Inuyasha
was walking away from the well through which Kagome had just returned to her
own time when he heard someone call out his brother's name behind him.
Startled, and worried that Sesshoumaru might be trying to follow Kagome back,
he whirled around just in time to see a red beam of energy flashing towards
him. It was so close that he barely managed to jump out of its direct path. He
was caught by the explosion when it hit the ground where he had been standing,
and thrown several meters backwards.
When he
managed to clear his sight and hearing, he looked for the source of the
attack--he didn't remember Sesshoumaru having any ranged ones; both sons of
their father preferred melee combat. Briefly, he thought he saw a figure flying
above the well, but it vanished when he tried to look closer at it. Taking a
few steps forward, ready to defend against a frontal assault, he was caught
off-guard when he caught an unfamiliar scent--sort of a cross between a human
and a cat--behind him. He jumped forward and turned in mid jump, narrowly
dodging a red beam of energy that swung like a sword and left a smell like
lightning in the air.
Taking
another leap backwards to put distance between himself and the wielder of the
beam sword, he took stock of his opponent. She--for it was a woman--was
obviously a youkai. The glowing energy sword was givaway enough, but it was
also made obvious in the color of her hair (it was a sort of steely gray-blue)
and the gold of her eyes. She also looked furious.
"If
you tell me where Ryo-Ohki is, I might kill you quickly," she said, her
voice grating with unrestrained anger.
"I
don't know what you're talking about!" screamed Inuyasha. No one threatens
him and gets away with it. He charged to the attack, shouting
"Soul-Rending Iron Claw!"
He
missed, as she jumped up just as he was about to connect. When he turned around
to face his antagonist again, he saw that she was hovering in place, a few feet
off the ground. "Hmm... Not bad... A little slow, though..." she
taunted as she let loose another blast of ruby energy from her left hand, the
energy sword in her right hand held at a careless angle.
Inuyasha
had already jumped above the blast radius when the beam hit the spot where he'd
been standing, and was decending to attack her from above--she wouldn't use
flight to dodge this time! She looked suprised at the speed with which he had
moved. He smiled in victory as he brought his claws down, dodging her attempts
to parry with the energy sword, and was shocked when she flickered and vanished
just before he hit her. He managed to use the hand extended for attack to go
into a one-hand spring when he touched ground, flipping neatly to land upright
on all fours. He rolled away from his landing spot clumsily, narrowly dodging
another blast of energy. He dodged two more in quick succession, and then a
third from a completely different direction caught him in the back--throwing
him forward to slide along the ground, leaving a furrow of turned earth in the
carpet of leaves behind him.
Picking
himself up quickly, he found the woman-youkai standing in front of him,
swinging that beam sword down at him. It hit him twice, leaving scorch marks in
the fire rat hair robe, but not harming him through it. He came up swinging,
catching his enemy under her chin with his claws and sending her flying up and
backwards.
Before
she recovered, he prepared his next attack. Cutting himself on his claws, he
allowed his blood to soak them. As the witch gained her balance and stopped
herself three-quarters of the way through her arc through the air, he swung is
bloodied claws in her direction. As he shouted "Blood Claw!", the
blood on the claws left arcs of red in the air which streaked towards his
enemy. When they hit, they knocked her out of the air.
By the
time she hit the ground, Inuyasha was already in mid-jump to continue his
attack. He was going to come down right on top of her, impaling her on his
claws and ending this fight. He was completely shocked, therefore, when she
sank into the ground like a ghost, leaving him to land hard on his hands
extended like blades and burying them to the elbows in the earth.
He
remained frozen in that position for a moment, stunned that she had dodged his
attack in such a way. Then, he remembered that he was still potentially in a
dangerous combat, and, yanking his arms out of the ground, assumed a defensive
posture.
Smelling
her scent behind him--but not hearing a sound, she must be good at moving
silently--he spun around to face her. He blocked two attacks with the sleeve of
his robe before managing to get in a swing of his own. He would have connected
with her face, except that she flickered and vanished again.
He
smelled her filcker back into existance behind him, but, before he could even
turn around to face her, he was surrounded by crackling ruby energy which
immobalized him as it forced his body to arch in agony. He let out a beastial
scream of pain as the energy actually picked him up a few inches off the
ground.
When it
suddenly stopped, he would have collapsed to the ground--too exhausted from
pain to move for a moment--if the woman hadn't caught him in a grip that pinned
him to her. When his senses returned to him half a second later, he noticed
that the energy sword was held with its blade almost touching his throat.
Struggling in her grasp he found to be quite useless, as she was at least as
strong as he.
When he
finally relaxed, conserving energy until she made a mistake, she spoke, her
voice tight with anger. "Now, what have you done with my Ryo-Ohki?"
she demanded.
"What
are you talking about, witch?" asked Inuyasha, angry that she was asking
him such stupid questions, but in no position to be arguing just yet.
