AUTHOR'S NOTES: I am very sorry about the delay in getting this out. With grading papers (yes, history is my living as well as my hobby), Thanksgiving, and a bad case of writer's block, a week turned into damn near a month. But here it is.
Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately?), it's not the last chapter, but it does resolve the Naraku vs. Everybody Else battle. The final resolution of the story will have to wait until next time, and I promise I won't take as long this time. Really. I mean it.
I think I can more or less finally place in the series where "The Killers and the Killed" can be placed. It would be after Inuyasha defeats Ryukossei (the giant dragon) and before he meets Shiori, the hanyou that imbues Tetsusaiga with the ability to destroy barriers (the red Tetsusaiga). I say this because I have Inuyasha using the Wind Scar freely, without needing an opponent to set it up, but before he can slice through barriers. It also means he knows the Backlash Wave, but I don't think that would be any more effective than the Wind Scar against Naraku.
Note also that the arquebus used in this chapter is based on the matchlock used by Lady Eboshi in Princess Mononoke. The samurai of Japan may have been using more advanced firearms by the time this story takes place (circa 1560-65), but I'm not completely sure on this. In any case, the ronin probably wouldn't have access to the most recent guns on the market. (And if you care, Miroku made a reference to Mononoke in an earlier chapter.)
Again, any factual mistakes are the fault of the author. I do apologize for the overuse of the words "miasma" and "roots" here, but try finding synonyms for them–especially the latter...
BUTCHERING THE EMPEROR'S JAPANESE DEPT.:
Baka/Bakayaro: Baka means "fool" and bakayaro either "stupid fool" or "stupid bastard" (depending on who you ask). Either way, it's not something you want to call a Japanese person.
Youkai: Demon. In Japanese mythology, demons aren't necessarily evil. Shippo is technically a demon, but he's hardly evil...
Hanyou: Half-demon, i.e. Inuyasha.
Miko: shrine maiden. Priestesses charged with the upkeep and, if necessary, defense of a shrine. Miko are traditionally virgins. Miko still exist in Japan and remain very important in the running of a Shinto temple. Kagome and Kikyo are miko.
Kitsune: trickster fox spirits, i.e. Shippo. (Shippo, by the way, is a lot nicer than traditional kitsune.)
Ri: Japanese geographical measurement, about two and a half miles.
Arquebus: Matchlock rifle. (Okay, this isn't Japanese, but it's not a word you hear very often either.)
REVIEWER'S CORNER:
Hawker-748: Thanks, though reading it is more fun than writing it sometimes. Glad you liked Totoroki's demise.
Darkless Vasion: As always, a great review–thank you. I also noticed the aside to Occam's Razor there...
Kaylana: Hopefully you haven't concocted the hemlock yet. Sorry, but you'll have to wait until next chapter to find out how Kagome and Inuyasha got through the well. (Though there is an important clue in this chapter.) Glad you liked the Miroku/Sango scene...I think my next Inuyasha fic will have them in it.
Grimtash: Hey, Miroku's not that much of a pervert.
Shesshou's Bynx (?): Kewl.
MUSIC DEPARTMENT: Ah, I've been waiting for this–no music better than the one quoted below: "Hero's Return" by Hammerfall. "The Fields of the Pelennor" from Return of the King, "It's a Sin" by the Pet Shop Boys, "Spending Time in Preparation" from the Evangelion soundtrack, and for heaven knows why, "Spybreak!" by the Propellorheads from the Matrix soundtrack.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: THE SUN RISES
Now we charge: the battle is raging
Blood runs everywhere
Our anger is fierce, avenging the years
No time for a final prayer.
Behold the might of the hammer
Elliptical bolts of fire
There's nowhere to run, nowhere to hide
You're down to the wire.
Somewhere out there lies a new tomorrow
For me and those who believe
For a hero's return
Our hearts still yearn
Rise and conquer, let the infidels burn!
–Hammerfall, "Hero's Return"
Naraku spun around as Inuyasha leapt out of the well, landing near Kouga. "Well, well," Naraku said with his maddening smile. "So you found a way to return. Interesting. You're smarter than I thought–or was it Kagome that thought it up?"
"Does it matter?" Inuyasha grinned ferally. "I'm here now."
"Then I take it Kagome did not succumb to her wounds."
"Alive and kicking."
