Of This World And Yesterday
Piercing demons sing
Twisting hollow Hell
Burning blisters swell
Sharp cut aching breath
Choking scent of death
Grueling jaw-bone grind
Cursed by my own mind
(Your heart can't hear me)
-Delirium, Duende
Chapter 27- Revelations
It was not quite a river of souls, though in the spaces between towers, swirls and eddies could be seen, glowing streams of shining light that lit the dim grey world. They lit the outer walls of buildings, sending white light flickering upward in ghostly shades, catching on the reflective surfaces of glass.
On one of the loftier towers, the petite figure of Sailor Dreamweaver stood, her naginata in hand as she swept her eyes across the scene below, taking in the pockets of released Hoste. Buildings blocked her view of further areas, though to both sides of her, gleaming pockets against the ground hinted at a circular, if somewhat uneven, pattern. She had spent awhile- too long awhile- stopping at these points, hoping to press the removed crystallizations back into the owners bodies. Seeing the pale forms of soulless people lying on the street was an eerie sight, and she was glad that most had taken themselves indoors by now. The further she came to Mugen Academy's ruin, the fewer people she saw, now dwindled to none. Eventually, she had stumbled across the youkai-daimon hybrids. At first suspecting they were attacking the souls, she prepared herself to fight, still without an offensive. Even without that, she could defend. Wariness kept her from striking immediately at the first creature, an exotic looking, hairy spider. Though it was larger than she was, it ignored her entirely, legs moving rapidly along the street as it moved past her, ignoring the crystals.
She wondered why.
Not just why it ignored her, but it did not collect the Hoste, either. It seemed perfectly content to work its way along, legs stirring the crystals slightly and making them float around. If it wasn't attacking her, and was not attacking the people, then it seemed best to Dreamweaver to avoid picking a fight with something she wasn't sure she could defend against. It made most sense that if one of Karasu's hybrids was leaving the precious Hoste alone, then Karasu herself wanted it left in these pockets around the city. What she would do with the random power, Weaver had no idea. It would be useless to her uncollected, wouldn't it? Despite the reasoning, it settled badly on her mind, and she worried about leaving the Hoste exposed. Having one's soul out and floating around was not natural, and she didn't want to guess the consequences, though she knew they would be bad. Simply destroying them seemed like a waste.
Looking upward, there was still one spiraling cloud formation left, though the others had now unwound, coalescing into a newer, darker pattern in the sky, larger than the separate ones. The epicenter was a charcoal grey deepening to black, rumbling with the lightning energy held within, flickering and flashing. Though angry, the heaven looked as though it could crumble.
She had debated hard with herself deciding where to go. Inuyasha and Kagome said Mugen, and that would be where everyone was headed. Habit urged her to go find some of the others, to find Hotaru and Chibiusa, or find Ami and ask her opinion of the situation, and what the best course of action would be. Ami, though, did not need her help, being with the other Inner Senshi. Asking questions would slow them down.
She had almost gone to find Hotaru. The load of sad memories that hovered around her was heavy now, weighted darkly. And yet, there was no evidence of anything amiss, nothing around her but the void. Normalcy for everyone was different, some people carrying more sorrows than others, and Hotaru carried many. But Hotaru...she had grown stronger to carry the extra load, and Weaver determined it would take far too much to break her. She, like the others, would come to Mugen.
The distance to the next tower was considerable, and Weaver gauged the distance carefully. She wasn't used to leaping tall buildings in a single bound. Of course, she couldn't fly, though it'd be so much easier. The next building was the tallest in the area, and should give her a spectacular view from its apex, allowing her to confirm the circular pattern of Hoste crystal pockets, as well as be close enough and unobstructed enough to see Mugen. Only two other buildings in the area were as tall, and they were further away. Taking a couple steps back, she ran forward, launching herself into the air as she took a deep breath, sending a quick prayer to any kindly nearby air spirits to help her land safely.
