Author's Note: As I waited for my beta to hand me back my RK fics, I decided to write this one and hand it over to my other beta that wasn't so busy. I'm sorry for the long wait, but I haven't found that much inspiration to write much of anything so therefore I took a break from writing for a while. Now that I'm no longer lazy, I decided to write again!
Chapter Nine: The Battle
"Kouga, you need to slow down! The youkai ahead are going to stomp you to death!" shouted Ginta when the three wolf demons reached the edge of the Sacred Forest of Demons.
Ginta and Hakkaku had been following Kouga for what seemed like hours with their worn feet, but luckily for them each entrance to the forest was being bombarded by hundreds of demons. Due to the numerous amounts of creatures, they had no choice but to stop. But the moment that there was an opening, Kouga had rushed into the crowd to try and destroy the barrier.
"Lord Kouga has gone crazy," said Hakkaku as the two wolves moved backwards so that they wouldn't be squished by the other demons.
Going through the crowd of youkai was like crossing across a large river that was moving a thousand miles an hour; they would most definitely die if they even got close to the current.
"He's been crazy ever since he met Lady Kagome! What do we do now?" asked Ginta as he looked over at his companion.
Hakkaku dropped down to the ground and sighed.
"I guess we'll just have to wait. It's not like we can do anything, anyways."
Ginta only shook his head before staring into the hoard of demons that was either moving forward towards the ocean of youkai ahead, or ramming against the barriers which were closest to them.
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"W-wait…you…foolish…creatures…" gasped the frog demon as he slowed to a walk after chasing the human and dragon for half an hour.
Slowing to a complete stop, Jaken leaned against his staff and moved the other hand on his knee as he tried to catch his breath. The youkai snarled when he heard the laughter of the human brat that he was supposed to look after flow through the air.
"Ah-Un, stop! We're leaving behind Jaken!" Rin's voice shouted.
"Oh, so now she realizes that they left me behind," mumbled Jaken darkly as he looked up and saw that the two headed dragon was flying back towards him.
"You looked tired Jaken, do you want to ride on Ah-Un too?" asked Rin from her seat on the dragons' back.
"Why…you…" began Jaken as he stood up and glared at her, but in the end he sighed and bent his head before walking over to her; he knew that he couldn't beat her.
"There's a great view from up there, Jaken! Rin saw lots of demons up there, and Rin saw many bugs in the sky too!" squealed Rin happily once they took off.
"You saw what?" demanded Jaken as he looked up at the girl that was seated in front of him.
Suddenly, his face twisted into horror as he realized just where they were headed too. They were going to the Sacred Forest of Demons; where Lord Sesshoumaru was!
"Rin said that Rin saw demons!" repeated Rin as she turned her head so that she could see the face of the green frog. She only blinked in confusion when she saw the terror in the youkai's face. "Is Jaken alright?"
"I'm fine you insolent human!" snapped Jaken as he was taken away from his thoughts.
Looking down after a few minutes, he gulped when he saw the mass collection of demons in a single area and noticed that even more were coming.
"Rin's sorry if Rin…" began the small girl, but was cut off when Jaken practically screamed his head off.
"Inuyasha's friends," shouted Jaken as he pointed ahead.
Turning her head forward again, Rin realized that there was a large cat-like creature flying right in front of them. A few more meters and they'd be side by side.
"Konnichiwa!" shouted Rin happily as she waved her hands at them.
"What are you doing? Those people are our enemies!" hissed Jaken, but nearly jumped out of his skin when the group of humans turned their heads to face the person that shouted out to them.
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The hanyou followed warily behind Kagome as they moved confidently through the thick trees that would lead them right towards the large gathering of enraged creatures. He was beginning to feel guilty for yelling at her before and the silence between them was becoming unbearable. Her words from earlier just got him even more confused! What did she want from him? Why the hell did woman have to be so damn complicated?
Sighing, Inuyasha had fallen behind without knowing it and snapped out of it once he heard Kagome's voice yelling at him, "Inuyasha, hurry up!"
"I'm coming woman," snapped Inuyasha as he picked up his pace so that he was right beside the other hanyou.
"We better start moving from branch to branch; we're about to catch up to a group of youkai that aren't that pleased," said Kagome, ignoring the angry half demon beside her.
Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha followed after her as she jumped onto the highest branch that she could get to.
"Kagome," said Inuyasha after the guilt began to gnaw at him to the brink of insanity.
"Yes?" Kagome didn't even look back at him as they moved on ahead.