Naraku snorted. "Hmpf. That's what I get for sending a lowly minion. This time I'll finish her myself." Naraku looked thoughtful. "Or maybe I'll keep her alive for awhile. After all, it would be nice to have my very own Kikyo." He added the last with a sneer, hoping to goad Inuyasha into a foolish attack. It took all of the hanyou's willpower not to simply charge Naraku with his bare claws.
Kouga had no such willpower. "You bastard!" the wolf youkai shouted, and ran straight at Naraku. The demon turned only slightly, and directly in front of Kouga a hand the color of earth erupted from the ground. Kouga was grabbed by the face and slammed backwards into the ground. Kouga pawed feebly at the hand, but it picked him up and tossed him into a tree for his troubles.
Now's my chance, while Fleabag has him distracted, Inuyasha thought. He raised Tetsusaiga and rushed in, sword above his head. He had learned enough not to announce his presence with a shout, or an all-or-nothing leap. This time, he went in as silently as possible.
Naraku caught a glimpse of red from the corner of his eye. He reared back slightly and released a cloud of poison miasma with a hollow boom. Inuyasha took a deep breath of clean air and kept going, determined to get to Naraku. He squinted against the acrid gas, and so didn't see Naraku until it was too late. The baboon mask materialized out of the miasma and smashed Inuyasha in the forehead. The hanyou flew back out of the miasma and dug a furrow in the ground nearly back to the well. "Ow..." Inuyasha gasped. He shook his head free of the creeping darkness, then looked down to make sure he still had Tetsusaiga. It had lost the brief purple sheen it had acquired in the well, but it would still be more than enough to take down Naraku. If he managed to stay alive for the next few seconds.
"You forgot about me, baka!" Kouga moved in ablur from the treeline. He slashed with his claws at Naraku's back, only to smash head-on into a barrier. As he flew backward, another root reached up and slapped the youkai into the ground.
Inuyasha fell back from the advancing miasma, towards the well. "I can't see the son of a bitch!" he called out.
"Too bad." Naraku's voice echoed around the clearing. "I can see you." Needlelike roots burst from the purplish smoke, too fast for the hanyou to dodge.
An arrow trailing a wake of white fire came from the right, cutting a furrow through the miasma to tear through all four of the sharpened roots. The remnants wiggled back rapidly where they had come from.
"And I can see you, Naraku!" Kagome stood beside the well, bow in hand. That hand shook slightly, and she tried not to wince at the twinges of pain radiating from her side as she rapidly nocked another arrow. She only had one more; the bow and quiver had been spares left over from an earlier trip to the Sengoku Jidai. Every movement of her right arm ached. Still, unlike Kouga or Inuyasha, she could see through the thick miasma, through the purplish barrier Naraku had erected, and see the baboon masked villain. And somehow, she knew this was no golem, but the real Naraku. She leveled the arrow at him, her mouth set: they had a chance to kill their nemesis once and for all, if she could only overcome the pain and aim true.
Abruptly, Kagome realized that Naraku was moving. He turned towards her, and his sneer faded to a look of pure hate. With more speed that she thought possible, more of the ubiquitous roots came towards her, sharpening in midair. Reflexively, Kagome dropped the arrow and brought up her bow to block just in time. It stopped her from being impaled, but with a loud crack, her bow snapped in two places.
"Wind Scar!" Inuyasha smashed Tetsusaiga against the ground, which exploded as four parallel lines of force cut through it. The miasma dissipated for a moment, enough for Inuyasha to see his attack burst and dissipate against a sparkling sphere. It was enough to cause Naraku to pull back from his attack on Kagome, but that was all. Inuyasha dashed over to Kagome, who had staggered back to the side of the well. "Are you all right?"
"I'm okay. My bow's broken, though."
Kouga suddenly arrived, heralded by a blast of wind. "Kagome! Are you healed?"
"I'm okay, Kouga," Kagome repeated.
"You let her get hurt, dog turd!" Kouga shouted at Inuyasha.
"Oh, kiss my ass," Inuyasha shot back, exasperated. "We don't have time for this, Kouga!"
"Truer words were never spoken." The miasma had returned, and now roiled towards them.
"What in all the Chinese hells is that?" Yamada said for the second time in less than half an hour. He, Arashikaze, Shippo, and several dozen ronin stood on the hill between the Bone Eater's Well and Kaede's village. Below them, a cloud of purplish, oily smoke moved across ground ripped and torn by battle. Arashikaze squinted, and saw at the edge of the cloud three figures: one dressed in a bright red hakama, another dressed in brownish fur, and a third, smaller than the other two, dressed in some sort of uniform of white and green. "Shippo-san," he said, "who are those people there?"