She enjoyed the soaring feeling of going upward. Flight such as this was an extraordinary sensation, and despite the moment of danger, she allowed herself to revel in it, the weightless feeling accompanied with trepidation at the thought of falling. Never would she have dreamed of doing this before. Perhaps this magic was included as compensation for the responsibility of a senshi.
Glancing at the ground below, she watched the height increase as she aimed higher. Cars were still on the street below, and there was no motion indicating people. Glad it was empty, she looked upward again, coming up on her destination, and she felt the hard, jarring impact of her feet landing on the roof of the tower. She closed her eyes a moment and smiled furtively at her success, then stood and looked out across the expanse below her. As she expected, her new vantage point was better than the old one, and she could see the crescent of light from Hoste shining upward, winging the building just behind her. Turning to see the arch of brightness, Dreamweaver saw another thing, an airborne, firey figure coming in at a higher altitude, ignoring the drafts of wind at the building's height and running through the air on flame padded paws.
At first, Weaver was delighted to see Sailor Saturn perched on Kirara's back, stepping forward and beginning to raise a hand in greeting. Then the fact that it was Saturn on the firecat's back and not Sango or Miroku struck her, and her hand fell back to her side as Saturn steered Kirara downward for a landing, seeing the other senshi on the top of the tower.
The younger girl's face was solemn, drawn, melancholy somehow and distant, as though her actions were done automatically, acted out with a displaced calm. As she slid down from Kirara's back and patted her lightly on the shoulder in thanks, Weaver felt an aura flickering around her, reminiscent of darkness. She could not place it. It was not a thing to be placed, a sensation she had experienced before. Though its likeness was to that of a nightmare, of the despair that tinged a lonely dream, or of the desperation of seeing yourself doing something you hated. Sorrow, not fear or anger. It cloaked her and touched the air, though whatever caused the lingering traces were gone.
"I'm sorry, Saturn," Weaver apologized softly, lavender eyes gentle on the younger girl. She did not know what had happened, or how. Though she had checked and searched for a source of attack on her, there had been nothing to find. It made her feel clumsy and inexperienced, failing in her duty, while a moment before she had actually been enjoying the weightlessness of her leap. "Are you all right?"
Her hand slipped from Kirara's fur, and she drew a breath, preparing herself again and stepping away, going to stand by the ledge of the building. Over the Mugen Academy site, the unbound clouds had gathered again, now a deepening pitch. So small below them, she could faintly pick out the spire in the rubble's center, where Sailor Moon had stood several months ago to bring rebirth to the destroyed land. Always with the end....
A thermal draft of humid air rushed up along the high windows on the highest storey of the building, sending Saturn's straight hair flicking backward from her purple eyes. Quietly, she responded, "Sango-san is badly hurt, Miroku-sama with her. They allowed me to ask Kirara for a ride. I'm not sure where everyone else is, though we're all supposed to converge on Mugen."
"Inuyasha-kun and Kagome-san left before I did, and I stopped several times. They may be there already," Dreamweaver told her, half turning to see the firecat, who was watching them curiously. "If we hurry, we may make it there in a couple minutes."
"No."
Somehow, Weaver knew that Saturn would object, and was not surprised when she saw her close her eyes as though bracing herself to speak. Then she continued.
"When Mistress 9 fought with the senshi...Pluto, Neptune and Uranus established a triangular shield with their Talismans to contain the destruction that was coming from the battle. We stand on the Meioh Bank, where Pluto used her Garnet Orb. Those buildings there," she pointed, "on the Tenoh and Kaioh Banks of the Delta Triangle, where Uranus and Neptune stood. Eventually, their shield gave way, but not before containing the worst. We need to do the same, but it must hold against the Glaive."
Her hands were empty. Weaver saw that her hands were empty, unlike her own which held a halberd, an ebony shafted naginata. Shock did not register, but rather a profound acceptance. This was not a time to panic or pity, but to work and survive. They needed a shield to contain a blast of the Silence Glaive. Her own new defensive attack conjured a Dome, but it would not be large enough to encase the entire area, nor would it be able to resist that level of destructive power. It would need more strength lent to it, and though she was certain Saturn would be helping her, she felt more pieces began to fall into place of Karasu's plan.