"What the hell do you want me to do?" asked Inuyasha angrily, unable to control the sudden rage that was filling him when he realized that she was barely even paying attention to him. Here he was trying to make things up to her, and she goes and ignores him!
Inuyasha stopped abruptly when he nearly smashed right into Kagome's back when she didn't move on. The hanyou leaned back a bit on the branch when she turned around and glared at him with her amber colored orbs that were filled with resentment.
"This is what I meant back there! You're always so mean to me! Don't you even think about other's feelings? The moment that you open your mouth nothing comes out but hurtful words and they really do hurt Inuyasha. I'm tired of seeing you act like a jerk! Can't you for once just act like you have at least some common courtesy?" asked Kagome as tears threatened to fall, but were forced back in by stubbornness and pride.
"I-I…" began Inuyasha in shock and mentally cursed as he realized that he couldn't find anything to say. She had been so straightforward that it left him in complete utter astonishment.
"I knew that you wouldn't understand," whispered Kagome as she turned around from him and raced towards Naraku.
Speechless, Inuyasha could only follow her.
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The Lord of the Western Lands watched with observant eyes from a tall tree that overlooked the Sacred Forest of the Demons. His golden eyes scanned the area as he looked for an opening. There was no point in racing into something without a plan, and he was going to make sure that when he entered the forest he was going to be able to get back at the half breed within. No one messes with Sesshoumaru, the Lord of the Western Lands, and gets away with it. He was going to make Naraku suffer for betraying him.
Sesshoumaru wrinkled his nose as the scent of a certain wind demon caught his attention.
"What do you want?" demanded Sesshoumaru as he saw Kagura approaching him on her large feather.
"To help you get back at Naraku," spoke Kagura truthfully as she moved within a few meters of the dog demon and was sure that none of Naraku's pets would be able to hear her.
"Why would you want to help me?" asked Sesshoumaru as he looked at her suspiciously.
"So that the demonic balance will be restored," said Kagura with a grin on her doll-like face.
"The truth, youkai," said Sesshoumaru darkly as his voice dropped a few octaves.
Kagura scowled at him, but then smirked at his brilliancy.
"To get rid of Naraku and set myself free from his grasp," said Kagura honestly as she moved closer to the demon.
Sesshoumaru looked over Naraku's offspring through his dangerously narrowed eyes, before speaking, "How do you plan to help me without Naraku killing you first?"
Kagura grinned at that, "What Naraku doesn't know won't hurt him until it's too late."
The Lord of the Western Lands looked down at the sword that been wielded from one of Naraku's offspring before looking back at Kagura.
"Toukijin will be all that I need to break through his barrier and defeat that scum of a creature." Sesshoumaru drew out the sword that began to pulsate with power.
Kagura kept in a scowl before straightening up again.
"Fine, but if you want to break through the barrier then you'll have to cut from the top to the bottom of the barrier so the entire thing will be destroyed. If you look up to where the Saimyoushou are, you'll see that they can get through the barrier no problem due to the fact that they're flying higher than the barrier expected," informed Kagura as she flew beside the youkai but made sure to keep her distance.
Sesshoumaru looked up and narrowed his eyes when he saw a certain two-head dragon and the occupants riding on it. His amber eyes slowly turned red when he saw another group of creatures heading right towards them.
Before Kagura could tell him anything else, Sesshoumaru was gone.
"He could have at least said thanks," muttered Kagura under her breath as she flew off away from the forest so that no one would suspect her for coming back too soon without Sesshoumaru's head.
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"Did you hear that?" asked Shippo as he heard someone yell at them.
Turning around, the group could only stare as they recognized the little girl and frog demon that were on the back of a certain youkai's dragon.
"I-is that...?" began Shippo as he clung onto Miroku's shoulder.
"That's Lord Sesshoumaru's creature! If it's here…then that means…." Myouga crawled behind Kirara's ear as he looked around frantically for the dog demon.
"Sesshoumaru's here?" asked Sango as she looked around and held onto Hiraikotsu just in case the youkai decided to pop up out of no where and slit their throats.
"I'm surprised that that young girl is still with him," said Miroku when he realized that Rin was the one that had called out to them.
"Forget about her! Look down there!" shouted Shippo as he shook Miroku so that he would look down at the commotion near the entrance of the forest.
Miroku clenched his staff tighter when he realized that something akin to an octopus draped in a baboon costume was slashing at the demons nearby and easily killing them all. Each time a youkai came in contact with a tentacle it was either dissolved or sucked right into it. The more demons that it devoured or killed seemed to make it grow larger and stronger.
