3 of 3 Narakus' Last Endeavor Written by: Shawn Stone

Traveling through the forest was a long silver-haired youkai. Following close behind was a small reptilian youkai and a human girl who went by the name Rin. The silver-haired youkai (Sesshomaru) was dwelling upon the presence of evil in the air, he told his followers to keep close to him and to not trail behind. Rin was riding upon a two headed dragon, and the reptilian youkai (Jaken) was by Sesshomaru's side. Meanwhile, not too far away, Inuyasha and his friends were on the trail to see Bokusenou, the great tree demon. Inuyasha was pondering upon why his sword failed against Naraku's sword, and he wanted to know more about Ryuukotsusei and his father and their history. He had wondered who the monk was that had appeared before Naraku, and exactly whose spirit had sprung from his trident. He was confused and had so many questions. Since Mioga was unfamiliar with the situation, he was hoping that Bokusenou could answer them from him. They had come across a man who was running blindly through the forest. Inuyasha and his friends asked him if he was ok and what he was running from. Inuyasha jumped up into the trees above and took off in the direction in which the man came from. "Do you suppose we should follow?" said Miroku. "No, Inuyasha is much too fast and we've already lost him so let's just wait he for him to return," said Sango. The six friends Miroku, Sango, Kagome, Mioga, Kirara, and Shippo sat down to rest. They waited for Inuyasha. Kagome was laying on her back with her hands behind her head, staring up at the sky. Miroku sat with his legs crossed, with Sango lying in his lap. Mioga and Shippo were playing with and petting Kirara. Mioga jumped inside Kirara's fur and took a good suck of blood from her skin. The demon dog began to scratch herself, and Mioga fell out of her coat of fur. Kagome began to notice a large flock of birds. They were flying all in the same direction. Following close behind was a deep, dark cloud. Kagome sat up with a troubled look on her face. The 6 of them looked up at the sky. The cloud slowly rolled over the top of them, until it blocked the sun's light, covering the entire sky. The cloud disturbed the 6 of them. Inuyasha jumped out of nowhere and appeared before them. "What did you find Inuyasha?" asked Kagome. "It's funny, I can't pick up any evil scents, yet I still sense an ominous presence in the air," said Inuyasha. "Yes, I too since something very ominous in the air," said Miroku. "Well I guess that all we can do is keep our eyes peeled," said Inuyasha. "Let's move on." They finally came across the demon tree Bokusenou. Bokusenou was surprised to see that Inuyasha had actually came to speak with him. Inuyasha began to speak softly. "Surprised to see me Bokusenou?" he said. "Inuyasha, the younger of the great demon Inutaisho, what business have you with me?" said the tree. Inuyasha sat down with his legs and arms crossed. He looked off into the distance. "Tell me about Ryuukotsusei," he said. "Ryuukotsusei? Your fathers mortal enemy?" asked Bokusenou. Inuyasha explained everything that had occured during the battle between Ryuukotsusei and Naraku's sword in which the Tetsusaiga was too weak to defeat. "Ryuukotsusei was a strong dragon. All dragons are stronger than demons. However, since your father was such a strong and powerful demon, Ryuukotsusei and your father were nearly equal in power. That is why Ryuukotsusei defeated him, but sealed himself away in the process. Ryuukotsusei wanted his name to be known and he wanted to rule all of the land. He seen Inutaisho as a threat to him, since he already ruled much of the land. The monk that you seen must have had the spirit of Ryuukotsusei's first love entrapped in his trident. He must have known that his weapon and the one created from Ryuukotsusei would be useless against each other, and so that is why he chose to duel with Naraku," explained Bokusenou. "I see, but who was that lady, and how did she ever fall in love with a dragon, that's just ludicrous," asked Inuyasha. "Ryuukotsusei was not always a dragon. He used to be a mortal," said Bokusenou. "A mortal?" asked Inuyasha. "Yes, he wasn't evil at all until one day, a demon devoured and feasted upon his love and her soul. Ryuukotsusei was overcome by fear, anger, hate, and depression. This left a perfect opportunity for him to become possessed and that he did; He became doomed to be a dragon. He took all of his mournfulness out on others by devouring them. The spirit of the lady entrapped in that trident, must have been that of Ryuukotsusei's first love," explained Bokusenou. "I see, so because my father was defeated by Ryuukotsusei, the Tetsusaiga was unable to defeat a sword that was forged from him?" asked Inuyasha. "Correct," said Bokusenou. "A very troublesome story," spoke Miroku. Kagome was thinking to herself, "This must be hard for Inuyasha, his father whom he never really knew and his mother who was a mortal, I can't imagine what he is thinking as of now," she thought. The black cloud overhead was becoming darker; a cool breeze swept over the land. "Is it just me or is the temperature dropping?" asked Sango. "No you are not mistaken, something very cold and brutal is in the air," said Miroku. He looked up to the sky again. "Inuyasha, can you pick up any evil scents yet," he said. "No I can't really get a fragrance of anything right now," said Inuyasha. Deeper into the forest, Sesshomaru and his two followers were still making their way through the woodland. Sesshomaru looked up to the sky to notice the black cloud. He had a sneer look on his face. "Do not move," said Sesshomaru. Rin and Jaken stopped in their tracks. Sesshomaru took a few more steps then stopped to look at the trees in front of him. He sensed something evil nearby but he couldn't tell what it was nor could he tell where it was coming from. Suddenly a voice appeared from apparently nowhere. "Sesshomaru," said the voice. Sesshomaru was astonished that whom or whatever this voice was had fooled him. He saw some trees