A/N: Okay, it's official, I had too much time on my hands today. Here's a two-for-one special.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Inuyasha characters, manga, anime, movies, etc. They belong by copyright laws to Rumiko Takahashi et al.
One Hanyou Too Many
Party for the Dead
Even though Naraku saw signs that a banquet was indeed being prepared, he had yet to see or sense signs of other daiyoukai. Just as he was about to demand an explanation, and insult his hostess, a dragon arrived. The man's manner was stiff, and he gazed at the half demon with skepticism. Wondering if this was one of the generals, Naraku was trying to decide how to proceed when the Honorable Mother came back into the hall from where she'd left him while she changed clothes.
"Ah, General Kahi, nice to see you again. Allow me to introduce you to Naraku. We have come to an agreement about our children marrying."
"I have heard much about you," the dragon intoned, making it clear that he was undecided whether that was for good or ill.
"And I almost nothing about you," Naraku returned, feeling slighted.
"You would not have. My duty is to my Cardinal Beast. We seldom intermingle with demons of lower station. The Lady of the Moon tells me you have risen in power and must be acknowledged. Tell me, what have you done to garner her attention and support?"
"I have not been felled by her son's hand," the half demon started, as if that were of significance. "I am also in possession of most of the Shikon Jewel."
"Ah, so that is the source of your power. That jewel has been around for many centuries. What makes you think you have it under your control?" Kahi asked. They wanted him to show them that he had actually brought it with him.
"It does as I want it to," Naraku boasted.
For now, Kahi thought but didn't say so out loud. The Shikon Jewel was notorious for doing only so much as its current owner wished. "I see. What is it that you seek from this council?" he asked instead.
"You are of higher rank than the Lady of the Moon. If you and the other generals were to acknowledge me as a daiyoukai…" Naraku trailed off when he caught the two exchanging glances. "What is it?" he snapped. Surely he had not made an error.
"I did tell you where I was on the societal ladder, did I not?" the Honorable Mother asked, as if she couldn't remember one way or the other.
"You serve under the White Tiger's general." He had done that much investigating.
"I see the rumors still persist," she sighed as if it were a constant problem. Sesshoumaru's mother made sure that rumor still existed. It was better if not everyone knew that she was on par with the generals of the Four Cardinal Beasts. "You can keep a secret, can't you, Naraku?"
"Of course." He would use it for his own ends later.
"Masayoshi-sama and I are actually of the same rank," she confided, as if she had granted him a great honor.
"Something I have protested," the general interjected as he joined the group. Masayoshi studied Naraku, his expression far from welcoming. "Women, after all, belong in the home, not wandering the lands doing battle." Mentally he cringed and hoped the other two generals would forgive him. They were not ones to put up with such disregard.
"Shall we test that theory?" Chishiki asked, coming from the back courtyard. "Pardon my entrance. Sesshoumaru waved me through."
The demon lord's mother waved away the comment as if were natural for her guests to be coming in the back entrance to her home. "Friends, let us not fight. I have told you countless times to take the matter up with His Grace if you're so against it, Masayoshi."
"Lord Byakko has disregarded my concern," the daiyoukai said almost mournfully.
"You'll get another chance soon. I was so certain our children would be getting betrothed that I invited him to this evening's affair. Almost no one meets a Cardinal Beast," the Lady of the Moon commented.
Naraku hummed under his breath, an idea starting to form. He had pondered the possibility of absorbing one or more of the generals to increase his strength and overall power. Surely Inuyasha and his accursed friends would never be able to beat him then. However, if he could have a Cardinal Beast… No one would be able to challenge him again. "I look forward to the honor," he said politely. He would bide his time. For decades he had done so, one more evening wouldn't hurt.
"I thought you would. Now, where did Shinkō get to?" the dog demoness mused.
"I'm here," the tortoise called, her slow gait causing them to search the hallway for her. Despite being a tortoise, she wasn't usually that slow. She must be playing into Naraku's preconceived notions.
"Excellent. Then we can bring the bride and groom back and make merry. I do believe they've been left alone long enough." With a chuckle, Sesshoumaru's mother sent a maid after the two.
If it appeared that they were a little tipsy when they arrived, no one brought it to Naraku's attention. Obviously, Kagura had figured out some of what was afoot, including the apparent seduction of her "father" by her future mother-in-law. The wind sorceress made nice with all the other daiyoukai, keeping careful watch on her creator. She did not trust that the man had been completely bamboozled.
The assembled crowd watched with amazement as the Honorable Mother used her wiles and extensive knowledge to do just that. Naraku fell under her spell without realizing it, nor did he realize that at some point during the afternoon the Shikon Jewel shard he kept close was no longer on his person. In its place was a replica, something the demoness had had made for this moment. The weight was similar, and she had had Kagome and Miroku work together to tie a sutra around it so that it felt like the real thing.
Excusing herself briefly, Sesshoumaru's mother called for the other ladies to refresh themselves with her and made her way out of the dining hall, leaving Naraku in the tender care of a white tiger and a dragon. Byakko would return soon, and she had no fear that Naraku would gain the upper hand. She had seen the wheels turn in his head when she had mentioned the Cardinal Beast and knew he was thinking of trying to absorb her liege. It was impossible, but as long as he was scheming of a way to do that, he wouldn't notice her sleight of hand.
