Act XVII: The Final Encounter
"An epic battle between two superb superpowers. This battle, this war, this fight, over five-hundred years in the making. Start."
Inu-Yasha and Yu flew forth with amazing force and pulled their 'Tetsusaiga's as one another. The force created a burst of wind that scattered the papers flying all around them while the Scrye watched on. The sheer energy of these two could be felt so strongly, that it could have been used to light a christmas tree.
Intensity burned in their eyes as they glared at one another as their crash halted. Inu-Yasha flipped his hair back and stared menacingly at Yu who ran her fingers through her hair a couple of times and smirked. It was as if an unspoken argument was happening as the two just stood there for several moments.
"Do you wish for me to make this painless Inu-Yasha?" Yu said raising her blade up to her face. "Or would you prefer to die a slow antagonizing death?"
Inu-Yasha scoffed at the threat. "Yu, everytime we've met you've had some sort of advantage, your bodyguard, Kikyo, infinate power, but now were on equal terms." He swiped at the air and readied for battle. "And now I can prove I'm a hell of a lot better than you."
The two bolted at one another again, the crisp 'TWANG' of their blades rang out through the emptyness as they collided and stood toe to toe. The power seemed to engulf them at the pages of paper swirled around in a vortex all around. Time seemed to stand still as the two stood unrelenting.
Inu-Yasha pressed on as hard as he could, his force just barely pushing Yu back. She didn't seem worried though as she smiled and locked eyes with him. He couldn't understand it, but then suddenly did as Yu's free hand pressed against his gut. "MAJOR CRUSH!"
A blast of energy pierced Inu-Yasha's stomach and threw him back as Yu flexed her hand now covered in blood. He touched his wound and recoiled from the pain as he could feel it had nearly gone through. "You were blocking my sword with only one hand? There's no way you're that powerful."
"Believe it half-breed. I am a full demon and far superior to you." Yu snickered. "My demon blood runs unrelenting from your own. There is no way you'll be able to match my power."
Inu-Yasha jammed the 'Tetsusaiga' in the ground and pulled himself to his feet. Releasing the blade he took a few steps forward, hearing the 'hiss' of the sword turning back to normal. "Man, if Myoga were here he'd be yelling for me to pick up the 'Tetsusaiga'. But what's the point? If Yu can match it's power, then my only chance is to fight her without it."
"What's this? You wish to fight me unarmed?" Yu said mockingly. She tossed her sword aside uncaringly and took a step forward "Then I shall join you. Let us continue."
Inu-Yasha ripped at the air before him while Yu dodged effortlessly on the spot. Yu swiftly jabbed at the open wound, and with a single blow sent Inu-Yasha to his knees clutching his gut. Then, callously, the booted him in the head and knocked him to the ground.
Blood pooled around Inu-Yasha's body as he struggled to regain his footing. His feet slipped in the puddle below him and left him holding his stomach on his knees once more.
Yu looked on and laughed. "Yes! I have done it!" She cried taking a few steps forward "I have defeated my own ancestor! I have proven myself superior!"
"Don't count on it. BLADES OF BLOOD!"
Inu-Yasha's razor sharp claws of blood cut through the air as Yu struggled to avoid being hacked into hundreds of pieces. There was a burst of smoke and a scream as Inu-Yasha got back up and watched on, both hands covered in blood, but one holding his gouge.
"You…you…you…" Yu's voice whimpered out from the cloud as the dust settled and she lurched towards him, cuts and gouges all over her body, oozing blood from them. "I can't believe you've done this to me…" She limped forward, finally exposing the major damage. Yu's torso was cut on both sides, nearly to the center, but just enough to hold her together.
She gripped at both wounds and fell to her knees, bloody and hacked up. One cut ran just a few inches from her left eye, chopping off a length of her hair. She moaned in pain as the sudden realization that she was not almighty sank in to her.
"How do you like it now Yu?" Inu-Yasha said, a smile on his face to see Yu hurt for a change. "You like to see people suffer? You nearly destroyed Miroku and laid waste to my hometown. You killed Kagome and used Kikyo for your own selfish gains. And you now thing you can just dismiss me after everthing you've done. No. That's not thw way this is going to work."
Yu struggled to her feet and looked at Inu-Yasha, her hatred and contempt growing by the second. She put out both hands to which Inu-Yasha shielded himself "BLACK BLAZE!"
A burst of black fire shot from her palms, swept over Inu-Yasha and razed nearly a good portion of where the two fought. Yu watched on and took in a sadistic glee as Inu-Yasha seemed to burn on the spot as he shielded himself.The fire calmed down and Inu-Yasha knelt half ablaze in the ashen area. Such burns seemed to sting down to the very soul.
"Goddamn! What is this?!" he yelled struggling to bat out the flames. The fire however spread to his hand causing an excrutiating pain that caused him to cry out. The black blaze continued to spread over him as he tried in a futile attempt to put them out.