A soul could be a powerful thing; the senshi fought with the magic of theirs. Though ordinary humans did not have magical abilities such as theirs, the energy generated of their passing could be great. Around them lay a patchy ring of souls, ready to be destroyed. The hybrid had not been there to attack them, but to be sure that they stayed where they were, untouched. Kagome and Inuyasha were on their way inside, with the Shikon no Tama. The simple memory of how that had influenced her ghost sent a ripple of fear down her spine, and she felt a sensation of coldness at the thought of the Glaive's power and Karasu's youki coming into contact with the cursed tama.
She wasn't sure how Karasu was planning on using the Glaive; Saturn, though, seemed certain she could, and that was proof enough for her. "The others will also have to help," Dreamweaver told Saturn, glancing downward at the shorter girl. The two of them had moved to the front ledge of the tower, and Weaver's naginata was between them.
"They're scattered. Each of those cloud formations was probably a point to fight at. Look," she acknowledged as the final one began to disintegrate. "The last is now finishing."
It unwound, loosing the final spool of clouds and letting the sky turn into black net. Thundering rumbles began to echo above them, booming hollowly in the otherwise silent air. They would have to know to add their own strength to the shield. The Inners. The Outers. Both combined to defend against a power they claimed as their own, wielded by the wrong pair of hands.
The two purple clad figures on top of the tall tower tightened their single-handed grips on the intricate shaft of the naginata, Dreamweaver's resting just slightly on top of Saturn's as they lifted the gleaming end upward as one. Two powers, stemming from the same source. Twin and yet different, pale lavender lined with deep violet. It was wordless, and silently the blade was raised.
It pierced the heaven, and from it came the mist.
Cresting the brow of the hill, Sailor Neptune saw the place she had been waiting for. It was a crux in the road, a three-way stop for cars where buildings rose several storeys into the air. The two senshi had been led on a chase through most of downtown, eventually realizing that Mimete was stalling. Coming upon several patches of glowing crystalized Hoste, they began to suspect why. They hadn't seen Mimete collecting it, but if there were other Witches out there, then it was reasonable to assume it was them, and there were more places nearby. They were through the crystal field in a flash, running swiftly in attempt to catch up to the orange haired kugutsu. There was no time to push crystals back into their owners. They would have to wait their turn.
Mimete was coasting ahead of her, playing, flying fast on the back of her mount, but still toying playfully with the single senshi behind her. Neptune wasn't sure if Mimete was being overconfident or was simply oblivious to the fact she and Uranus had split apart several blocks back, the other heading for a shortcut to make this place into a corral. With the low altitude Mimete was keeping, eventually she would be forced to come up to this crossroad, leaving her with three options: she could go right, she could go left, or she could go up. The chance of her standing and fighting seemed unlikely, judging on her current behavior.
Neptune was there to ensure that whichever direction she took, she would run into the awaiting Sailor Uranus. Now, reaching the hill's top, she looked ahead to the end of the street, eyes seeking out her partner. After a moment, a slight blur of motion caught her attention, and she saw Uranus heading upward, towards the roof of a righthand building to cover the skyward route as well. The familiar, thin glow of the Space Sword lit, and she tried to keep her attention on Mimete rather than Uranus. The Witch was twisted around in her seat, laughing delightedly at the teal haired senshi running along behind her, beginning to show signs of fatigue.
She stumbled a half step, catching herself but losing a stride. A new peal of cackles sounded from Mimete, just as Neptune hit the bottom of the hill. So busy laughing, the kugutsu failed to notice the smile form on her opponent's face and the familiar buildup of power around Neptune, a silent, invisible preparation.
"Deep Submerge!"
Busy turning her attention away from the senshi and to steering the eagle left, Mimete screeched as the large raptor bird shied away from the globe of water streaming along its left wingtip, smashing into the corner of the last building before the three way intersection. It exploded, saltwater storming out in all directions, shooting forward and forcing the bird to turn aside, sopping wet and struggling to stay afloat on the currents of wind. It flapped wide wings as Mimete clung on, trying to avoid the web of stoplight wires just below, several ripped apart from the salt spray.