shake and then a large white figure came lurking out of them, landing in front of Sesshomaru flat on his feet. The figure stood up to reveal him self in a white baboon mask. "If it isn't my old friend Naraku," said Sesshomaru. The two specters stared at each other face to face. The figures stood still and silent for a few moments. Then Naraku reached inside his baboon cape, and pulled out an enormous sword from underneath it. The sword was huge, nearly 4 times the size of Sesshomaru s' "fierce-fighting god," the Toukijin. The sword measured maybe as wide as 2 feet, and was longer than Narakus' and Seshomarus' bodies stacked on top of each other and about twice the size of Inuyashas' Tetsusaiga, at roughly 10-12 feet long. Naraku's eyes grew wide and a large grin formed on is face. Sesshomaru kept the same smirk on his face but in his mind, he was stunned. He had never before seen such a massive sword in his lifetime. Naraku held the sword up at a diagonal angle. The sword was straight and it came to a curved point at the end. Naraku raised the blade and swung it at Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru jumped out of the swords' wrath and landed just behind Naraku. His poison claws began to glow, he swung his arm around attempting to chop off Naraku's head, but Naraku was gone in the blink of an eye. Sesshomaru was astonished. "How did he manage to escape me... His speed is great, possibly even greater than mine, and seems to be too powerful for me to keep up with," he thought to himself. Naraku laughed. Sesshomaru drew his Toukijin with a single arm. Naraku appeared from the trees with the sword drew back over his head. He soared down toward Sesshomaru, and the two swords met. Seshomaru was wielding the sword with a single hand, and he began to weaken. He was forced to use both of his arms and all of his might for the first time ever. He was overwhelmed. Never before had he been up against such a challenge. He held his sword horizontally while Naraku held his Vertically, pressing down hard onto the Toukijin. Sesshomaru felt air from behind him, he was being pushed back by the force of the sword. Sesshomaru and Naraku both jumped back. Sesshomaru had pondered at how Naraku had come by such a sword and how it was possible for him to wield such a weapon, for Sesshomaru now knew that Naraku was a hanyou. He could smell youkai blood flowing through Naraku but he also detected the scent of a mortal inside Naraku, making him a half- breed. "That sword of yours becomes more interesting by the minute, tell me Naraku, where did you receive it?" asked Sesshomaru. "Sesshomaru, have you not yet detected it?" asked Naraku. "Detected what?" asked Sesshomaru. "This sword was forged from the fangs of your father's mortal dragon enemy, Ryuukotsusei. I had forged two swords from his fangs, one that collected souls and used them to feed its' evil power, and the other, this one you see before you, "The Devil's Claw." People call it that because no sword is more powerful than it; because it is forged from a dragon fang and that fact that it is powered by the Sacred Shikon No Tama. The more shards of the Shikon Jewel embedded within it, the more powerful it becomes," explained Naraku. "No matter," said Sesshomaru. "You used me to rid of Inuyasha but put my life in danger at the same time. I now see that you have come to rid of me because I failed you at destroying Inuyasha, have you not?" asked Sesshomaru. "I have mastered the Toukijin to its' fullest and shall now use it to slay you," he said. "You fool. A dragon blade is mush stronger than that of a demon blade," said Naraku. They broke out into a sword fight. Off in the distance, Inuyasha and his followers were walking through the forest. They were traveling at reasonable speed. "It's Naraku, I can smell him!" yelled Inuyasha. He was rushing through the treetops while the rest followed on the ground. The black cloud overhead appeared darker and more menacing as they approached Naraku. "I wonder what kind of trouble Naraku is scheming this time," said Miroku. "Last time, he withdrew a powerful dragon blade that collected souls for its' power. I sure hope Inuyasha knows what he is getting himself into," he said. "That black cloud that appears darker and darker as we near Naraku, can only bestow what kind of trouble lies ahead." Meanwhile, Sesshomaru and Naraku were still caught in a melee of sword battle. They stood about 15 feet apart from one another, eyeing each other. They ran straight toward one another. Sesshomaru, instead of swinging his sword, attempted to use his poison claws to slice through Naraku's head. He missed as Naraku quickly darted out of the way, sliding past him and behind him. In a flash, he raised and drove his sword to where Sesshomaru stood. Sesshomaru quickly flitted around to block the sword. Again, he was pushed back by the force of the sword. This time, he was forced back nearly 20 feet from where he originally stood. Naraku stepped back, taking the sword with him. He arranged the sword so that its' tip aligned with Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru felt a strange force coming from his Toulegia. He looked down at the sword that he held in his hands. The evil aura that had once appeared when the sword had first been created, before it had chosen him as its' master, began to appear once more. Sesshomaru became very frustrated, not simply because he was upset by the fact that he was a hanzen youkai (perfect demon), and that he shouldn't be loosing to a hanyou, especially since he had never been in this type of situation before. But by the fact that he should have but had no idea as to what was going on. "Astounded Sesshomaru?" asked Naraku. "You forget, the Toulegia was forged from the fang of a demon in which whom was an incarnation of myself. Therefore I still possess some power over it. With a few more blows from the "Devils Claw," the aura will take over once again, and reject you as its' master," sneered Naraku. He leapt forward and began to rasp his sword rapidly against Sesshomarus' sword.