"Kagura, my dear, I believe this is yours," the dog demoness said, holding out the wind sorceress' heart. "Guard it well," the older woman ordered.
"Why would you give it to me now?"
"Sesshoumaru's loose tongue has made keeping this a moot point." She knew her beloved progeny well, and their comfort around each other spoke volumes.
"I see."
"You may go where you wish," Chishiki said, taking a moment to preen her feathers. It would look odd if they returned the same as when they left.
"Or you can stay for the grand finale," Shinkō added.
Tapping her fan against her lips, Kagura considered. Personally, she wanted to cut Naraku's head off herself. "What about his heart?" she whispered.
The Honorable Mother's smile turned sadistic. The jewel around her neck pulsed once and she placed a hand on it to calm the energy. "We need not worry about that. It is in my possession too."
"Can I cut off his head?"
"Far be it for me to deny you the honor. I must rid myself of the Shikon at once though. Excuse me while I fetch my other guests." She left them to talk and hurried to the room that the inutachi had been hiding in. They felt her youki as it grew close, and Kagome was there to open the sealed door. No doubt she had felt the jewel too.
"Let me take it. How is it going?" the miko asked, holding the jewel shard close so that she could purify its dark taint.
"As expected, for the most part. Sesshoumaru let the cat out of the bag a little sooner than I'd hope but it is time for you to suit up," she told the others. "I have his heart, and Lord Byakko has just arrived. Join us as soon as you can," she said and left quickly. Stopping only to wash her hands, the Honorable Mother returned to the dining hall, not exactly surprised by what she saw. Naraku had apparently decided to try to absorb Byakko immediately and the four generals all had their swords buried in some part of his body.
A body that was quickly changing shape. The madman's laugh was grating, and Kagura held her fan at the ready. "It seems, Lady of the Moon, that you were not truthful with me."
"Was I not? What slight could I have done that would have you try to absorb a Cardinal Beast so foolishly? I did warn you what would happen should the other generals feel you were rude." The Honorable Mother allowed the power of the Meidou Seki to manifest. A hell hound appeared, sitting down at her side. "Perhaps you should consider what my little pet as found first. Cough it up," she ordered the shadow beast.
It did as she commanded, dropping Naraku's dark heart into her hand. Naraku's body stopped all movement, the half demon staring in shock at what she held. "Where did you…?" he started to demand, doubling over when she squeezed it tightly.
With a feral smile, she approached him, unafraid for her safety. "Oh, this? I sent one my hounds after it this morning. I will admit that it took a little longer than I thought for my pet to find it, but I control you now. How does it feel, to have your heart in someone else's hands?" she asked, squeezing it until he coughed up blood.
Inuyasha and his friends arrived to find that Naraku had been brought to his knees. They stared, unable to believe their greatest nemesis was dying at the hands of the four generals, Sesshoumaru's mother, and a Cardinal Beast. "Remind me not to really piss her off," he commented.
"Duly noted," Miroku said. "Where's his miasma?"
"My sword neutralized it immediately," Chishiki said. "It helps to know how to counteract such things when one of your friends has deadly claws," she explained.
"You flatter me," Sesshoumaru's mother said, her smile more genuine now. "Kagura, I do believe I gave you the honor of beheading him."
"Gladly," the wind demon said and with one smooth motion of her arm, brought her fan in a down arc. The movement caused a slice of wind to decapitate the man who had created her, and she relished the feeling of his flesh tearing apart. At the same time as his head began to roll around the floor, Sesshoumaru's mother crushed Naraku's heart, finishing the job. There would be no regenerating this time.
Looking at the carnage, Byakko sighed, pouting a little. "You never let me have fun anymore, Chūrippu. I could have easily managed him."
"I know, but it was not your problem. It was ours," she said, a slight grimace on her face at all the blood on her floor. "The Shikon Jewel has been the responsibility of the House of the Moon and the Western Lands since it first appeared. Miroku, is your curse gone?" she asked.
The monk hesitantly undid the beads, gradually exposing soft flesh. "It is," he affirmed.
"Good."
"Couldn't you have left some for us?" Inuyasha asked.
"That was my intention, but it seems Naraku decided to rush things. I was sure he'd play the long game. It seems that the temptation of having a Cardinal Beast in his presence was too much." Washing her hands in the bowl of hot water that a maid brought, the Honorable Mother hummed under her breath. The hell hound was still sitting patiently on the other side of the room, as if waiting for something else. Turning to the beast, she narrowed her eyes. "Did you devour the remaining incarnations as I ordered?"
"Woof," it responded, sounding oddly like a normal dog. It even wagged its tail.
"And what of the slayer boy? I told you to leave him alone." The hound looked to the side, avoiding her gaze. "Where is he?" she questioned harshly. "Not in the Underworld, I hope." Kohaku still had a jewel shard in the back of his neck. It would allow him to move, but he would become a target. She'd have to send Sesshoumaru after him and she wasn't sure her son was ready for that sort of thing. The hell hound shook his head, licking its lips. "You ate him?" she charged. The hell hound hung its head in shame. It whined, knowing his mistress was angry.
