Finale: Turning the Tables
Yami squawked indignantly as he skittered back to Rin, running up her side to settle at the base of her neck. She gave the kagekyo a reassuring pat.
Pian stumbled out from the crevice that, hair disheveled and coated in dusty pebbles. "You will pay for that, you wretch." The runes on his arms appeared to shimmer, but perhaps that was just a trick of the light peeking over the horizon. "You might have the seal, but I have already gained enough pitiful human life to sustain the shield for long enough for me to have regained my strength."
Rin surveyed their surroundings stealthily; she could sense Sesshomaru scrutinizing Pian's every movement. If one of us has an eye on him, then we can figure out what to do next.
Not too far away was her pack, which contained the precious blood for summoning the dragon. Omo was probably their best bet: introduce an element of chaos. There was even a possibility that he might listen to Rin if she was the one to summon him.
She shifted onto her back foot, pulse pounding as she prepared to dash. Sesshomaru's muscles coiled, no doubt sensing her intent, preparing to attack in an instant.
Pian cracked his neck and opened his eyes to glare at both of them. "You have been naught but rough pebbles beneath my feet. Do not think for a moment that I do not know what is going on."
With Ryuushin once again directed at her, Rin could not resist the smallest of quivers, remembering the blade punching into her back, the cold steel biting through the layers of her muscles, shearing away -
"Rin." The voice was barely a word, carried through the still air. That was all the reassurance she needed.
Without a second thought, she turned on the ball of her foot, dropping low to speed towards the entrance, holding out her non-sword arm to scoop up her pack. She spared only a marginal glance back to see Pian throw the sword in her direction and Sesshomaru used Bakusaiga to send the blade flying.
"Stay safe, Sesshoumaru," she prayed under her breath as she descended into the depths of the unknown.
Even with the clang of Bakusaiga deflecting the red dragon slaying blade with a graceful arc, Sesshoumaru's ears were able to pick up her words: those three words that carried no special inflection and yet bore meaning that granted him vigor.
If she was summoning the dragon, then he would need to reclaim stewardship of Ryuushin. He held out a hand, sucking in a breath to concentrate. He fixated on the glittering red sword, not a dozen yards away.
Pian began chuckling. "What did I tell you? I know everything that you are trying to do. There is no possible outcome where you will become master of this sword. Especially not when you were the last person to have your blood along its edge." He mockingly mirrored Sesshoumaru's pose, then smiled cruelly as the sword completed its journey with a dull thud into the palm of his hand.
"I only let her go because I knew it would give her hope that I can immediately dash as soon as she realizes that I control the dragons. With Ryuushin in my right and this trinket in my left," he held a glowing blue dragon scale aloft, "I can bend the almighty Omo to my will and end his life when I am done with it."
Sesshomaru scowled as Pian continued his monologue.
"Does sweet Rin-chan know that you are the one currently feeding her lifeline?" Pian moistened his lower lip by running his tongue just outside of his teeth. "I initially believed it was that little monster of hers, but removing it wasn't working, so I wondered where she was getting the lifeforce to keep her outside of the underworld."
What?
Sesshoumaru kept the confusion from trickling onto his face as his brain caught up with Pian's goading hypothesis. He was stupid not to have seen it before - the true nature of the connection Tsukiakari had put in place: his own life energy to replace and amplify what she had before.
"Judging from your silence, you did not know either?" Both fighters began to circle around the clearing, Sesshoumaru trying to maneuver them away from the door to prevent Pian from getting any ideas about racing on ahead. "Well, no matter. That means I need only to kill you to bring her life to an end."
The lack of response fed into his displeasure, more than he anticipated, which was odd; his entire life was spent chiding his brother for babbling, yet now all he wanted was to keep talking.
Playing with prey was one thing, to get under another's nails, to make the hair rise on the back of their neck, to drive home a message so hard it reveravbated in their skull. It was quite another to have a strong desire to fill the quiet hanging in the air.
A papery dry voice chuckled and coaxed inside his head: Stop playing around. Get in there and end them.
There was a distinct possibility the chatter was to keep the presence at bay, the one he separately tried to ignore.
The time draws near… whispered the damn voice again.