"One of Naraku's puppets no doubt," said Sango as they watched as the number of demons outside the forest begin to decrease.
"Stay back!" shouted Miroku as he noticed that Rin and Jaken were heading closer to the forest and themselves.
"You have no right to tell us what to do!" shouted Jaken enraged as he shook his wooden staff at the monk when they got within a few feet from each other.
"You must turn around, Naraku will…" began Miroku but was cut off when a sliver of silver went in between Kirara and the two dragons, causing the two creatures to back away from each other.
"What the…? Sesshoumaru!" cried Sango as she looked down and saw the youkai landing on the ground smoothly.
"He saved us!" cried Shippo in shock as he pointed to one of the purple tentacles that had fallen right beside the dog demon.
"That means that Naraku's puppet is going to try and attack us…. Fly away before you get injured," warned Miroku as Kirara began to descend straight for Naraku's puppet.
"What about Lord…" began Rin but couldn't finish because Ah-Un had flown back the way that they had came.
Looking down at her Lord, Rin whispered, "Be careful Sesshoumaru-sama."
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"Ha! You can't get me that easily Naraku!" yelled Kouga has he dodged all of the tentacles that lashed out at him. He had managed to get to the beginning of the flood of demons and was one of the demons that were left after Naraku decided to show up and stop them from getting through the barrier.
With the aid of the Shikon Shards in his legs, Kouga had managed to get away from the deadly purple arms that were swinging at him and the other demons that managed to get closer. He growled in disgust as he noticed that some of the youkai were falling back.
"Damn bastards! They only care for themselves," growled Kouga as he barely jumped away from being scratched by one of Naraku's limbs.
'Where are you Kagome? That mutt should have already gotten here…unless that other hanyou he was with decided to stop him!' Kouga lashed out at the closest tentacle with a claw when anger began to boil up on him. If anything happened to Kagome because of Inuyasha caring for someone else more…that hanyou was going to get it when he saw them again!
The wolf demon jumped back in shock when he saw the tentacle regenerate and come after him again. In his state he didn't manage to get out of the way quick enough to dodge the arm as it hit him. His now injured body skidded across the graveled ground that was already soaked in blood. The new scars on his body burning as it mixed with the tainted ground, causing the demon to scream out in pain.
"Damn you Naraku," hissed Kouga as he managed to get back on his feet, but barely got out of the way as another arm attacked him and ended up piercing the body of two demons that were right behind him.
Breaths coming in rigid gasps, Kouga forced himself to stand still as he made to attack another arm. Before he could strike, another tentacle came from the right and was about to penetrate his body when an arrow engulfed in a large violet light struck and dissolved the arm right before his eyes.
The demon fell on his bottom from surprise and turned around to see the same female hanyou from before.
"Iron Reaper, Soul Stealer!" Kouga's eyes widen when he saw Inuyasha standing between him and one of Naraku's tentacles that had been cut into pieces by the hanyou's attack.
"Are you going to just sit on your behind all day, or are you going to stand up and help us defeat this puppet you wimpy wolf?" snapped Inuyasha as he turned his head slightly to smirk at Kouga's state.
"Who are you calling a wimpy wolf, you dog turd?" demanded Kouga as he quickly stood up and narrowed his eyes at the half breed.
"Inuyasha!" the female hanyou's voiced penetrated their argument and luckily for them they managed to get out of the way before another three arms headed straight for them.
"Who's the other hanyou, dog face?" demanded Kouga as the two landed next to each other and a few meters away from Kagome.
"I told you before; it's none of your damn business!" Inuyasha snapped.
The two shot daggers at each other until they leapt up to avoid getting swapped by another one of Naraku's arms that had a group of youkai, which had already been dragged, with it as well.
"Where's your other sword?" asked Kouga when they once again landed on the ground.
"Don't you ever mind your own freaking business?" shot back Inuyasha coldly as they maneuvered away from the mass of youkai that was slowly building the tentacles that were flying around all over the place.
"Hiraikotsu!"
Inuyasha and Kagome exchanged glances as the large boomerang came ripping through the air and attacking the Saimyoushou that were redirecting their courses towards the three that were attacking Naraku's puppet. The two hanyous jumped together, with Kagome behind Inuyasha, as Sango and Miroku jumped off of Kirara and raced over to them after dodging the puppet's strikes.
"Inuyasha, your sword," said Sango as she threw the half demon Tetsusaiga.