"Kohaku's dead?" Sango cried, her knees giving out. Miroku supported her, using his current strength to keep her on her feet.
"Spit him up this instant or I will have Sesshoumaru cleave you in two with Tenseiga." The Honorable Mother glanced at her son meaningfully and at Sango with worry. "Now," she repeated when it looked like the shadow beast was hesitating.
Sesshoumaru approached the being and slid Tenseiga from its sheath. Seeing that neither dog demon was kidding, the beast regurgitated its last meal, producing an unconscious but whole young demon slayer. "I would return to the Underworld, if I were you," Sesshoumaru advised. The beast did just that, disappearing into the abyss.
"Kahi, if you would be so kind," the Lady of the Moon said, waving a hand at the child on the floor.
"I need only a moment," the dragon said. He'd been cleaning his blade while the dogs dealt with the shadow. Going to the boy, he knelt and began cleansing him of the dark aura and slobber of the hell hound. Sango rushed forward almost before he was done and embraced her brother tearfully.
"Aneue?" Kohaku croaked, looking at all the people. "Where am I?" he asked in confusion. The last thing he remembered was getting swallowed by a youkai that he couldn't cut.
"Welcome to the Castle in the Sky," Sesshmoumaru's mother said. "I am the Honorable Mother, dam to Lord Sesshoumaru and Lady Yukari. You have been brought here because my hound swallowed you whole while bringing me Naraku's heart."
"You have Naraku's heart?"
"Had, she crushed the thing, kid. Bastard's dead," Inuyasha proclaimed. "These daiyoukai stabbed him, and Kagura sliced his head off. You don't have to worry about him ever again." The half demon helped both siblings stand, politely looking away when the boy teared up.
"It's over?" he asked his sister again.
"Yes." Sango smiled at him softly, brushing his bangs out of his eyes.
"I can die in peace, then."
"Hold your horses, kid. We ain't letting you kick the bucket. I know that shard's your lifeline right now. We'll just have to find another way to keep you going. You've got too much to do on this side to let you rest just yet."
"The shard is a problem," Shinkō said softly.
"Let it rest for now," Byakko ordered. "Be sure to keep that shard pure for the moment and search for the rest. When your search is complete, consult with the last keeper of the Shikon Jewel. I am sure she will have the answer."
"Kikyo?" Inuyasha asked. "She's dead, and only has an imitation wandering around."
"I know," the Cardinal Beast replied. "Nonetheless, she will have the answer to the young boy's problem."
"As you wish, sir," Sango accepted. Anything to keep her brother.
"Thank you for your advice, Lord Byakko. What should we do about that?" Kagome questioned, pointing at the bubbling mess that Naraku's body had created. It reeked.
"I believe a purification with your arrow might be in order, young miko. Easier cleanup." The demons stayed far away from the arrow as Kagome took the White Tiger's advice. Soon it was nothing but a pool of water, relieving everyone's mind.
"Oh, wonderful, we can still have a party," the Honorable Mother said.
"No, thank you," Kagura said turning away. She was done with this group.
"I think not, Mother."
"The day has been long," Chishiki said.
"It is best that we retire for the time being," Shinkō added.
"His Grace and I should be leaving," Masayoshi put in. Byakko didn't look like he had to be anywhere pressing.
"I do not think I can handle another party of yours, my lady," Kahi admitted.
"Such spoil-sports." She looked at the humans and two half demons. They looked emotionally drained. "Very well. I will have meals brought to your rooms shortly. Go and rest. This has been a long day."
Aside from Sesshoumaru and Kagura, the others left their hostess to mull things over by herself. The demon lord and wind demoness stayed just long enough to excuse themselves before going outside to the front courtyard. Kagura took a feather from her bun and prepared to transform it into her favored mode of transportation.
"Have you thought about where to go now?"
"No, I will simply go where the wind currents take me. Will you stay here?"
"I must, until all the guests are gone. I fear for my life otherwise." Sesshoumaru said it with a straight face, and Kagura knew he wasn't kidding. She laughed anyway and got onto her feather.
"Such a devoted son is to be commended."
"Hn. Should your path ever bring you back here, you are most welcome."
"Thank you." Kagura left, leaving the demon lord to watch her until she was out of sight.
"Are you truly going to let her get away?" his mother asked from behind him. He hated how stealthy she was.
"We will meet again," he answered.
"So sure of yourself. You do take after your father." Sesshoumaru made no comment to that, merely returned to the interior of the castle.
"Ah, well, plenty of other couples to put together," she mused. "What to do with myself now?"
"How about a vacation, my lady?" one of the guards asked hopefully. They could really use some quiet around here.
"A splendid idea," she beamed and returned to her chambers.
The guard in question could only sigh in relief and pray for the poor soul that got in her crosshairs while she was away. "At least it won't be here," he muttered.
He probably shouldn't have said that out loud.