Shippo unceremoniously climbed up Yamada's leg, side, and shoulders to perch on the shocked ronin's head. "Inuyasha! Kagome! Kouga!" he blurted. His eyes widened. "Naraku!"
"Get off of me!" Yamada plucked Shippo off his head and let the fuming kitsune drop to the ground. "Where's Lord Naraku?"
"In the middle of that cloud of miasma!"
"The purplish smoke?" Arashikaze asked.
"The kitsune speaks the truth." The three of them turned at the sound of Kikyo's voice. Next to her was a puffing, bruised Nobunaga, looking worse for the wear. Kikyo looked as placid as always, though her kimono was slightly stained by dirt.
"Lady Kikyo, pleased you could join us," Arashikaze said with a bow.
"Your messenger nearly killed himself and me getting here." She did not return the bow, only brushed past him. He saw her fists clench in fury at the sight before her.
"It seems the legendary Lord Inuyasha has returned with his Lady Kagome. Shippo-san, the one in the furs is Lord Kouga of the wolf youkai, is it not?" At Shippo's nod, he looked back to Kikyo. "I do not see Naraku, so are you quite certain he is in the middle of that cloud?"
"He is." Kikyo turned a glacial stare back on him. "He is a demon, Lord Arashikaze–or rather, an amalgamation of demons. He has duped you into doing his dirty work for him."
"If that is his power–" Arashikaze motioned to the miasma "–then why did he need us?"
"He isn't powerful enough on his own. The village would be well-defended against his normal minions, by Inuyasha, his friends, and my sister, Kaede. And myself, if necessary. All of us are quite knowledgeable in the art of demon slaying." Kikyo turned back to the battle. "But against an army? We are not samurai. We are not trained in the art of war. Naraku knew this, and so he hired you."
"Lord Hitomi hired us," Yamada insisted.
"Fool," Kikyo hissed back. "Hitomi and Naraku are the same thing."
"That's impossible!"
"Not if he is truly what Lady Kikyo says he is," Arashikaze replied. "And all of this for a jewel, the Shikon no Tama? Why? To eliminate a rival for it, in Lord Inuyasha?" Arashikaze shook his head. "Like using a hammer to kill a mosquito."
"It's not just about the jewel," Kikyo said.
"No. It's about you." He returned her shocked look with a wan smile. "The day in the tent. I deduced that there was more than the two of you were telling me. And this lad–" he pointed at Shippo "–tells me that this was a ploy to get back at Inuyasha and his group. But he has been goading us to burn this village from the day I met him at Lord Hitomi's castle." Arashikaze slipped the bow from his shoulder, and withdrew an arrow from his quiver. "He wanted to get back at you, Lady Kikyo. This Kagome, or Inuyasha–they were never Naraku's target. You were." She nodded. "Why?"
"Spurned love," Kikyo said simply.
Arashikaze chuckled without much humor in it. "Ah. The oldest reasons why men do stupid things is either for the love of a woman or because she will not love them. Finally, something in this entire tale that I can understand." He paused, and his ironic smile faded into a hard line. "Which means it was not Lord Inuyasha or Lord Kouga that killed my men. It was Naraku's demons."
"But the peasants," Yamada said. "We saw the peasants."
"The peasants were already dead by the time they attacked Lord Soryu's encampment. No man can walk for the better part of a ri with half his guts strewn on the ground."
"You got attacked by dead people?" When Yamada nodded, Shippo snapped his fingers. "Naraku's offspring, Kagura–she can control the dead and make them do things!"
"The Lady Kagura is his offspring?" Yamada felt faint. He knew for certain that he and Arashikaze were in matters far over their heads.
"It doesn't matter. Nothing matters now–except that Naraku must die." Arashikaze aimed. "He can be killed, can't he?" he rasped out the side of his mouth to Kikyo.
"Not by you." She held out her hands for the bow. "A miko can."
Arashikaze hesitated, and handed her the bow and arrow. "I assume you can see him."
"I can."
"Strike cleanly, my lady." His words were drowned out by the sound of thunder.
Inuyasha puffed with exertion. Again, he had used the Wind Scar; again, the most it had done was to temporarily dispel the miasma. The barrier was still there, and Naraku, now able to be seen again, was still wearing that maddening grin. "This bastard is really beginning to irritate me," he growled. He dodged to one side as two more roots aimed for his heart lashed out at him. Kouga carried Kagome out of harm's way, something that did not help his temper any.
