A/N: Thank you to the following for their reviews on the last chapter: corca1, "Guest," Mondtanz, and Dragon and Sword Master. Thanks to anyone who added this or its author to their lists. It's been quite a while, but like my other "In Progress" stories, it's time to finish this one.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Bleach and Inuyasha characters, mangas, animes, movies, etc. The belong by copyright laws to Tite Kubo et al, and Rumiko Takahashi et al, respectively.
Secrets Abound
Dogs Shouldn't Eat Spiders
The combined battle unit of Taishos, American youkai, Shinigami, and Ichigo's group had found positions throughout the park and had taken as much cover as possible. The cold night was damp, and it sunk into their bones. It wouldn't surprise anyone if they ended up with colds. White puffs floated around their heads while they waited, each more on edge as the minutes passed.
Ichigo shifted his feet, hand clenching as it ached to hold Zangetsu. His eyes searched the park in the dim light of lamps that were too dim to be of much use. "I don't like this," he whispered to Chad. "This Naraku dude should have been here by now," the daiko continued.
"Look," his friend said, pointing to a faint figure in the distance. Someone was approaching Gouyen. The man exuded arrogance and there was an evil aura swirling about him. He took no pains to hide his power, either believing it wasn't necessary or not caring if anyone discovered the truth about him.
"Finally."
They waited tensely while the demon empress exchanged pleasantries before trying to shift closer to hear what they were saying. One of their objectives was to find out just how close this new Naraku was to creating a new Shikon Jewel. "Rumors have reached us, Naraku," Gouyen said, her voice annoyed and worried.
"About?" the yakuza asked.
"The Taishos have discovered traitors in their midst. These traitors are planning on creating a new Shikon no Tama. Surely these shards that you have given my mate are not part of that scheme. We are their allies, and it would look suspicious if they were to be discovered. It's only a matter of time before they come to us and find out the truth."
"The Taishos have enjoyed too much power for too long. Soon they'll be nothing but an old story. It's time a new clan ruled the Land of the Rising Sun."
"Your clan?" the eagle youkai asked.
"It's best that you don't know the whole truth. Plausible deniability and all."
"Why are you here if you wish to rule Japan?"
"Out of sight, out of mind," Naraku said. "As long as they're chasing ghosts over there, they won't look here."
"You realize that another Shikon no Tama would bring calamity upon the lands."
"I do hope so, I really do. Humans have grown far too prevalent. They've covered the earth with their pollution and technology. It's time we took back what is rightfully ours."
"My mate will not stand idly by while you destroy his home."
"Worry, not, dear Gouyen. I have no intention of hurting this place. Once the jewel has been born again, I will leave and conquer Japan."
"It takes a great sacrifice and a great priestess to create one. There has been no report of a human with such power here."
"Ah, well, there you'd be wrong. There is a young lady who has quite a lot. It took some experimentation, but we finally figured out just who to use. All these shards that your mate has been using were only prototypes. Weaker priestesses from my homeland were used. Sadly, their souls were not enough to create the real thing."
"Destroying souls as well as lives? Do you wish to bring the Soul Society down on your head as well? You may be able to win against another demon clan, but the Shinigami too? I have heard that they take a very dim view of souls being destroyed. Something about the balance."
"The Shinigami are not powerful enough to stop me, even at my current level." Naraku flung back his head, mockery in his voice. "Let them try."
"Very well," Gouyen said, and her whole demeanor changed. "For your plot against human and demon kind, you are hereby sentenced to death." She summoned her lightening and prepared to strike.
Naraku laughed, not seeing the danger. "Do you think you're free of guilt? What will your friends say when they know what you have done? When they find out what you have allowed to happen under your watch?"
"We already know," Kagome cut in, appearing out of the gathering fog.
Ichigo and Chad took that as their cue to come out of hiding. They surrounded the demon, cutting off his ability to escape. "As does the Soul Society. You must think us pretty dumb," the daiko commented.
"What?" the yakuza asked in surprise, his eyes going wide with panic. He had not sensed any of the others.