"Space Sword Blaster!"
From where she stood on the ground, Neptune watched as Uranus leapt from the rooftop, kicking forward and throwing out her attack, slicing through the frantic kugutsu, still trying to recover from the sudden swerve and deluge.
"Submarine Reflection!"
Sailor Uranus landed gracefully as Neptune headed forward again, coming up underneath the remaining daimon. Already struggling, the second blast of watery energy sent it spiraling from the sky, crashing into the ground. It struggled a moment, then lay still.
Carefully, Neptune stepped back from the intersection. The remains of the kugutsu and daimon lay in the center of a saltwater pool, a torn wire from the streetlight dangling precariously close to the ground. The air had taken on a renewed chill, and looking skyward, she saw the final cloud formation spiral away into nothingness, joining the rest of the stormy heaven. Edging away, she returned her mirror to subspace, then glanced toward her partner. "Uranus?"
"I'm fine," came the reply as the tallest senshi stood and looked on the destruction. She frowned, then a disgusted expression crossed her face, causing her to turn away. "Stupid kugutsu. We should get going. We need to get to Mugen with everyone else."
The pair turned, taking the first steps of a run, until Neptune abruptly slowed her jog, then hesitated, looking beyond the buildings in front of them. In their chase, they'd left downtown, and the roofs were lower, no longer skyscrapers towering above. Here, a clearer view of the sky was available, and it revealed a sloping dome of grey mist, cascading from above and sweeping downward.
"Shimatta!" Uranus exclaimed as she noticed the wall as well, suddenly pushing forward with a burst of speed, Neptune on her heels. "Whatever that thing is, we need to get inside before it hits the ground!"
They ran, pressing ahead at full tilt. Before, fighting Mimete, they had kept up, hoping to find a way of taking her down. Simply throwing attacks ahead of them would do little good. As the kugutsu watched, she could evade and dodge from her position on the eagle's back. So they had split, forming a trap. Here, they used strength still reserved, rushing along the ground at faster, more urgent speeds.
The curtain wall dropped to the ground, and a last moment sprint from Uranus was too late. Both were trapped outside, and the senshi of the wind beat the field with a fist, cursing it. "What the hell is this thing? Some new trick from that bitch?"
Backing up a step, Neptune tilted back her head, looking up the smooth curve of the dome before them. It curved smoothly, gracefully to each side, encompassing the surrounding area, high enough to include the tallest buildings closer towards the downtown area. Judging by its height and breadth, it surrounded at least Juuban's downtown area, though possibly some portions outside of it. The solid mist still seemed to swirl on invisible winds, ghostly and opaque, leaving only a shadowed view of the inside. Grey and lavender colors merged and blended in the translucent wall, sparked with ribbons of deep violet and black.
Uranus was backing away a few steps, lifting a hand over her head and preparing to attack, in an attempt to breach the wall. "World Shaking!"
The golden, planetary shaped light impacted straight on, several lengths off to Neptune's side. Rather than breaking through or careening off, they watched, wide eyed, as the blast was absorbed, sticking to the outer wall and quickly drawn into it, sending spirals of gold to interlock with the weaving of purple shades.
"What the..." Uranus began, watching as her blast blended with the rest, though maintained its own distinct pattern in the misty surface.
There was a familiarity to it, though on a grander scale than before. Much larger in size and scope. Neptune raised an arm to ward off Uranus from trying another shot. A large, though stable, deflective curtain wall, a pale that fenced off what was a dangerous zone in the city?
"This is of Saturn," Neptune told Uranus, sending her a furtive glance before stepping close to the wall. It towered above her, and she followed its rising arch again until she was almost unsteady on her feet. "This is a Silence Wall."
Suspiciously, Uranus looked at it, shaking her head in disbelief. "It's so big...why would Saturn need to make one this size? And why keep us outside?"