More of
that crackling energy arced across his body, causing him to cry out in pain
again. "Don't play dumb with me! You captured my servant! Return her to
me, and I'll kill you quickly; if she's been hurt...," at this point, the
woman laughed sadistically, "Well, let's just say that it won't be
quick."
"I
don't know what your talking about!" he yelled. Then, his ears twitched as
he heard something: a whirling sound that was rapindly approaching them from
behind. Suddenly, the woman-demon that smelled sort of like a cat cried out as
he heard a loud crack! of impact. She was thrown forward, and pushed
him in the same direction. Fortuantely for Inuyasha's neck, the beam sword had
winked out when the witch cried out, and he managed to slide a couple of meters
away from her.
As he
was picking himself up and looking around, he saw three things of importance:
first, the youkai with which he was fighting had already recovered and was in
the air looking towards the source of whatever it was that had hit her on the
head; second, that the source of the impact was catching her giant boomerang;
and third, that Miroku was removing the rosary that bound his air void.
That
last was the most important thing. Inuyasha quickly began running as fast as he
could on all fours in a path that would separate him from the youkai woman so
that Miroku could eliminate her. The cat-youkai in question was looking really pissed off, now, and was aiming
one palm at each of the newcomming humans. Energy blasted from those palms at
the same instant that Miroku managed to open his air void and aim it at her.
The energy was consumed by the vortex of air, and the woman looked shocked as
she began to be sucked in as well. She seemed to be able to fight the pull
briefly, but was slowly being dragged in.
Inuyasha
was privately glad that the fight was now apparently over; though he would
never have admitted it to anyone, he didn't think he could have beaten this
youkai on his own. She was just too powerful.
His
relief over the impending end of the fight was short lived, however, as the
woman again pulled that teleporting trick to appear outside of the vortex of
air, which Miroku quickly shut in shock.
"I
see you have servants of your own," said the woman, as everyone paused to
catch their breath. "Well, they will not be much help." She again
teleported, this time appearing behind Sango, who she promptly captured in a
hold as she began to fly, taking her new captive with her. The beam sword
reappeared, held threateningly near the ninja-girl's throat.
"Sango!"
shouted Miroku in dismay. "Let her go!"
The
youkai laughed. "I think not. You won't use that vacuum of yours while it
might get her, I think. Return Ryo-Ohki to me, or I kill her. After her, I kill
him," she said, pointing at Miroku. "Then, I will keep you alive as
long as I can!" Her eyes were blazing with anger. Sango was wisely
remaining still.
Miroku
looked at Inuyasha. "What is this ryo-ohki thing she's demanding? Just
give it back to her so she'll let Sango go!"
"Feh.
I don't know what she's ranting about," answered Inuyasha, "She just
started attacking me as I was heading back to the village. Since I don't have
her stupid ryo-ohki, I guess we'll just have to kill her to rescue Sango."
Miroku
looked pleadingly at the flying youkai. "We don't have this 'ryo-ohki' of
yours--we don't even know what it is. Please, just let her go. Maybe we can
help you find it."
"Don't
lie to me!" yelled the woman. "I know he has her! That woman's
daughter on the other side of the well, Kagome, told me that a dog-demon had my
servant and was using her as a hostage." She turned to look directly at
Inuyasha, ignoring the human for the moment. "Return her to me,
Sesshoumaru. Now."
"Sesshou--"began
Sango, sweatdropping.
"--maru?"
finished Miroku, doing the same.
"Who
are you calling 'Sesshoumaru', you stupid witch!?" screamed Inuyasha in
fury.
The
strange youkai looked confused now. "You're...not Sesshoumaru?" she asked, truly puzzled. Then her face
hardened. "You're lying again! You're a dog-demon, Sesshoumaru's a
dog-demon. How many of those can there be near the place where Ryo-Ohki
dissapeared?"
Sango
spoke up, gently placing a hand on the arm that held her captive. "That's
Inuyasha. He's only half dog-demon. Sesshoumaru is his half-brother."
The
woman decended slowly to the ground, releasing Sango when they got down.
Inuyasha looked like he was going to attack her as soon as Sango was out of the
way, but Miroku stayed him with an upraised hand. The youkai-woman looked
thoughtful. "Kagome's mother mentioned someone named Inuyasha... he was a dog-demon who was helping
Kagome..."
"We're
gathering the shards of the Shikon no Tama; I need her to see the blasted
things," explained Inuyasha, exasperated and angry.
If it
had been an American cartoon, a light bulb would have lit up over the woman's
head. "Wait, the Shikon no Tama is what Kagome said Sesshoumaru was after.
He was holding hostages to demand it."
"Yeah,
he's got a little Kitsune named Shippo," said Miroku.
"...and
another small youkai girl," continued Inuyasha, in a thoughtful tone of
voice.