"We have you surrounded, so you might as well come peacefully. Your fate's sealed. Pretty much the whole Taisho clan is here. Plus my friends and me. The Soul Society even allowed a captain to come along. She's in a pretty rotten mood so I wouldn't try to escape." Ichigo could feel Soi Fon's aggravation from where he stood. He didn't mention that he was considered captain-class.
"You're nothing but a human brat; who are you to order me around?"
"He is far more than he appears, Naraku," Kagome spat. The very name angered her. "I would advise you to go quietly as he said. My brother-in-law might kill you quickly rather than slowly, as he currently wishes. You see, the priestess that you had picked to sacrifice has the soul of his beloved daughter. That makes you his personal enemy. Sesshoumaru has learned compassion in the last five hundred years, but he does not forgive anyone who would harm those he considers under his protection."
Naraku blanched, knowing the dog demon's reputation well. "You'll have to kill me first before I let you take me to him."
"He's going to try to flee," Chad commented, recognizing the signs.
"Yup," Ichigo agreed. The demon bolted, trying to go above their heads instead of around. It would have been a good idea, if their friends and the others hadn't quietly crept up in the meantime.
In a surprise move, Naraku began to transform, his youki spilling out in a sickening swirl. Masks were quickly put on and moved to get a better position. Ichigo slipped Kon's pill under the mask and down his throat, wondering if he was going to be harmed by the sudden miasma in his soul form. "Get away from here, Kon," he ordered.
"Right!" the mod soul complied and fled deep within the park. He'd ask where they were later.
Naraku now stood before them as a giant spider. Towering above them about three stories, the demon was about half as wide. Grotesque markings littered his body and fangs that dripped venom were bared and ready to do damage. Scars crisscrossed Naraku's torso, showing that he had been in a lot of fights with other youkai over the years.
"Careful, it looks like he's both poisonous and venomous," Sango warned. She came abreast of them on Kirara's back. The nekomata was baring her own fangs and growling loudly.
"What's the difference?" Ichigo asked.
"I'll explain it to your small brain later," Ishida called, letting a barrage of arrows fly. Most of them hit their mark, releasing deadly miasma; and spiders. Lots and lots of spiders.
"Gross!" Kagome cried, pulling her bow string back. Her Sacred Arrow left a streak through the air, neutralizing the poisonous cloud around them. "Inuyasha, there's hundreds of them!"
"At least they're not tenacles!" her mate called back. Naraku, sensing the presence of a Taisho, shot silk out of his body, trying to imprison the half demon. "Ack!" Inuyasha gagged, spitting some of it out of his mouth. "Shippou, a little foxfire would be nice."
"A tad busy trying to kill the little ones, old man!" the kitsune shot back.
Ichigo swung Zangetsu, the force of his blade shredding the spider silk to pieces. "I think having all of us here is a little overkill, don't you?"
"Better too many, than not enough," Sango lectured. "Kuchiki-san, I believe your powers would end things quickly."
The daiko didn't know where Rukia, or Inoue were, but a cold rush of wind told him that she'd released Sode no Shirayuki. A brilliant white moon began to appear underneath Naraku. The inutachi, not knowing how wide the power would spread, made sure they were clear of the blast zone. The spider demon tried jumping away, only to freeze solid in midair.
Before Rukia could shatter the moon, a giant dog appeared and swallowed the frozen arachnid whole. Ichigo and his friends stared at Sesshoumaru's true form incredulously, both amazed at his size and confounded by the fact that he'd eaten Naraku. "Ew…" Orihime gagged, running up to the boys who were still staring. The small spiders had disappeared, their lives dependent on the larger youkai.
"I hate it when he does that," Inuyasha groused, wiping his Robe of the Fire Rat off. "You're going to get a stomachache, Sesshoumaru. That was some nasty stuff he was spewing."
"Won't that hurt him?" Orihime asked in worry.
"Not really. He's poisonous himself so as long as the poison he eats isn't stronger than his, he gets away with nothing but a stomachache at times. The venom might eat at his stomach a while though."
Sesshoumaru still towered over them, cleaning his mouth. A belch echoed in the night, eliciting a laugh from his family. Kirara had returned to her human form, and she glared up at him. "Manners, Sesshoumaru. If you're going to burp for the foreseeable future, it may be best for you to stay outside."
