No matter what course of action they chose to take now, it was not going to be an easy fight.
A second later, Miroku saw something strange out of the corner of his eye. It almost seemed from the sudden shift of poisonous gases that a small shape had slid through the bank of smog surrounding Naraku, but now that he was looking directly at it he couldn't see anything at all. His face contorted with suspicion, as he was sure he had seen something there a moment ago, but it still didn't add up no matter how much he attempted to make sense of it all.
Shrugging off the moment as a trick of the lighting he turned back towards the fray to assist his friends, but the thought lingered in the back of his mind. Little did he know that he was about to receive an answer to his questions soon enough…
With Naraku
As the fierce airborne battle waged between Naraku's defensive forces and Kagome's friends, the giant spider housing Naraku's spirit sat in wait. Although the beast bore a malevolent appearance, it seemed perfectly content with sending out agents to seize control of the Seretei. Of course it really mattered very little in the long run, because either way they would all soon fall prey to the power of the Sacred Jewel. The Shinigami were resisting this ultimate fate by delaying the inevitable.
He was personally rather surprised that a Shinigami existed with the power to contain the Sacred Jewel's energies, but the fiery dome expanding over the skies of the Seretei would not last forever. Once the old general's flames disappeared, there would be nothing stopping him from spreading his Shouki throughout the entire Soul Society… It was as simple as that. Eventually he would travel to Earth to spread his rule, and even those willing to fight back would not prevail against the power of the jewel.
Naraku relished in these vindictive thoughts as he considered the situation that he had worked five centuries to create. All of his pieces had been sacrificed so that he would gain ultimate power. Yes the Izanai Clan's desire for power had been their own downfall, but now he would use the sacrifices done by those fools to further his own gain.
Even considering the flow of the battle brought him a certain degree of joy. The great walls of the Seki Seki Stone surrounding the Seretei prevented them from taking flight, so there were very few Shinigami left that were even capable of reaching him, and even if those who had come this far would never manage to penetrate the shields of miasma that he had created for protection against direct attacks. Furthermore, the jewel's power gave him an unlimited supply of soldiers, while the Soul Society's military forces would eventually be overwhelmed over time.
It seemed like the perfect plan for ultimate domination, yet the fact that Inuyasha's pathetic group had taken flight to stop him was preventing him from achieving complete peace of mind. It was almost laughable that they could stop him this time, yet for some odd reason he was unable to shake off any feelings of uneasiness. Insignificant as they were, it was them who originally defeated him all those centuries ago… It was almost as if fate were mocking him by uniting these same individuals against him and allowing them to retain memories of their past lives.
As these notions continued to plague his mind, the demonic villain sensed a disturbance nearby almost as if someone had penetrated his miasma wall. It felt as though someone was jabbing a blade into the back of the spider, yet due to the sheer size of his new body it seemed much less threatening as opposed to a real threat. Slowly he thought about this, but after pausing to wait he decided to investigate the situation personally to ensure that his plans came to pass by without any complications.
In a matter of moments a small section of skin on the arachnid's back formed a large lump, she slowly began to grow until it had reached human size. The flesh shifted and twitched a few times before a hand tore through the blemish, ripping through the skin from the inside like the leg of an insect escaping the its cocoon. Shortly after, the destroyed remains of the hairy encasement crumbled aside to reveal the human form of Naraku.
Although he still looked very much the same as he had before, his overall appearance had altered slightly. The villain's robes were tarnished and faded from his time inside of the spider body, and the upper half of his outfit had been torn, revealing his muscular upper body and giving him a more rugged appearance. Dark shadows hung below his eyes, and his entire body emanated with the tainted light of the impure sacred jewel. Despite having fully materialized in his original form, several tentacles still connected his humanoid body to the giant arachnid beneath his feet.
Naraku's eyelids cracked open in an eerie manner, revealing one of the most noticeable changes in appearance. His blood-red eyes were even more prominent framed against the rest of his ocular orb, which had turned completely yellow and was now heavily bloodshot. The difference in color gave him a much more primal demonic appearance, and seemed almost animalistic in comparison to the way he had looked before.
His eyes scanned the area for a second as if expecting something to happen. Anticipating the approach of an enemy with his enhanced senses, he reached out and seized the end of a sword that was moments from penetrating his heart. An evil smirk lit his face as a humanoid shape began to appear in front of him, the illusion peeling away to reveal the distorted form of Twelfth Division Captain, Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
The mad scientist scowled in anger for a moment before wrenching the end of his sword out of his enemy's grip, retreating backwards with a quick flash step. "I take it you are the one who possesses the Shikon Jewel! If you hand it over to me without struggle, I promise that I shall not prolong your suffering."
"I see that you bear the arrogance of your kind, Shinigami…" The former half-demon gave his adversary a rather amused grin. "Judging from your garb it seems that I am addressing one of the captains of the Thirteen Companies who preside over the court, yet I can't help but wonder how you managed to penetrate my defenses."
His opponent broke out into a session of vindictive laughter. "Did you honestly believe that such primitive poisons would be enough to repel me? It was child's play for me to make myself immune to that miasma once I obtained samples from your earlier attack on Captain Hitsugaya."
"I see… I'm still surprised that you managed to reach me." Naraku murmured with a look of mingled boredom and disgust.