"Keep quiet! We have an arrangement! I'm not done yet!" Pian snapped to no one other than Sesshomaru, who was slightly taken aback.
He's becoming as unhinged as Inukojo. That gave him an idea as he once again angled himself between the apparently deranged demon and the entrance to the cave. Drive him to his own destruction before he does any more damage.
"You have engaged beyond your means: whatever pact you made will consume you soon." He took advantage of Pian's slightly wilder eyes to slide in and manage to slice into his opponent's side. Pian cursed and wheeled away, waving Ryuushin.
"How dare you pretend that you are better: you are a shadow of your forefathers, a mere afterimage with only the pretense of greatness. I have the true power!" Red crescents criss-crossed, which Sesshoumaru leapt over backwards, landing a bit heavily. He was still not accustomed to being a tad slower with the connection to Rin in place.
"I saw inside your mind with the seal - your fear that you would amount to nothing, a doddering old fool with no control over your own destiny!" Pian's shouts were edging into the realm of hysteria. It was anyone's guess before the fool was driven mad by the energy he was housing inside his body. "You might have wriggled out of it's control, but I know your weakness!"
Sesshomaru changed his tactic. Time to end this. He flew into a flurry of bright arcs of attacks from Bakusaiga. The hill to their backs crumbled and the sword's curse sowed discourse as the land began to disintegrate. Distracted, Pian could only dodge, countering with wild red flashes of his own that landed far beyond Sesshoumaru's reach.
The barrage continued until they were hilt to hilt, the deterioration continuing. Even with a slight deficiency in strength, he possessed more than enough fortitude to force Pian down to his knees. It was not an elegant stance, but it was doing the job.
Rin's voice chimed in his ear, a mock from when they last crossed blades: Who taught you to fight, Inutaisho? He could not resist smirking. Inutaisho, nor any swordsman, taught him his next move.
Losing his arm had required him to master the sword with one arm. Having two meant it was trivial to summon his acid whip in his other hand to wrap around the monster's wrist, to melt away the bone, muscle, and tissue whole. A silver-tinged hand with metallic nails dropped onto the ground as Pian screamed in agony. Black symbols faded and Ryuushin lolled out of the now limp grip.
He watched cooly while the opponent curled over a stump of an arm, still sizzling from acidic burns. Bakusaiga was raised to the sky for the final blow.
Confidence is a double-edged blade.
Pian chuckled.
That was when he noticed Pian's other arm outstretched, pointing, grasping toward the doorway through which Rin had escaped.
Ryuushin was gone.
"You poor imbecile. You never even noticed that I was never aiming at you. Earlier, the blade tasted her blood - just enough." Pian's chuckles were strained through his torment. "I don't need that gilded block to tell me what your real weakness is. I have known all along. I saw it in her mind as plainly as I see it in your face now."
"Bakusaiga!" Sesshoumaru shouted with maximum fury, sending the other demon's form flying across the space. He turned about face and raced down the steps to find Rin.
I will not lose her again!
The stairs seemed to extend forever.
Beyond Yami's tiny sparks that still fed into her, the walls appeared to sparkle and glisten with impossibly small shards of blue material, granting her demonic sight enough to perceive the faintest of outlines. Enough to make her way down the endless stairs at a full sprint.
From the moment she entered, she refused to stop, feeling perspiration sliding down her cheek. She paused to catch her breath, to wipe the sweat that had pooled in the hollow of her throat.
"Ouch!" Her hand brushed against her skin, flaring with a moment of pain. Her fingers came back clean. No blood. At least, not now. A cut? "No point in worrying about some minor scratch," she murmured. She finished out the skin of blood from her pack, discarding the rest of the material.
As she fastened the precious resource to her waist, the rumbles from above served as a reminder that every second wasted her was potentially more human lives lost and bringing them closer to possible annihilation.
The stairs awaited her. Despite the gravity of the situation, the temptation for a brief respite of cynicism was too high for her to escape. "Would it be too much to ask for a hint or clue as to how far I have to go?"
With a deep breath, her second wind came as a blessing. Putting everything into maintaining her pace, she continued to chase the shadows as fast as she dared without risking tumbling.
Sesshoumaru doggedly pursued the whistling Ryuushin, his frustration mounting as the sword managed to remain slightly out of his grasp. A burst of speed and he was able to get his hand around the hilt, whereupon he pulled with all of his might.