"I don't know," Neptune replied, lips drawing into a fine line. Lightly, she reached out and placed her fingertips on its surface, closing her eyes and attempting to focus. It rippled, pooling outward and expanding, causing the flow of the mist to edge away and around her touch. Through the surface, she could feel the energy pulsing within, a heartbeat, slow yet steady, beating, sending power outward like a pulse. It tugged at her, pulling like a tide even as waves swept across the shore. That was what it reminded her of, a force pulling her in, urging her to join. But with her own element, she could feel twin powers calling a siren song, familiar and sad.
Slowly, almost dreamily, she opened her eyes, looking closely at the space before her. "It's calling." Neptune looked at Uranus steadily. "Saturn...Dreamweaver is there too...I can feel them in this. Both of them. They're calling."
Skeptically, Uranus looked between Neptune and the wall, a frown gracing her features. A Death Buster, with unknown powers, again at Mugen. She remembered the last battle with those from Tau Ceti. Of the failed triangular shield she, Neptune and Pluto had established, eventually crushed under the sheer weight of the destruction. It had been an attempt at a containment field, to withhold as much as possible. So she asked, "Like before?"
Neptune knew what Uranus was thinking, following her train of thoughts and nodding agreement. Three of them had been unable to contain Pharaoh 90...would the additions of Saturn and Weaver help to contain whatever it was Karasu was attempting? Saturn and Weaver would not make a shield unless it was needed, otherwise being a waste of time and energy. If the Princess was already inside, then their efforts would be best containing the chaos that could be unleashed.
She wondered what Karasu had that was so dangerous.
That alone worried her.
And as the troubled look in Uranus' eyes grew, she knew it worried her as well.
"Kaze no Kizu!"
A whirlwind was flung forward from the end of Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga, tracing along the path of a daimon-youkai's youki, breaking up the asphalt street and slicing the creature apart. Large, the hairy legged spider had been crawling along the side of a building when Inuyasha and Kagome came across it. Chasing it away from a display of glowing Hoste at Kagome's insistence, Inuyasha finished it quickly. They'd come across several caches of the displaced crystals, floating above and around their owners. At one point, it'd taken him several minutes to convince Kagome to leave them alone. There was no time now to be returning the Hoste to their owners, as much as they should. Reluctantly, Kagome acceded, and though they killed any of the hybrids they came across on their journey downtown, they did not stop again.
She rode on his back, hand tight on the bow she held. It felt warm and familiar, leaning against him and feeling the heat of his back against her, white hair streaming past her shoulder as she clung on. Though this was comforting and familiar, the lack of others with them was awkward, and she wished that Sango and Miroku were there with Kirara, alongside. She wondered how they were, what they were doing, if they were safe. Already, she'd used two arrows, finishing off one of the daimon on her own, though the quiver on her back remained full. They were running, Inuyasha leaping upward and gliding along every few steps, occasionally using one of the streetlamps to propel them higher and further, leaping up on them and kicking off.
This time, it was her world, her time, in danger. Abandoned cars and buildings rushed by as Inuyasha ran, and occasionally Kagome would see either a brave or foolish person looking out the window of one of the offices, stores or homes they ran past.
Seeing Inuyasha fire off a Kaze no Kizu here, and the resulting decimation of whatever was in its way, gave her a fuller appreciation of the strength of the attack. It was easy to think of it as strong. She'd seen it take out mountains. Here, she was glad he had not missed, and any aftershocks from whatever he hit were smaller and not taking out buildings.
And that was not even his strongest attack.
Bakuryuuha.
The full effect of that within this world...the destruction could be staggering. The Bakuryuuha turned a youkai's youki back on them, tearing the area to shreds in the process. Karasu was strong...she'd made herself that way over the centuries. This was Tokyo, downtown Juuban, not an empty canyon with a dragon to defeat. She hoped he wouldn't need it. If he did, then she knew he wouldn't hesitate. Karasu had to be removed. But at what price? Though hiding, there were people within these buildings, and they weren't safe.
Then, slowly, a coolness pressed a shiver down her spine, prickling her skin eerily and making her glance around, then, finally, up. A smooth dome was forming over their heads, translucent but clouded, arching high above over the tops of the towers.