"You're not even scratching it!" Kouga yelled.
"I'm not fucking blind, bakayaro!" Inuyasha shot back. He ran out of the way, knowing there was a limit to even he and Kouga's stamina. Worse, he suspected that Naraku was just toying with them, that the demon lord knew full well that neither Inuyasha nor Kouga could hurt him. Sooner or later, they would have to retreat.
"Kouga!" Kagome cried. "Run straight at him!" She bit her lip, trying to charge the arrow. She might could penetrate the barrier simply by thrusting the arrow through it. It was better than just watching Inuyasha pound himself senseless against Naraku's defenses. Inuyasha realized what she was going to try, and bit back what he was going to say: Kouga was much faster than he was, and if her plan was to have any chance at succeeding, the wolf chief was the one to carry her, not the hanyou. Inuyasha feinted towards Naraku, hoping to draw him off. To his anger, he saw that Naraku was barely paying attention to him, but had pivoted ever so slightly towards Kouga, waiting for what now had to be a suicidal run. Despite that, both Kouga and Kagome were readying themselves for the attempt.
An ear-piercing shriek sounded through the air, and all four combatants instantly whirled as Kikyo launched her arrow, aimed unerringly for the center of Naraku's chest. It burned through the air, blindingly pure, and struck the barrier true...
...and bounced harmlessly into the air.
Kikyo lowered the bow, stunned. No demon had ever been able to resist even a glancing blow from a magically-charged arrow; even Kagome, she knew, with her comparatively minor powers, inexperience, and poor aim, had been able to nearly cut Naraku in half with a single shot.
Naraku faced Kikyo, contemptously turning his back on the others. He threw back his head and laughed uproariously. "So, Lady Kikyo. You finally arrived," he said, when he had ceased. "It seems I'm no longer vulnerable to a miko."
"The Shikon shard," Kikyo snarled in rage, half at Naraku and half at herself. It had been she who had given Naraku the nearly complete jewel. Either that, or somehow he had been able to grow stronger.
"You bastard!" Yamada screamed. "You tricked us!"
Naraku laughed once more. "On the contrary, Lieutenant Yamada! You didn't do what Lord Hitomi hired you to do!"
"You lie! You are Lord Hitomi!"
"So the mortals finally figured it out," Naraku returned. "I suppose I shall have to dispose of you as well." He began to move towards the hill.
"Company, defense!" Yamada ordered. Instantly, the ronin began to form ranks, drawing swords and leveling spears.
"You really think that you can stop me where hanyou, youkai, and miko have failed?" Naraku's grin widened. "You're welcome to try. Where is your Lord Arashikaze? I don't see him among you!"
"I'm right here, demon!" Two ronin were shouldered aside as Arashikaze returned to the front line, shouldering a matchlock arquebus. The fuse was already lit and burning down as he pointed it at Naraku.
High above the battlefield, Kagura floated on her feather. She had actually been there for a few minutes, watching the battle unfold with detached interest. It had amused her to watch Inuyasha's ineffectual attacks on Naraku, though she truly did not care who won the fight. If Naraku won, then the status quo would be merely the same as it had been. If he lost, then she would be free. She felt no regrets for sparing the monk and the demon hunter, though she privately admitted that fighting Miroku and his damned wind tunnel was never a sure thing. In any case, even if Naraku managed to slay Inuyasha and Kagome, then there would still be others who would continue the hunt. Kagura had a feeling that if Naraku won decisively, her own days were numbered. She was part of him, after all, and there was no reason to expect that she would not be disposed of, reabsorbed, when she was no longer needed. That thought filled her with rage, and when she saw Kikyo's arrow launched towards her master, she was surprised to find herself hoping it would strike. She sighed when it did not.
She saw Naraku turn to attack the ronin, but it was a blur of brownish fur and red hakama that caught her attention, as both Inuyasha and Kouga raced in to hit Naraku from behind. She wondered if she should warn Naraku, then decided not to. The wind might be freed today, after all.
"You're a bigger fool than I thought, Arashikaze," Naraku sneered. "You can't hurt me with that–"
"Now, Kouga!" Kagome yelled. Kouga needed no further invitation. He dashed forward, Kagome on his back, every jarring step he took sending spasms of pain through her that she forced herself to ignore. He slid to a halt just before the barrier, and with all her might, Kagome thrust the arrow into the barrier. White magic burst from where she hit, spreading across the dome-like barrier. "Come on!" she shouted, willing the arrow to break through, but it was like trying to force a piece of wood through steel.