The evil aura of the Toulegia was growing stronger. Sesshomaru found him self in an intense situation, for he now knew his most precious blade, "The fierce-fighting god" in which he treasured and so well mastered would soon give in and be useless to him. Out of apparently nowhere, Inuyasha emerged. He had already drawn and morphed his Tetsusaiga. Sesshomaru was fierce with rage. He lobbed his sword around at Inuyasha. Inuyasha jumped into the air dodging the sword and landing safely on the ground. "Flee from this area Inuyasha, you are the least of my worries right now, I will deal with you later," said Sesshomaru. "Looks to me like you could use some help," said Inuyasha. They heard Kagome's voice from behind them. "Inuyasha, Naraku has a Shikon Jewel shard embedded in that weapon of his, I can see it. It's huge, it looks more like a large chunk of the jewel rather than a few shards," she screamed. "That blade is more devious than any I've ever seen," said Sango. "Yes, it appears that Naraku has really outdone himself this time. And look... the evil aura of the Toukijin has appeared again as it did when Kijimbo forged it!" said Miroku. "Sesshomaru I don't like you anymore than you like me. But can't we set aside our differences for just this once, and work as a team?" asked Inuyasha. "Your sword is simply to weak to use against Naraku's, but if we use the power of both of our swords, we might be able to defeat him," he said. "Little brother, bear in mind that one day I plan to slay you a bloody death, but the condition is vast," replied Sesshomaru. "Very well, I will allow your aide just this once, and we shall use the power of my Toukijin and your Tetsusaiga to defeat this crafty, audacious character. He's becoming quite the bother" Said Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha both jumped into the air. They both came back down exerting both of their swords down onto Naraku's. Naraku held his out parallel as its' length was enough to embrace both of their perpendicularly aligned swords. The Tetsusaiga and Toukijin both worked hard against the Devil's Claw. Naraku had a pungent smile on his face, he was extremely confident in himself. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha were side by side, ignoring one another for the first time in both of their lives. They both were very different but fighting together alongside one another they had a strong since of similarity. "Never before has Inuyasha and Sesshomaru worked together like this. I see now that they are indeed closely related, for their personality is not quite equal but in ways, they are the alike," said Miroku. Naraku's grip of his sword began to weaken. His adversaries' weapons were indeed taking effect upon his. The horizontally level sword was being pushed back toward him. Naraku grasped his blade tighter, and eventually pushed the two foes' weapons back off against his. "That sword of yours is undeniably powerful Naraku," murmured Sesshomaru. "I must have it for myself. Hand it over now and your life will be spared," he exquisitely said. "Fool," said Naraku. "Do you honestly think that someone such as yourself would be powerful enough to even wield this blade? The "Devil's Claw" is not to be taken lightly," he said. They were all three now floating in midair. They began to duke it out. Naraku went after each of them one by one. He flung his blade against Sesshomarus', then Inuyashas'. He was conveying great, hard, rapid blows against each of their swords, knocking them back by the force. This was giving Naraku enough time to fight them one at a time, making it easier on him. Inuyashas' sword was weakening and becoming duller and the evil aura of Sesshomarus' unceasingly grew stronger. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru became less secure about the power of Naraku's sword. Both of theirs' were tremendously powerful yet the power of them combined was seizing to overpower Narakus'. Naraku laughed a sinister laugh. "You two are pathetic. Your father made an unfortunate mistake when he decided to spawn of you two," said Naraku. His baleful smile remained tranquil. Inuyasha was filled with fury, but Sesshomaru remained his calm, devoted self. "Naraku lured his sword behind him to one side, and in a heartbeat, he knocked Inuyashas' sword from his possession. Inuyashas' sword was sent spinning into the air. It landed tip-first into the ground and deformed. Naraku ran toward Inuyasha. He detained his sword back over the top of his head. Sesshomaru wondered if he should stop Naraku or not. He had always dreamed of Inuyasha's demise, but no, he could not stand for it. If anyone was going to slay Inuyasha, he wanted the pleasure of it for him self. His sword appeared in