"That will not be possible," Soi Fon said, appearing next to them in a flash. "The city-wide memory modification will commence shortly."
The demon emperor shrunk, his human form a lot less noticeable. "We need to leave."
"Where did the eagles go?" Ichigo asked. He hadn't noticed Gouyen disappear.
"They provided some cover and have left already. They know not to stick around." Soi Fon gave them a quick nod and flash stepped away.
"Hn. I will meet with them later," Sesshoumaru decided, leading the way out of the park. Another bubble of gas passed his lips, the putrid odor making the others gag.
"You will walk back," Kirara decided. Gold eyes turned to glare, but more gas leaving his lips made the dog demon bow to her order. He made his way along the street, enjoying the alone time. Hopefully, he would be over this bout of indigestion soon. If he weren't, Kirara would never let him in the penthouse.
His family watched him leave, smirks turning into full-blown grins. "Thank you, Kirara. I was not looking forward to the ride back," Sango said, hugging her old friend.
"His father used to eat his enemies occasionally. He wasn't poisonous but had a stomach that usually could tolerate anything. Scooped up a demon once that made him belch and fart for days. I smelled it all the way in another province. That's how we met. I thought something needed to be put out of its misery."
"You never told us that," Kagome said, settling into a seat while her friend slid behind the wheel. Looking over her shoulder, the miko made sure everyone was on board before turning back.
"I have tried to forget. The dignity of the Western Lands suffered greatly because of that. Sesshoumaru's mother thought it was hysterical."
"She would," Ichigo muttered, earning him commiserating looks from other members of the inutachi. Obviously, they'd had similar encounters with the old dam that the teens had.
"Give you a fright, did she?" Inuyasha asked.
"Her sanity is questionable," Ishida answered for his friend.
"What sanity? Fairly sure she lost that about the time Inuyasha came along." Shippou commented.
"Hisana has always had a warped sense of humor. I hope that you were warned before arriving at the hotel."
"We were warned," Chad assured the nekomata.
"While we were landing," Rukia added.
"I think the wolf cubs were worse," Ichigo put in.
"Got saddle with the triplets, did you?" Miroku inquired, in complete sympathy. He hadn't had much to do during their fight with Naraku except to make sure the tiny spiders didn't spread beyond the fight radius. Orihime had helped in that regard.
"The boys were insulting, and the little girl tried to claim Kurosaki as her future mate. She even challenged Kuchiki-san to a duel."
"What did Ayame and Kouga say?"
"They wanted us to babysit again," Orihime said. She had called on her flowers to check everyone over while they returned to the penthouse.
"Tied them up, didn't you?" Inuyasha guessed. "Bout the only way to make them stay put."
"Inuyasha, I would not talk about them that way. We have our own troublemakers."
"Keh. Yeah, I know. The oldest, and the youngest." Shippou's parents shot him amused glances. The kitsune gazed back innocently, making his aunts and uncle chuckle.
"We met them too," Rukia told the Taishos. "An amusing duo."
"A barrel of laughs," Kirara snorted. "Sent them to Hisana as punishment, did you?"
"Sesshoumaru suggested it. The hotel needed help, and we needed them out of our hair." Kagome grinned.
"You may want to check on the hotel," Ichigo said. "It was still standing when we left, but I can't promise it's still there."
"Don't worry, kid," Inuyasha reassured. "We'd have heard if they'd done anything to cause it to collapse."
"Sure about that?"
"Sesshoumaru's not the only that can drool poisonous acid," the half demon shivered.
"Has she ever eaten anything she shouldn't have?" Ichigo was finding out more about this odd group of people now than he'd ever thought he would.
"Hisana is much too refined for that," Kirara told them, pulling into her parking garage. "However, she has been known to melt demons alive. You can always tell when someone's displeased her."
"Little piles of bubbling goo," Shippou said. "Always said she should wait until Halloween. No one would think twice if she dotted the lawn with them then." The kitsune grinned mischievously, earning groans from the people that had raised him. Ichigo and his friends exchanged looks and they all made mental notes not to piss the dog demoness off.
They rather liked being alive.