But that did not stop Ryuushin from sliding out and streaking towards her.
"Rin!"
Her years of training with Kohaku and then in the realm of the dead had honed her instincts. Rather than meet the new obstacle with confusion or wariness, she immediately took a stance to confront it directly.
But not fast enough. Ryuushin slammed into the center of her chest.
"Rin!"
The force sent her flying down the stairs, rolling and bouncing roughly, dislodging the sword and sending it away with a clatter while her downwards momentum continued until she finally slammed into the floor, the mask shattering upon impact.
Everything hurt. Bits of her hurt that she didn't even know she had.
Rolling on to her stomach, she braced herself and grimaced from the pain shooting through her palms. Yami chittered fast and nervously around her neck.
Quickly checking the point of entry, there was a scratch - somewhat hefty, although not nearly enough for a blow that hard. "What happened?" She reached up to remove the remnants of her mask, not being as careful as she could have been.
"Ouch!" She hissed as a finger caught the edge of one of the fragments. Out of an old habit, she stuck the finger in her mouth for a few seconds to stop the bleeding. Examining the cut, her eyes opened in surprise: her entire hand - nevermind that, her entire arm was glowing, all the way down to her claws.
Except that they weren't claws anymore. The very tips of her fingers were dull and round.
Checking both hands, ten peach fingers wiggled back at her, ten slightly red digits: all perfectly human. The glow rapidly receded down her wrists, forearms, shoulders - slipping off of her clothes and into the air, where it formed a glowing haze that softly twinkled.
The faint outline of a familiar shape formed: a dragon with mighty wings.
"Jiro," she whispered. The dragon mantle must have stopped the brunt of Ryuushin's attack, but at the cost of exhausting the spell. She gave a small bow, thanking the dragon for his sacrifice. "Safe travels to the beyond, friend."
The sparkles faded, as did the feeling of warmth that cocooned her. Apologies and platitudes were owed to both Harika and Kongomi, once it was all over.
"Rin."
She could feel his eyes boring into her. They had come face to face dozens of times since her return, but without the dragon mantle, there was nowhere to hide, no trace of concealment left.
With reluctance, she looked up quickly enough to see him stumble slightly, catching himself against the wall, barely keeping his feet under his body. She was at his side, immediately on high alert. He's hurt.
She helped ease him to the ground in a maneuver that his pride would have disallowed in the past. He granted her a minute to scan, using the time to catch his breath. Whatever shielding magic she possessed had saved her, but it had required a dramatic drain of his energy. Or life. Or whatever it was that Tsukiakari had set up.
"You're not hurt?" Rin's question blew right past him.
His old self would have mocked his immense relief that she was okay, and would have derided his overwhelming gratitude at having his prayers answered for a little more time. He pulled her in close. Not again….they managed to stop it.
"Sesshomaru?" Her tone carried a wince. "Some of us are only human and trying to heal from a wound here!" The words didn't have any real bite to them. He immediately released his hold where he could see the tiny little black speck of a creature squirming around her wound, issuing tiny puffs of light.
"As much as I want to demand an explanation for what the hell is going on, if you are not actually hurt, you need to take this and go!" She dropped a stoppered skin that smelled of blood into his hand.
"You're hurt." It was getting difficult to discern whether the tremors in his hands were because of Tsukiakari's spell or merely the adrenaline pulsing through his veins.
"Yes," Rin repeated, clearly vexed. "Unless you can tell me that you killed the bastard, dropped the blasted shield, and subdued Inukojo's entire army, then I suggest you move your ass to summon that dragon! We're going to need it!"
"Rin."
"Don't Rin me right now. We need to focus." She gave him another push. "I'll be fine. Go!"
"I will not leave you behind."
"Sesshomaru!" A jolt ran through him.
"I've avoided the worst of the damage. The rest isn't that bad and Yami is healing me as fast as he can. I will follow you, but not until I've stopped the bleeding. I'm not an idiot. Tsukiakari's spell wasn't a barrier - it's probably feeding me some poor soul's demon or life energy to supplement Yami. In all the odds, it's probably Tsukiakari, knowing her."