The hanyou easily caught the sword and grinned as he felt the light weight of it in his arms. Throwing the katana that he had picked up earlier on the ground, Inuyasha placed the sheath back in its rightful place at his hip.
"Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru is nearby," warned Miroku as they all managed to get beside Inuyasha.
"Where's Kagome?" asked Shippo as he clung to Miroku's shoulder and looked around for his mother-like figure.
"Kagome…" began Inuyasha but was cut off by Miroku.
"Who's that behind you?" demanded the monk as he spotted something behind the hanyou.
"I'd like to know too," said Kouga as they all approached Inuyasha but turned around when they heard a loud growl of pain from behind them.
"Sesshoumaru," said Inuyasha almost relieved yet angered as he saw his brother slashing right through Naraku's puppet using his pulsating sword.
Soon enough, Naraku's puppet vanished, leaving behind what looked like a wooden toy. The only problem was that their group and Sesshoumaru were the only ones left in the area; the other youkai had either been killed or ran off.
"Let's go," whispered Kagome as she moved her hand in the other hanyou's and squeezed.
"Inuyasha, you didn't answer…" started Shippo, but fumed when he saw that Inuyasha and the creature behind him were both gone.
"Where did…" began Sango, but stopped when she realized that Kouga was already bounding into the Sacred Forest of Demons behind Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru.
"We have to follow!" shouted Shippo as he jumped off the monk's shoulder and raced for the barrier of the forest.
"You'll have to go on your own with Myouga and Kirara, Miroku and I can't follow you," said Sango as Kirara picked up Shippo onto her back as well as Myouga that was already hanging onto her forehead.
"Good luck you three! Find Inuyasha!" shouted Miroku as the three vanished into the forest.
"I just hope that they'll be alright," said Sango as she looked after their vanishing forms.
"Let us pray together…" Miroku mindlessly placed a hand on Sango's bottom and retrieved a nasty slap in the face for it.
"Can you not be a pervert for just a second, houshi-sama?" snapped Sango as she glared at him.
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The sound of laughter bounced off the trees as Naraku watched his insects gather the sap from the trees before landing into what looked like a large black pot that barely reached the very top leaves of the tall trees surrounding it. As soon as the youkai landed they slowly began depositing the sap that they had collected into the pot.
"Naraku, most of the demons have already been discarded of," spoke Kanna as she appeared beside him on a branch, her mirror held calmly in her hands.
The two fell into silence as they watched the Saimyoushou fill up the vessel with the golden sap of the trees for a few seconds.
Just as the two began to get comfortable, Naraku spoke evenly as he laughed.
"The youkai have finally been disposed of. Great work Kanna. Once the Saimyoushou have gathered the energy of a few more trees I'll be invincible! The Shikon no Tama will be as good as mine! And finally I'll be able to become a true youkai!"
"There's no way that you're going to get all of the Shikon no Tama, not as long as I stand in your way Naraku!" A voice growled out from the trees nearby.
Naraku suddenly turned his head towards the sound of the voice and sensed that more than one creature was coming their way, and narrowed his eyes when he realized that his barrier had been broken.
'Kagura…I should have known that she'd fail…' Naraku thought darkly as he sensed his worse enemy heading that way as well as his brother.
He grinned darkly as he saw a familiar hanyou headed straight towards him with someone trailing right behind him.
"So you've arrived Inuyasha," stated Naraku as he stood up from his position between the tree roots to greet his foe.
"You beat Sesshoumaru here," spoke up Kanna, a bit surprised, from behind her master.
"It wouldn't matter who got here first, you're still going down, Naraku," scowled Inuyasha as he let go of Kagome's hand and unsheathed Tetsusaiga so that it grew to its true form.
'So it seems that Inuyasha's powers have gotten stronger…. There's something familiar about that other hanyou.' Naraku thought as he recoiled back from Inuyasha's head on attack.
Naraku's eyes widened for a minute as he realized just who the other being was when an arrow, surrounded by a dark pink glow, hit him right in the chest; pinning him to the black pot that began to leak of the gold sap due to the newly made hole from Kagome's arrow.
The crack created from the pure arrow slowly began to move upward and downward until the entire pot began to crumble. A shattering sound echoed through the entire forest as the honey colored liquid began flowing out of the black kettle like a giant wave.
Naraku's laugh was the last thing that anyone in the forest heard before they were drowned in the golden sap of the trees from the Sacred Forest of the Demons.
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A/N: I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter, and when Naraku laughs we all know it's not the end!