front of Naraku's view, in between Inuyasha and the Devil's Claw. Naraku looked over. The only thing he saw was a pair of green-glowing claws heading straight for him followed by a sharp excruciating, pain. Naraku thought that he had been slain. But he soon came to find that he was only cut and not perforated. At that same moment, Inuyasha jumped up and scraped his claws across the "Devil's Claw". It cracked, but seized to brake. Sesshomaru was now watching and studying Inuyasha. "I recognize that scent," he thought to himself. "It is the same as it was before. He now knows no fear, he feels no pain, and will stop at nothing in defeating Naraku. The demon blood that he inherited from father has overcome him. I shall observe," he contemplated. "Oh no! Inuyasha has transformed!" shrieked Sango. "I really hate when this happens," said Kagome. She began to receive flashbacks of previous times when Inuyasha had transformed to his full-demon form. His face looked awful, as if it had been severely burnt or scarred. His eyes shimmered a flaming red. He once more swiped his claws all across the "Devil's Claw". The Devil's Claw commenced in pain, shaking and crying in an unhappy manner. Inuyasha veered his claws around the handle of the blade where Naraku held it. Naraku released the sword immediately, for his hands concerned great sorrow. Inuyasha, Sesshomaru, and the others noticed a dark twinkling light coming from the handle of the "Devil's Claw." They seen that Inuyashas' swipe was deep enough to cut open the handle and for the Jewel Shard embedded inside it to surface. The colossal sword shrunk before their eyes as the Tetsusaiga would for Inuyasha. "NOOO... with out the jewel I am with out power," howled Naraku. Sesshomaru spoke softly "Are you done yet? I am". Sesshomaru held his sword out straight with both hands. The evil aura had disappeared. "It seems I've regained total power over the sword," said Sesshomaru. He darted for Naraku, holding his sword out as if he were going to drive a nail through a wall. Naraku stood facing Sesshomaru with still a sneer look on his face. As soon as Sesshomaru was about to destroy Naraku, Naraku veered around and removing his baboon cape at the same time, revealed a large spider marking on his back. The Toukijin gave off a powerful vibe, but failed to slay him. The spider marking on his back protected him once more and he managed to escape with the jewel shard. Kagome screamed, "SIT BOY!" Inuyasha was leveled. When he got back up everyone could see that he was back to his old self. "I really wish that you would stop with that," he said. Sesshomaru had a puzzled look on his face. "So it is the words of a mortal that breaks him free of his transformation. How is it that a mortal can have so much power?" he pondered. "Where's Naraku, did we finish him off?" asked Inuyasha. "No he got away again," said Sango. "Inuyasha, Naraku sent your sword heaving into the air, and you transformed into a demon again. You were so angry that you used your powerful demon claws and split his swords' handle open, where the jewel shard was embedded. The jewel shard transpired, and the sword was rendered useless. Sesshomaru then took his Toulegia to Naraku but failed to slay him, because of that damned spider marking on his back. Consequently he managed to escape," said Miroku. Inuyasha was disappointed that Naraku had escaped once again. Sesshomaru sheathed his sword and so did Inuyasha. Sesshomaru spoke again, "I shall take my leave of you little brother. Seeing as I no longer need your aid, and I have nothing but hatred for you, It's better for me to not stick around." He stepped onto a cloud that appeared from seemingly nowhere and flew off into the distance. Inuyasha and his six friends stood on top of a hill, looking over the horizon. The dark cloud overhead had nearly completely dissipated. The wind was now blowing gently across the land, blustering their hair in a wavy fashion. "Naraku is so devious, I can't believe that he always manages to find a way to escape," said Shippo. "He has appeared before us once with a sword forged from Ryuukotsusei's fang, and this time before Sesshomaru. I surely hope that this is the last of Naraku's using Ryyukotsusei to try to claim victory for him self," murmured Mioga. "Yes I too hope that Naraku has finished his conniving acts with the power of that retched dragon Ryyuoktsusei," said Miroku. Kagome was thinking quietly to herself as she studied Inuyasha and his expressions, "Naraku keeps on bringing up old, painful memories for Inuyasha each time he does something like this. That can't be helping his skill to concentrate on fighting when Naraku is using Inuyashas' fathers' assassin as his weapon."

END OF CHAPTER 3