Inuyasha now struck as well, leaping high and striking downwards with Tetsusaiga in his signature move. It was nearly a perfectly combined attack with Kagome's arrow, even if it had been a freak accident; both he and she had realized simutaneously that Naraku had completely forgotten them. Still the barrier held, though it pulsed dangerously.
"I can't harm you, Naraku," Arashikaze said calmly, as Naraku spun to deal with the new attack. "But she can." And with that, the ronin lord handed the arquebus to Kikyo. "Push down, Lady Kikyo!" He pointed to the trigger atop the wooden stock. Kikyo instantly saw what Arashikaze had in mind. She dropped to one knee, aimed, and squeezed the trigger, concentrating.
The arquebus fired, sending a rough, iron ball at Naraku that glowed with miko power, with enough force that it shattered the barrel of the gun. It whirred through the air and hit the barrier, already weakened by Kagome's arrow and Inuyasha's sword that still pressed against it. The barrier abruptly shattered with the sound of glass breaking, and the ball continued on to hit Naraku. The demon lord screamed in pain, and then was obscured by a sudden cloud of miasma.
Kagura's eyes widened as she saw the barrier shatter. He's dead! she exclaimed in her mind. They killed him! Silently, she descended for a better look, wondering if she was free.
I'm not dead. In her mind, she heard her master's voice, but even in thought, it was filled with pain and something she had never sensed before: desperation. Help me, Kagura.
Kagura hesitated.
Kouga and Inuyasha leapt back, away from the poison cloud. "She got him!" Kouga crowed triumphantly.
Kagome brushed his topknot out of the way. She could barely see through the cloud, but Naraku was still there, on the ground now. "No, he's still alive. Damn!"
"Is the barrier gone, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked.
"Yes."
"Then he's dead. He just doesn't know it yet!" Inuyasha raised Tetsusaiga over his head, and his white hair whipped around as he called the Wind Scar.
Kagura saw Inuyasha ready his strike and still hesitated, unsure of whether to rescue her master or simply let the hanyou slay him.
You are still part of me, Naraku's voice said. If I die, so will you.
Kagura closed her eyes for a brief second, then did what she had to. She stood up on her feather, snapped open her fans, and waved them downwards. "Dance of the Dragon!"
"Inuyasha, back off!" Kagome yelled. Unthinkingly, she dug her heels into Kouga's hips, as she would to spur a horse. He yelped in surprise, but the effect was the same, as the three of them jumped away from the deadly tornado spawned by Kagura's fans. The ronin too had to fall back or be sucked in to their death. Shielded by the cyclonic winds, Kagura descended to the ground. Naraku crawled over and rolled onto her feather, pulling himself in with his remaining arm. Ichor-like blood stained the ground and pooled in the feather; Kikyo's bullet had torn into his right side, ripping off an arm and a leg, smashing his ribs and leaving a gigantic hole there. Had Naraku been human, it would have instantly been fatal. He was not, however, and he survived.
Kagura cursed inwardly and commanded her feather to rise into the air, rapidly taking her and Naraku out of danger.
"Damn," Yamada breathed as he got to his feet, watching the feather recede into the clouds. "He got away, milord."
"So it seems." Kikyo looked at Arashikaze accusingly, waiting for him to say something. Arashikaze shook his head. "No, Lady Kikyo, it's not your fault. Such an evil cannot be slain so easily. I'm afraid your path and Inuyasha's will be a longer one."
"So it seems," she echoed him. Kikyo dropped the ruined arquebus to the ground, hating it. A bow was alive, but this machinery was not. She wondered if her reincarnation, Kagome of the future, would ever use such a dead thing.
Shippo picked himself up and brushed off his tunic. He spotted Inuyasha, Kouga, and Kagome across the clearing, unharmed. His face split into a wide grin and he began jumping up and down. "We won! We won!"
Arashikaze reached down and mussed Shippo's hair affectionately. Shippo allowed him to do so, laughing. His laughs died when he saw the melancholy look on the ronin lord's face. "What's wrong, sir?" Shippo asked.
"You won, little one–you and your friends." Arashikaze straightened up, looking at the burned and blasted spot where Naraku had stood only minutes before. "I lost."