"I am not wasting her sacrifice by moving on before the bleeding has stopped. You are fine, so go!"
He caught her hand. He couldn't bear to say anything, but he could show her. That much weakness he would permit.
His grip trembled as he tried to squeeze with the same firmness and stability that he always had.
"What's wrong with your hand?" Rin stopped breathing for a second as the events of the past few minutes caught up with her. "It's you. You're the one Tsukiakari leeched me to…"
Her heart squeezed tight.
Why did it have to be him? Gods and spirits, this was not what I wanted. A blend of exhaustion and outrage bubbled up. None of this is what I wanted, curse it all to the depths of hell and back!
A quick swallow helped to push down the emotions. A sharp intake with a slow exhale brought her back. "What you have done, what Tsukiakari has done, what your mother has done, I am okay with none of it. You hear me? None of it."
Another quick breath to continue. "But what I want and what you want is immaterial. If we survive, well, we'll get there if we get there. For now, our top priority is summoning the dragon."
His tremblings were subsiding and she could feel Yami settling down. Poking the spot, it was stiff, the tissue pinching where the flesh had been hastily knit together, but it would do.
Hauling them both to their feet, she fastened the skin to her waist once again. "We have not a moment to lose. If not for us, then for everyone else."
"Is that the last of them?" Tsukiakari asked high above the trees, scouting the remnants of the humans who had fled following the release of the spell.
"I think so," Kohaku peered through with bleary eyes. "Thank goodness that Rin was able to give them all a suggestion to run away. We couldn't have gotten them to move so quickly otherwise."
The inu heiress concealed a yawn. An entire day with practically no rest and their battle was not over yet. Her mother's troops were now close enough that those with sensitive hearing could detect their approach, coming with the dawn. Kirara growled.
Kohaku asked, rubbing his face to clear his head. "There's too many of them."
Tsukiakari sighed. "Sesshomaru-sama and I had hoped that we would have been able to gather more allies this past year, but too many of the retainers in the Western Lands were afraid. We have put out a call to those who would take our side, but save for Kouga-san, I do not think they will be able to make it either."
"Then what can we do?" He asked hopelessly.
"We cannot flee. That much is clear." She regarded the land that was beginning to warm underneath the early light.
"My mother will not stop hunting you down until everyone is dead and then she will be allowed to wreak rampant destruction. Or the last of the great dragons will be summoned and by his will or anothers, he will burn the rest of forests. Or in the worst case, the demon will finish amassing the power he needs to unleash an attack that will end everything."
Neither of them had to say anything: it was clear that one way or another, there would be no tomorrow for their group. Tsukiakari placed a reassuring hand on Kohaku's shoulder. "We will do what we can until the end."
Kohaku nodded. He was warrior enough to come to terms with imminent death, but his human side felt the dread and sorrow sinking into his gut. "We should get back to the others." He took one last look across the horizon, admiring the beautiful land, the life that filled their existence: ...the clouds that scattered the pink light...the dragon that was circling near the top of the dome.
Wait.
"Kirara, get closer to them." The cat growled softly, also spotting the figure. Kohaku squinted. It couldn't be. He lifted his fingers to his lips and whistled sharply.
Ah-Un's heads perked up and drifted over to the fire cat, a stream of screeching complaints coming into their earshot.
"Ah-Un, you stupid dragon, what on earth do you think you are doing?" Jaken pounded his little fists against their scales meaninglessly. "Turn around right now! Oh - Kohaku?! Tsukiakari-sama?!"
"What are you doing out here?"
Jaken spoke directly to Tsukiakari, ignoring the insignificant little human in front of her. "My lady Inukimi-sama requested reports on the situation. I was about to tell her about the hole that has appeared in the barrier," he promptly replied.
"There's a hole in the barrier?" Kohaku was already thinking several steps ahead.
"Yes, Tsukiakari-sama, there is one located just over yonder." He pointed it out, again not to the person who asked.
"You take Kirara. Go to Sesshomaru and Rin, see if you can take down that devil or whatever you can do." Kohaku leapt over to Ah-Un. "I'll go back and get the others. The odds may be what they are, but our chances are better if we are all together. Especially if Kongomi can get control of that dragon before the enemy does."