Surprised, she rapped on Inuyasha's shoulder to get his attention. "Inuyasha! Stop! Look!"
"What?" he asked, skidding to a stop on the ground at Kagome's persistent whacking on his shoulder. "We're losing time!"
"I know, but look up!"
He too saw the dome above, solidifying as he watched. Frowning, he sniffed the still air, trying to sense anything the heavy air carried. Through the humidity, there was a trace of flowers that was not there before, of chrysanthemums and of the earth, merging with unshed rain from above. Otherwise, the place was silent, the ceiling of mist eerily quiet in the air. "It smells like Ukifune. And that Hotaru girl."
One of Kagome's hands tightened on the grip of her bow, while the other twined itself more tightly into the fabric of Inuyasha's red kimono. "It looks like the inside of the dome Dreamweaver created at school. I don't remember it completely, I was still in the doorway...but that's what it reminds me of."
With a shrug, Inuyasha lowered his head and braced himself to run again, taking off as Kagome brought herself back into a better riding position. "It's a hell of a lot bigger than her Dome from before. If that is her, why's she putting it up now? Shouldn't she and the Saturn kid be going to Mugen too?"
"You think both of them are making it?"
"Smells like them both. They smell kind of the same though, and the air here is weird. Smells bad a lot of the time from those car things," he replied, glancing from side to side and taking note of the abandoned vehicles. "They smell like flowers and dirt. Not bad, but flowers and dirt. That's what that thing smells like. Flowers and dirt."
A bit inelegant, Kagome thought to herself, but if the two of them smelled of the earth and of flowers, then she wouldn't be surprised. Informed as she was that Saturn was the planet of death, then for a person's scent to be of the groundsoil, she supposed it made sense. Though if Dreamweaver and Saturn were presumably combining their powers, the situation would have to be serious. She remembered comments that Saturn also had a kind of defensive wall- if they were combining their strengths of that, then they were probably trying to contain something. Why else make a dome this large? Over Mugen? Outside areas would be protected from whatever was inside...but the question was...what was inside? She wished she knew. It had to be strong in order for the two of them to be uniting their powers this way...were other senshi adding their powers? If they were, then....
Kagome bit her lip, not wanting to think about how bad whatever they were running into would be if all the senshi were combining their powers to contain it. The dome above may be for protection, but it also signified how grave the situation may be. She had to stop thinking this way. It was too negative. She and Inuyasha would be fine...the others were also on their way. Even if they weren't, they would fight on their own if they had to. She just hoped they could.
And still they ran on.
It took them only another minute to fall upon the place, following the spiraling of pitch black clouds storming overhead, rumbling darkly in the skies. Inuyasha stayed silent, not telling Kagome of the change in scent in the dome. He guessed that it was Weaver and Saturn at first, working together. Now, other familiar scents were layering on top of the flowers and dirt. First a saltwater smell, the smell of an ocean bay, stirred by a warm summer wind. Those were the first new scents that began to blend and merge with the first. Though, slowly, others were joining them. The other senshi were adding their power. A scent of sandalwood incense blended with a slightly metallic smell, slowly merging with the electrically charged scent of the wind during a thunderstorm, and of the sweet, freshwater rain from the clouds above. He recognized these as the scents of Neptune and Uranus, then Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Mercury, all permeating the air through the conjured wall of mist above. From many powers came one.
They all were creating it. It lacked the distinctive scents of Sailor Moon, Chibimoon and Tuxedo Kamen, and he suspected that they, like he and Kagome, were within the wall and not adding to it. It didn't matter. There was no time to wonder where they were or when they would arrive.
He and Kagome had reached Mugen Academy.
She sat on a single, jutting spire in the chaos of the debris at her feet. There was a single, lone woman who laid in wait, politely, legs tucked up against the pillar she sat upon, hands resting lightly in her lap. The pillar itself was dark, an obsidian spire with clear, sharp edges catching the brightness of the few crystals of Hoste that hovered lightly in the air below her. Karasu's ebony eyes were downcast, straight raven hair slanting forward around her pale cheeks as her fingertips followed the tracery of a long weapon she held delicately, gracefully and with reverence, smoothing over the long black shaft.