"Not a fan of my 'Black Blaze'?" Yu said mockingly "It was the least I could do to pay you back for hacking me up. And by the way, there's no use trying to put the fire out. Those flames will burn and burn until there's nothing left of you but a pile of demon ash and a clump of white hair." She smiled as he watched his struggle and took a step forward.
"Won't go out huh?" Inu-Yasha said as he watched his body burn "Then I'll just have to use this to my advantage."
Forcing himself through the pain, he shot forward at the unsuspecting Yu who saw what was going on only too late. Inu-Yasha grabbed hold of her and jammed his blazing forearm into her side wounds. Yu screamed out in pain as the black fire instantly caught to her waist and burned away at her body.
Inu-Yasha sprang back as he watched Yu struggle with the sudden pain, then with one hand, swept the fire from her body. Inu-Yasha's burns instantaniously went out as well. "Just as I suspected. You're the only one who can snuff the fire."
Yu grabbed at her cindered body and glared darkly at Inu-Yasha. "I'm just getting warmed up."
&
The Scrye sat at his table and watched on as the two seemed to stand at a stalemate. His pen stood jammed into his table with the paper he had set."Such raw energy they fight with. It's a shame they have to fight." He sighed "I wish I didn't look like the bad guy here. I really have no choice. Those two decided to meddle with matters they shouldn't have, though I must applaude Inu-Yasha for trying to use this dimention for a noble deed."
He reached behind the desk and pulled out a large book which he slammed on the desk. "If memory serves…" he whispered thumbing through the pages quickly coming to the end. "He's the only one who's tried for an unselfish cause. But reguardless, the two must fight to determine the fate of time."
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Yu brushed of her hands and flexed her wrists. "I hope you're ready half-breed. The real battle is about to be waged."
"Yeah yeah." Inu-Yasha taunted back. "I've gotten better threats from people who must have been three times the fighter you are, and I gotta tell you, noe of them have lived to tell the tale."
"Fine then, I'll just have to show you I'm not all talk!"
Yu was first to bolt at Inu-Yasha, but he quickly shot back and the two met in a collision that seemed to rattle the world. The ground shook and quaked beneath their feet as they stood in a test of strength from which neither of them would ever surrender. Their demonic aura seemed to swirl around the pair as they stood waiting for the other to show a moment of weakness.
"Are you ready to die half-breed? Don't worry about Kagome, I'll be sure to send her to you shortly. You will be together again."
"Don't count on it Yu. You're wagering your life in a fight that cannot be won. Just give up now and I'll make your death quick and painless."
The two shot apart and faced one another. Inu-Yasha raised his claws while Yu steadied both her hands at him.
"MAJOR CRUSH!"
"IRON REAVER SOUL STEALER!"
Both attacks soared at one another until they finally met. Neither of them knew what would happen, but they hoped their attack would destroy the other. Unfortunately, neither of their attacks hit the other, the force seemed to bend space and fire them off in a random direction where it would explode, never doing any harm.
In a mirror-like fashion, neither one taking their eyes off the other, they darted around the room firing attacks that would always miss, not one nor the other giving in to their own wounds or the stress.
"Getting tired yet?" Yu panted, steadying for another attack.
"Are you kidding?" Inu-Yasha said in a wheazy voice "I could go all day. Bring it on!"
Yu snicked and stood tall. "Fine then, it's time for me to unleash the move that will finally end all of this foolishness.". She shot her arms out to opposite sides and looked over as Inu-Yasha seemed to prepare for the worse. "Don't worry, it'll all be over soon."
It was then for the first time, Inu-Yasha smelled it. Her blood seemed to seep a demonic aura that had been spread all over the battlefield, and that smell of blood had just gotten stronger.
"I hope you enjoy my 'SOUL ECHO'!"
The very blood that Inu-Yasha had just noticed suddenly glowed an eerie red and began to smoke. He stepped away from the cloud of ash and watched as it slowly but surely moved ever so closer to Yu who watched on in utter content. She swept at the haze and gathered it into a ball that held in her palm.
She looked at the smoke which began to seep from her gouges and quickly dropped the smile "Now, this may hurt a lot." She said extending her other hand. Then, with one quick strike, she jammed her arm deep within herself, a cry of pain bursting out.
"Are you nuts?" Inu-Yasha questioned "You're going to kill yourself. Don't, that's my job."
But Yu just continued until she seemed to find what she was looking for, and then wrenched her arm from her own body, a blood soaked ruby the size of a walnut in her palm. She smiled sinisterly as the smoke seemed to form around it, creating a person like figure. The smoke stopped pouring from Yu's body, and in the end, another Yu, composed of jet black smoke stood beside her.
Inu-Yasha looked on in shock. "What the hell is this? That's not fair that you get to fight with two people."
"Shut-up half-breed." Snapped the smoke Yu "This fight will easily come to a conclusion now!"