"What do you think you are doing?" Jaken whined in vain as Kohaku wheeled Ah-Un around.
"I'll be as fast as I can!"
"Stay safe!" Tsukiakari called to his retreating back. "Let's go, Kirara-san," she said, giving him a quick pat between the ears.
Sure enough, near the top of the dome, was a spot where the foggy view of the shield faded away to reveal the space beneath with crystal clarity. The opening was small - large enough for a normal demon - barely enough for the two of them to squeeze through.
A column of white light whooshed in front of them, Kirara dodged violently, accidentally throwing Tsukiakari off. She righted herself, rapidly trying to pinpoint where it had come from all while the world was still spinning slightly.
Her query did not go unanswered for long as Pian coiled his legs and propelled himself into the air, causing the ground to crack under his lift off. His eyes were wide, his hair unkempt and wild in the wind, his robes frayed, and a ball of light grew at the end of his arm. He pitched it into her direction, which she was able to dodge by clumsily scooting out of the way.
If his eyes could launch the energy stored inside, he would level the world and everything in it. To hell with the plan. "I'm collecting now! Give me what you promised!" He shouted. All he had to do was end them all; if he won, then he could take back his sanity, push the voice in his head back into submission the way he had done with so many of his victims before.
As you wish… the parched voice replied.
Energy surged throughout his body, amplifying, increasing, bolstering. The black runes across his skin shined and out of his melted stump of an arm, grew a new hand. Pian marveled at the newly gifted source of power. He should have done this earlier - then he would not have had to meddle with the ridiculous shield or spend the days meditating. To have this control was everything.
Kirara rallied to flank Tsukiakari, who recognized the disparity in their levels was vast. We might have had a chance before, but now all we can hope to do is stall for long enough. "Even the dragon might not be enough," she murmured, seeing her words puff in the cold air. She materialized a sword from golden light. Everyone, hurry!
Kohaku dove back along the curve of the shield, overlooking Jaken's protests.
Everyone was battle-ready: grey in the face, purple and blue under their eyes, holding strong the best they could.
"Everyone, get on Ah-Un! We found an opening! In the barrier! We have to go help them!"
"Wait, slow down. What is going on?" Konomi and the others gathered around as Kohaku hopped off.
"There is a gap in the barrier, which means we can get in. Tsukiakari has gone ahead, but we don't know what will happen. We need to support her, Sesshomaru, and Ri - Mari. They're still trying to summon the dragon and take down the demon."
"What about Inukojo's troops? You saw how she was earlier - if we leave here and she loses her prey, then she might decide to start slaughtering every human she can lay eyes on. Then what was the point of the past day?" Kongomi crossed her arms.
Inuyasha frowned. "Some of us need to stay behind, to act as a distraction."
They all knew what that entailed. No one as exhausted and outnumbered could last very long.
"One of us needs to stay behind," Yoihito said solemnly. "That should be a sufficient deterrent, at least until the rest accomplish the mission. I will not -" he held up a hand in response to Kongomi's mouth opening - "broke with any argument. The most firepower is needed there." He jabbed his thumb behind them.
Kongomi's mouth was set in a hard line. He was her bodyguard, her captain, trained in military strategy and might. Refute all she wanted, he was right.
Everyone took a step back to give them a little privacy. "You will die, permanently." She sniffed, her eyes completely dried out.
"Perhaps not." He reached down to tuck his hand under her chin. "You can perform the ritual of the dragon mantle."
Her eyes blazed in shock. "With what exactly? That?!" She pointed to Ah-Un. "We both know that's a travel dragon, a beast of burden-"
"And one built for endurance, which I think we can both agree, is probably something I could use right now." Yoihito gave her a gentle smile.
"But that spell, that's more of Harika's wheelhouse, I couldn't possibly-"
"Couldn't possibly what? I have seen you do it all: you have spoken to the dragon kind, you have convinced them, commanded them, you have summoned them with your own blood. Tell me, prodigy princess, what is there left that the queen of Ryudo has not done?"
Kongomi had no answer to that.
"I saw my great-grandfather wearing the mantle once. I know a bit of how it should go. I trust you and I trust that dragon." He grabbed her hands in his. "Give me the chance to come back to you, when this is all over."