Inuyasha paused only long enough to drop Kagome off onto the street before leaping upward and drawing Tetsusaiga in one smooth arch.
"Kaze no Kizu!"
Her motion was small, hands lifting the weapon she held and straightening it out, so that the double bladed end rose into the air and sparked as the blast contacted it, doubling back. Inuyasha saw his own attack returning to him a moment too late, sending him crashing back to the ground. It was then that Karasu looked up from her ministrations to the halberd, eyes following to see where Inuyasha had landed. As Kagome ran to him, she allowed herself a small smile, and tilted her head to the side in a birdlike manner, lifting her hand to the air for Evermore to land. The black raven settled there, and as the two on the ground looked back up to her, they watched her stand on the pillar's small platform, folds of a black dress smoothing themselves around her and settling as she balanced the weapon before her.
She let out a nervous, high pitched laugh as the two of them returned to their feet, this time more warily. "You shouldn't charge into things so quickly, hanyou," she called with false levity down to them. Her words were light, but with a brittle edge beneath them, as though they could shatter. "That's a hard lesson to learn, patience. But it does pay off in the end."
Inuyasha kept Tetsusaiga drawn, watching her more carefully this time. Around her was a dark light, clashing wildly with the aura of the weapon she was holding in her hand. It was as though they struggled, sparking and crashing against each other, emitting a heavy smell of soil and decay. One came from her, the gross stink of something gone to rot. The other, from the weapon, oddly familiar. He had never seen Saturn's weapon before. But the smell was the same.
It seemed like ages ago now, but on the day after meeting the senshi, he had sat on the rooftop across the street from Kagome's school and listened as Dreamweaver told him of the senshi's powers and the weapons they wielded. The words echoed in his mind, in Weaver's light voice.
"Hotaru-chan struck me with her Silence Glaive....It is a Talisman, with the power to destroy a planet, if dropped...."
"Silence Glaive...."
The words rang loudly in the still air, and Karasu heard them. Settled on her shoulder, she scratched Evermore's neck with a nail, causing him to flap his ragged wings and caw contentedly. "Yes, hanyou. I'm surprised you recognized it so quickly. It's a lovely weapon, is it not?" Her eyes traced the blade, then down to the base of it, resting lightly against the dark crystal spire. "Well made, perfectly balanced, magical blade sharpened to a razor's point. It doesn't like me very much, you know," she added with a conspiratorial whisper. Then she raised her voice again, continuing, "If you know what it is, then do you know what it can do?"
Inuyasha growled, pushing Kagome behind him a bit more. He heard her reach for an arrow and nock it in her bow, preparing it to fly. He wasn't sure how much good one of her purifying arrows would do against the Glaive. Against Karasu's youki it might do some damage, but if she was using one of the senshi's powers, he didn't know how much good they would do. Her youki he could fight, turn it back against her. But Saturn wasn't a youkai. She and her weapon didn't emit youki for him to turn back. How much good would a Bakuryuuha do against the Silence Glaive? He could use the scent of their auras to find the cutting place of the Kaze no Kizu, but an aura was not youki. Could it turn it back? He wasn't sure he wanted to find out.
"It is a Talisman, with the power to destroy a planet, if dropped...."
Karasu's voice sounding again interrupted him from his thoughts. "I see you do. Then I suppose this would be a good time to ask: Have you reconsidered my suggestion at all?"
A snarl formed, and Kagome warily edged her way forward a bit more, trying to see his face. She kept her bow half drawn and ready, eyes flicking from the hanyou to the woman standing above them. "Inuyasha...you said she talked to you at school...what suggestion?"
His response was not to her, but to Karasu. "Go to hell!"
"Elegant response, hanyou, as always," she sniffed sarcastically, pursing her lips in distaste at his rude behavior. "You didn't ask her about what I said at all, did you? More's the pity."
On the ground, Kagome was looking at the side of Inuyasha's face, intent on what expression she could see. He was grimacing, though the look in his eyes was furious. "Inuyasha...what did she say to you?"