"Ryo-Ohki!"
exclaimed Ryoko. "How dare he
use my servant as a hostage!? I'll destroy him!" Power was crackling from
the woman again.
Sango
had backed away to avoid being blasted, should she decide to vent her obvious
anger on the closest people. "Perhaps," she began tentatively,
"we could help each other? We seem to have an adversary in common, and
both of us have friends held by him. My name is Sango, the monk is Miroku, and
the hanyou over there is Inuyasha, whom you have already met." She stepped
forward again, hoping that the woman would calm enough to listen.
Fortunately,
the woman seemed to realize that attacking them wouldn't help her. The power
stopped crackling about her as she visibly controlled herself. "I am
Ryoko," she said. Looking slightly ashamed of herself, she said, "I
am sorry for mistaking you for Sesshoumaru. Tell me where he is, and I'll leave
you in peace."
"Feh.
We don't know where he is," said Inuyasha. "If we did, we'd take the
fight to him ourselves. You're welcome to help us beat him."
"Come
to back to the village with us," offered Miroku, who seemed to be leering
at Ryoko. "He's sure to come back there to make his demands again. You can
share my accomodations, if you like."
Sango
hit him over the head with her boomerang. "Pervert."
Ryoko
had reluctantly agreed to accompany them to the village, as she had no
alternative. She really needed something to let her anger out on, but didn't
want to frighten people unnecessarily--she was apparently after a demon who had
the whole countryside against him, so she could use that to her advantage if
she stayed on their good side. An old priestess name Kaede had greeted her when
she arrived, and had offered her a place to sleep while they waited for
Sesshoumaru to return to make his demands again.
Ryoko
was chafing at the lack of activity. She wanted to be out there, fighting.
Waiting around just wasn't her style. Even as a Space Pirate, she had hated
waiting in ambush for targets to come along. That was why she had taken to
attacking planets--they didn't move and were always there to be looted. She had
gone outside after dinner, and was sitting alone, reveling in her reaquired
power. She had forgotten what it felt like to have all three gems. The increase
was remarkable; the fight with that Inuyasha would not have been so easy with
only the one she'd been using since Tenchi freed her from Yosho's prison in the
cave.
She was
hoping that she could sense Ryo-Ohki out there, but the most she could get was
a sense that she was alive, and in this world. Other than that, she couldn't
locate her...distance and direction were mysteries. She was tired, but filled
with her rejuvenated energy. She was to the point where she could either rage
in anger or cry. As she was alone, and had learned some mercy from her time
with Tenchi, she chose the latter. Quiet tears fell down her face, releasing
some of the tension of the day. She couldn't afford to let all her anger
convert to tears--she would need it in the upcoming battle--but this small
outlet was necessary.
She was
sitting alone along the outside of the hut, just about to determine that her
quota of tears was used up, when another presence made himself known. "A
beautiful woman shoud never cry alone," said Miroku, sitting down beside
her.
Ryoko
smiled, stopping her tears. She couldn't do anything about the tracks they'd
left down her face without wiping them, and she wouldn't do that. "I don't
seem to be alone, do I?" she responded, looking at the blue-robed monk.
She let no trace of sadness remain in her expression.
"No,
but you were. I couldn't leave you that way. A woman like you does not deserve
sadness."
"I'm
not sad. I'm a little worried about Ryo-Ohki, and angery at Sesshoumaru, but
not sad," she lied.
Miroku
reached out and placed his left hand over her right. "Perhaps I could
cheer you up?" he offered. "A little...conversation can do
wonders." He scooted a little closer to her, so their shoulders were
almost touching.
"Well,
then," said Ryoko, "why don't you tell me about that attack you used
on me--that thing in your hand."
The
monk actually looked a little taken aback, perhaps a bit sad. "This is my
curse," he said, raising the rosary-bound hand in a fist. "A baleful
demon named Naraku cursed my ancestor to have this air void in his hand, and to
pass it on to his decendents. Eventually, it consumes us all."
"So,
one day you'll die from it?"
Miroku
nodded, a mournful look on his face. "I have to find Naraku and destroy
him. It is the only way to lift the curse. Should I fail, my son will have to
continue the quest." He looked hopefully at Ryoko as he slipped his uncursed
hand from hers. "It is my duty to continue my family line," he said,
slipping the now free hand down to cup her bottom. "Will you bear my
child?" He gave her a light squeeze.
Ryoko
looked at him thoughtfully. He was kind of attractive, and she really had given
up on ever being with Tenchi. But, she also had learned how much loving someone
could mean. Looking at the monk, who still had his hand firmly under her rear,
she came to a decision.
A/N: I thought it appropriate to give Ryoko some new power
as well as greater with the aquisition of all three gems. I know she never
manifested an attack like the crackling energy in any series, but I decided she
could do that now. ;p
Sorry it took so long to post this. I got it finished while
ff.net was reconstructing, so put it up as soon as the site allowed posting
again.