Ah. The unwavering faith and devotion. How could she possibly refuse when presented with such resolve?
"Fine. You!" She vaguely pointed in the direction of everyone. "Get on the dragon." She nodded to Yoihito. "I'll perform the ritual once everyone is through."
Slightly confused, they all piled onto Ah-Un's wide back and the blue flames popped and snapped as they rose, letting the world fall away. At the top, Inuyasha took them in, one by one, to make sure they safely made it to the ground. Even Jaken was hustled away and then all that were left were Kongomi, Yoihito, and the dragon.
Undecided, Kongomi hastily planted a kiss on his cheek. "Come back to me. That is an order. Your response?"
"Yes, lord!" He gave her the royal Ryudo salute.
Kongomi placed one hand on his forehead and spread her other as far as it could reach, to nestle against Ah-Un's snouts. You will have to forgive if this is improvised. I don't even know how to speak to you outside of this medium.
Ah-Un softly nudged her in encouragement. Yoihito reached up to grab her wrist and give it a gentle squeeze in a show of support.
"Here goes nothing." How did this go again?
Breathing, bring it together, bring it in sync.
Use the mind to create a channel between the parties. She tried to imagine a glowing blue thread snaking its way from Yoihito, through her own body, and into Ah-Un.
Strengthen the connection. Multiple strands came together, binding to her first thread, forging into a rope. The rope grew bigger and bigger, the light becoming brighter and brighter.
Ah-Un dissolved into a swirl of blue energy, traversing along the path to Yoihito, where it settled over him like a shroud. Suddenly he frowned, grunted from some inner turmoil she could not witness. His hands shook as his grip intensified, trying to weather the pain.
She was about to call the whole thing off, but he cracked open his eyes to give her the hardest glare she had ever received from him. Gulping, she nodded and proceeded.
It started with his skin - tanned flesh sprouted dark gray scales, great plates lining his arms, the folds in his clothing shifting as more armor grew beneath. The ridges on his spine extended until he had a tail made from pure muscle. The scales on his collarbone edged up the side of his neck and over his head to form a cowl, and then a helmet.
As the glow faded away, blue fire sprouted at the base of his feet and he floated, holding Kongomi in his arms.
Kongomi broke it off. "Yoihito?"
With his eyes closed he responded. "It is a strange sensation, but it feels like home." He finally opened his eyes. "I'll do my part, but you must promise me to come back as well."
"I'll certainly try." Kongomi jumped off his arm and through the hole in the barrier.
Yoihito flew down, one with Ah-Un, feeling the grace, the brawn, the potential.
Inukojo's troops were already scouring the area. "Find them! Take down this barrier! They can't have gone far!"
As he landed amidst her generals, she snarled. "Oh look, one of them has finally come out, the cowards. Where are the rest of your little rat friends?"
He drew his sword. "I will be the only one you see today."
Inukojo shrugged. "Your loss. Attack!"
A great distance away, Kongomi fell through the sky until a red and white blur slammed into her, carrying her further away.
"Excuse me?" She barked, affronted. "Inuyasha-san, what do you think you are doing?"
"Shut the fuck up and take a goddamn look," he snapped, tears flowing freely from crimson eyes with dark pupils.
Peeking over his shoulder, her mind froze.
In the middle of a great plain was Pian, shining with an aura that covered him like a sickening fog. He shot blast after blast at someone - possibly Tsukiakari - with each blast ripping up the earth and leaving ash in its place. Loosely encircling the demon were the bodies of their compatriots.
"They never stood a fucking chance."
Miroku and Sango were still, fallen under a half-disintgrated Hirakotsu. Kohaku was motionless, half of his body blown away. A bloodied Kirara lay crumpled next to Kagome with blackened skin.
"Whatever shit he has now can't even be purified. We didn't even get off a single attack - the stuff came off his attack and burned them." Inuyasha sped away, his fangs extended, ragged marks of the inu clan running up his cheeks. His claws dug into her skin; she did not complain.
"Tsukiakari is trying to hold him off, but we need you to get that fucking dragon, you hear me? Otherwise everyone else dies today."
A/N: We are on a roll. Things are gonna get darker before they get brighter, but I can finally see the loose threads coming together.
I hope you stick with me to the end!