"I merely used my inventions to take flight, hide my spiritual pressure, and turn invisible so that you would not sense my approach" The insane researcher sneered sickeningly. "Perhaps I overestimated your intelligence to believe that you would have heard of me, but since you don't know who I am, allow me to introduce myself. Head of Squad 12 and the president of the Soul Society's Department of Research and Development, Mayuri Kurotsuchi!"
Having grown bored with the conversation, the demonic villain extended his right arm and faced his open palm downward. The spider's back split open as the handle of a sword shot out of its back, the monster's body fluids still dripping from the blade as Naraku seized the hilt.
Smirking malevolently, he cleaned the blade with his own tongue and took a fighting stance. "I've already grown tired of this conversation, but you need not concern yourself with any more meaningless prattle. I plan to silence you forever, Shinigami…"
"If there's enough left of you to dissect when this is though, I plan to take you back to laboratory for some experimentation!" The scientist held his own Zanpakuto vertically with the hilt facing towards the section of the spider's back that he stood upon. "Since you have the jewel I shall no underestimate you. This may yet require a significant amount of effort on my part, but it will be worth the trouble once I collect the jewel and dissect your corpse."
The tentacles connecting Naraku's two separate bodies retracted as he finished transferring most of his consciousness into his human form. Once he was through, the demonic villain cocked an eyebrow in amusement. "You certainly are a strange sort of man…" he replied casually.
Kurotsuchi ignored his comment as he began channeling large amounts of spiritual energy into his katana. "Bankai… Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo!" he bellowed.
Deadly energies surged through his sword, transforming the blade into an entirely new form new form as his reiatsu exploded from the sheer power surrounding his body. A gigantic caterpillar wearing red robes, with head of a deformed baby emerged from the smoke and towered over them both. Although still small enough to rest on the back of the gargantuan spider like a miniature pet, Mayuri's Zanpakuto still boasted impressive size, being much larger than most of the buildings in the Seretei.
The former half-demon stood unflinching as his enemy prepared to attack, seeing the situation as the perfect opportunity to test out his newfound powers against a captain's Bankai. Giving the wrist of his sword hand a casual flick, the blade surrounded itself in a purple glow as clouds of miasma burst forth from the side of his weapon.
After a moment, the noxious mass moved forward like a striking predator and engulfed the captain's body in an attempt to suffocate him to death with deadly fumes, but Kurotsuchi merely cackled with glee as his Bankai shot forward to intercept the incoming poison. Opening its grotesque mouth, the deformed creature swallowed Naraku's attack whole and sent it back towards him by spitting the poison in the opposite direction.
Moving his sword into a horizontal stance, the villain easily reabsorbed his shouki by drawing it back towards the blade like a giant vacuum. "Very amusing how you managed to prepare for this battle ahead of time… I must say that it's something I would have done had our roles been reversed."
"Go get him!" the captain screeched wildly, his eyes hungry with a sense of bloodlust.
The monstrous creature reared up before charging towards Naraku at an increasingly rapid pace, spewing its own array of toxins as it drew closer to its target. The former half-demon leapt into the air to avoid the mutant Bankai's attack and used to shunpo to bypass the monster and attack its master.
Swinging his Zanpakuto, Naraku shot forward with incredible precision and sliced off the scientists arm before he even had a chance to react. Drawing back for another strike, he slashed the captain's torso with a well-placed cut and then aimed a third strike to behead his opponent.
Mayuri used his own mastery of flash-steps to avoid the final stroke, clumsily dodging the attack with a basic move. Pulling out of the movement he stumbled backwards with an angry scowl, a look of pure hatred flaring across his face. "You bastard… I'll kill you for this!"
The demonic villain turned around just in time to see the giant caterpillar heading back in his direction, forcing him to dodge the beast again. As his enemy dealt with his Zanpakuto's attacks, the captain reached into his robe and pulled out a small syringe, which he immediately stabbed into the place where his arm had been sliced off.
Naraku took a moment of watch as the scientist's arm grew back without any previous sign of injury, but the idea seemed to amuse him more than anything else. Leaping into the air to avoid another direct attack from his adversary's Bankai, he landed several meters away.
"It was a valiant effort, but you'd be surprised what kind of things you can discover through the power of science." Kurotsuchi stated with a note of superiority. The former half-demon merely reciprocated the expression worn by his fellow combatant, but the captain's expression changed in response. "Now you die!"
The keeper of the Sacred Jewel prepared to dodge again, but it was almost as if his attacker had completely vanished along with his Zanpakuto. A few second passed in eerie silence before his questioned were answered, but even he had not expected what was about to happen.
The effects of Mayuri's invisibility device wore off as the baby's head reappeared inches from him with its mouth wide open. After a second, the beast lashed out and devoured his entire form in a single chomp, its master's vindictive laughter echoing in his ears as the Bankai creature swallowed him whole!
Note to Readers: I know I was gone for a while, but I'm in college and I had a lot on my mind with final projects and final exams. I'm back now so I hope I can get back to writing more often again. Either was this chapter was particularly difficult to write in more ways then one. Sorry for cutting it off here, but I figured that a cliffhanger would be an excellent cutoff point. It makes it easier for me to start writing the next chapter, because I have an immediate prompt to go off of.
Please REVIEW, because it helps motivate me to get to work writing more chapters and thus update faster.