The two Yu's sprang at Inu-Yasha and swiped at them with all their might as he struggled to get out of the way. Their slashes of energy just seemed to miss him, cutting at the front of his white shirt, and quickly the two were able to regroup.
Inu-Yasha quickly tried to go on the offence and clawed at the two Yu's but they easily scattered and knocked him away. Deciding her had to pick one to go after, he sprang at the original Yu and was able to get a lucky blow, dripping his claws deep into her right shoulder.
But something odd happened. Inu-Yasha pulled his claws from the girl and looked to see no blood was upon them. "What the hell?". Furthermore, Yu seemed unphased be his attack and without hesitating jammed her own arm into his shoulder in retaliation.
"What the hell was that?" Inu-Yasha thought as the intense pain spread through his body. His blood ran freely upon the floor, but he would not let loose a single cry of pain. "I put my arm nearly through her and it did nothing. She didn't seem even hurt by it. Maybe if I attack the other one though…"
He didn't have time to react though as the smoke Yu leaped upwards and booted him in the back, drilling the original Yu's arm right through his shoulder. He spun around trying not to succumb to the pain and shot his claws at the second yu, gouging her deep. Unfortunately, like before, the attack did nothing, and Yu meatly jammed her arm into his free shoulder.
The two twisted through his muscle and bone as he refused to even let a small cry out. This was a battle of will that Inu-Yasha refused to give in to. No matter how blinding of terrible the pain was, he would not allow Yu to take delight in his suffering.
"Doesn't that feel awful Inu-Yasha?" Yu said mockingly "It just makes you want to scream out in pain doesn't it? I know I would if someone had their arm through my shoulder. Why not just give us a little cry of agony? You know you want to."
"GO TO HELL!!!" Inu-Yasha swung around with such force, that Yu's arm broke off and sharpened his claws instantaniously as he slashed at the smoke Yu. "IRON REAVER SOUL STEALER!"
"Oh…"
The claws of energy ripped through the air and completely shreaded the Yu into countless pieces. Inu-Yasha swung around and fired an identicle attack that shattered the original Yu. All that remained of either one of them was a vapour trail that hissed evily.
Inu-Yasha struggled to catch his breath, then quickly yanked the arm from his shoulder, a loud crunch echoing out. Inu-Yasha remained silent, as if following some unwritten code of the tough guy.
He looked up, then around. There was nothing. It was finally over.
"Inu-Yasha?" A voice called. He looked back and saw a chair sitting there, as if waiting for him. Slowly, he dragged himself into the seat which rose from the ground and floated slowly over to the Scrye's table where he sat with a smile on his face.
The chair lowered and landed gracefully as the scrye jotted down a few words on the final piece of parchment while the others still flew around in utter chaos. "I'm sorry I had to put you through all that, but if I had done any different, either you of Yu would have killed me. I know, I created you, remember?"
Inu-Yasha nodded. Then thought for a moment. "Is Yu really related to me?" He asked
"Yes." The Scrye nodded "But now thanks to you, she will never be a menace or threat to Kagome's time. You're almost a hero."
The Scrye slid the paper and parchment over to Inu-Yasha who saw he had to sign it to make this final, but he paused for a moment as he picked up the pen. "Could you make one change to this though?" he asked. "This is no fate I would want to give to any relation of mine. Could you make it so Yu still exists, but is never a demon?"
He looked back at the Scrye's blank face as he looked into Inu-Yasha's golden eyes. "You are a demon. You are human. And through all the mess, blood, and meyhem, you seemed to keep your compassion. Perhaps if Yu had never been a demon this would have all never happened. But changing history isn't that easy, I'll need to rewrite a good five hundred years of information for this."
Inu-Yasha sort of frowned. He figured getting Kagome back was the most he would have gotten to begin with anyway.
"On the other hand. You did just save all of existance. And besides, I have all eternity to make edits and changes where needed, so I suppose I could. Granted."
Inu-Yasha smiled, for the first time in a long while he smiled. Then quickly he picked up the pen and signed the paper. The Scrye reached under his desk and pulled out a book with no pages and opened it. Almost as if on command the flying papers shot in one by one until the book was filled, except by the one before Inu-Yasha.
"Now." The Scrye said looking over the loose piece, then picking it up. "I hope you understand that all of the events from the moment that van sped at you on the streets, up to now will have never existed the second I close this book. Kagome won't know Yu, Kikyo will have never come to this time, and Kagome will have never have died. Do you understand?"
Inu-Yasha nodded ineptly.
"Then I don't need to tell you that if you mention any of this, that people will have no clue as of what you're talking about, and you will seem utterly insane."
He nodded again.
"Now Inu-Yasha," he said pressing the final page into the book. "this is your story. Too bad it never had happened, and only we two will ever remember it. I'm glad we got to to talk though, and good-bye."
"Thank-you Scrye."
The book closed, and the world turned white.
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.................................................................Act XIIX: A Second Chance …………………………...................…......……
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