The response was harsh, abrupt and sharp. "She's babbling some shit about youkai being extinct, and humans killing millions of each other. She's out of her fucking mind."
Kagome drew in a breath, then watched Karasu closely. She was intent on them, watching out of sharp black eyes. This youkai had lived for over five hundred years, watching as youkai grew fewer and fewer, disappearing from the world. She was, quite possibly, one of the last. They didn't know much of anything about Karasu. Not how she did what she did, or why. If she was one of the last, finding Inuyasha must have set up an odd situation for her. Five hundred and fifty years ago, she came to a world populated not just with humans, but with youkai. She became a youkai, merging with one. Down the years, she had lived.
Lived, while others died.
She was alone.
Inuyasha, though hanyou, still carried youkai blood in him. They may have fought the last time they met, so many centuries ago, though if Karasu wanted others like her, then she may choose letting him live over killing him out of spite. She wanted him to join her.
The hybrids she formed...they were not just her army, but an ark. Survivors, to begin again. Youkai-daimon hybrids, like her. And over the course of years, she had seen youkai vanish and humans spread, to forget they ever existed, to fight each other instead.
Very, very softly she breathed: "Humans are dangerous in this time, Inuyasha. They could kill you."
The words were enough to take his eyes off of Karasu so that he could look at Kagome. Standing very still, she kept her bow drawn, though her gaze was towards the ground.
She was telling the truth. The crazy, youkai Magus woman was telling the truth?
Side with her, and live in a world full of crazy, youkai-daimon creatures, or protect the humans who possibly killed them off in the first place? All the worry about him and Shippou looking different from human, disguising themselves. He still had the Luna Pen inside his haori, tucked away. Look like everyone else, and you'll be fine. Be inhuman, and you'll be treated like you're inhuman.
Kagome was still standing beside him.
Kagome.
Miroku, Sango...Kaede-baaba.
Kikyou.
Kagome.
Humans, all humans.
Join Karasu, and kill the humans the way the humans had helped to kill off the youkai?
Inhuman. Even the word made it sound like being something else was bad.
He turned golden eyes back up to Karasu and repeated himself. "Go to hell!"
"Suit yourself," she shot back, voice taking a cold, razor's edge. "Join your human friends then." Black eyes flicked away from them and back up the street, where three figures could be seen, running swiftly. Two girls, one with long blonde hair streaming behind her, the other smaller and colored pink where the older was gold, slightly trailed by a tall young man dressed in black, a cloak flying wide behind him. "They have arrived," Karasu announced. "It's time to begin."
Omake!Omake!Omake!Omake!Omake!Omake!Omake!Omake!Omake!Omake!Omake!Omake!
They all were creating it. It lacked the distinctive scents of Sailor Moon, Chibimoon and Tuxedo Kamen, and he suspected that they, like he and Kagome, were within the wall and not adding to it. It didn't matter. There was no time to wonder where they were or when they would arrive.
He and Kagome had reached Mugen Academy.
There, on a single, jutting spire in the chaos of debris, stood a waiting figure wrapped in a white baboon pelt, obscuring the wearer's features.
Inuyasha and Kagome halted, staring in disbelief. Then, shocked, both shouted: "Naraku!?"
The figure began to cackle slightly. "Ku ku ku...."
Then Karasu whipped back the hood and grinned. "Scared you, didn't I?"
Inuyasha: Dammit, Karasu, that's not funny!
Karasu: What? I borrowed his kugutsu idea...why can't I borrow his fashion sense?
Inuyasha and Kagome: sweatdrops
Karasu: Ah, I guess you're right, fur is out this year....
Karasu actually does have better fashion sense than Naraku. A baboon pelt wearing character in this fanfiction...in a Sailormoon universe...what would that create? Sailor Baboon?
And now we really are at the end. Be prepared for the grand finale next chapter.
Til then.
~Queen
Coming up next, in Chapter 29: Apoptosis-
Before any of them could breathe a word, the Glaive was lifted to the air.
And then it fell.