CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The Ghost Hanyou
It had been Sango's idea to go searching for the wind demon. When Kagura had appeared before them and warned them of Inuyasha's death she seemed grief stricken. Sango and Miroku knew that Inuyasha's death meant something terrible to Kagura. It meant that the dead hanyou couldn't defeat Naraku. And if that wouldn't happen she wouldn't be free. Inuyasha's life was important to Kagura's freedom. She would be willing to help them.
"Where should we look Miroku-sama?"
The monk scanned the horizon warily. His age was beginning to show as he shielded his face with one hand to have a better look. Where would they find the wind demon?
"My guess is that we would find her anywhere that we would find Naraku."
Sango nodded in approval and stared ahead. She suddenly realized that they hadn't told Kagome about their new plan. "Houshi-sama?" She turned carefully, "Do you think we should tell Kagome-chan about our plan? I mean…. She must be worried sick." For a moment it seemed that Sango was asking in vein for the monk's features were cold and rigid, but that didn't last long. A tiny smile appeared and Miroku nodded politely.
"Yes, perhaps we should tell her…. But one thing Sango: Be very careful about the words you choose. Kagome is going through a very rough time and we should do our best to help her adjust."
That said the demon exterminator and the monk both nodded in agreement and Kirara, having heard every word, turned around towards the now strong scent of Inuyasha. Kirara was puzzled for a moment as to why the scent had suddenly become stronger, but dismissed it just as she picked up another one….. One that to her meant battle…. The scent of Naraku.
Kagome had taken her time in fixing up Inuyasha's wounds. She was still in a bit of a daze from the large amount of events that occurred in such a small fraction of time. That morning Inuyasha had been dead and her whole world had come down around her. Now he was just fine and complaining that she took too long to wrap bandages around his chest where the wound was still healing. Even with the hanyou's advanced healing powers this wound seemed to take forever to close. Kagome pondered on the fact that maybe it was Naraku's new poison that caused this. She quickly dismissed it and went back to her task of patching up Inuyasha.
"It's weird though." Inuyasha suddenly whispered. Kagome looked up at him and noted a distant look in his eyes. Whatever he was thinking about required a lot of his concentration. Kagome set down the bandages and sat down cross legged beside him. She took in his features a bit more before speaking. He seemed puzzled. His eyes were screwed up as if he had a headache, his forehead was riddled with lines hat formed a light scowl on his face, and his ears were twitching madly.
"What's weird?" She finally asked. Inuyasha looked down at her in surprise as if he hadn't realized that she was sitting there.
"Nothing." He quickly breathed.
Kagome, however, was not that easy to fool. She gave Inuyasha a piercing glare and resented him for hiding things from her. After all, they should be able to tell each other anything. With a swift motion Kagome stood up and walked away from the injured hanyou with her arms folded over her chest.
"Fine. If you don't want to tell me then don't." She said in an angry tone after which she stalked off into the forest to get her fruits. She didn't even bother to get some for Inuyasha, just enough for her to eat. With her mind still fuming over the fact that Inuyasha was hiding something from her Kagome sat and ate her fruits greedily.
'Jerk! I can't believe him! Here I am worried about him and he suddenly decides to hide things from me?! Baka!'
Kagome sat in silence a while longer after finishing off her food and then got up to see the selfish prick. Even though he was an ass he still needed medical attention. As she made her way to the clearing she could already see him standing straight and focusing on something in the sky. Kagome stepped into the clearing and walked over to Inuyasha who didn't even turn around to acknowledge her presence. He simply stood there with a scowl on his face.
"Damn." He suddenly spoke. "It's Naraku….. And he's close." Inuyasha looked down at his chest and automatically Kagome knew what he was thinking.
"No! Not on your life! You are not going to fight him in this condition! Your wound hasn't even closed yet!" She pointed at the clearly bleeding gash over his heart. Inuyasha let Kagome's words sink in. For a moment he thought about what she was saying. Maybe this time he would wait. To live and fight another day. He stared into the eyes of his dark haired companion. Maybe he would just stay here with Kagome and let her treat his wound. The moment however, was brief. Inuyasha's head shot up at a new scent permeating the air around him. The scent of human blood and not just any human…
"Miroku," The hanyou spoke in a soft growl, "if he thinks that I'll let him have all the fun he's wrong." The hanyou gave Kagome a mischievous smirk but there was something hidden behind it. His eyes showed his worry.
"Kagome, I'm going and you can either go with me or stay here. Those are the only options." Kagome nodded in defeat and put her hands on his shoulders to get on his back. Inuyasha winced for a moment in pain but quickly dismissed it.
'Hold on guys, we're on our way.'
With that Inuyasha took a step forward and leapt into the sky. He headed towards the smell of blood to aid his friends in battle… a battle that they were losing.
Kirara had already caught Naraku's scent when a sudden barrage of tentacles flew out of the forest straight at her. Instinctively she dodged sideways and plunged into the forest. Miroku, Sango and Shippou held on tight as the mononoke dove into the trees and landed roughly on the ground. Quickly Kirara's passengers hopped off and moved towards the spot where the tentacles had come. Clearly they already knew who it was. Miroku tightened the grip on his staff and Sango thumbed the straps on her shoulder which would release the repaired hiraikotsu on her command. They steadily crept forward, ready for anything that might come….. And eventually it did.
A surge of light appeared beyond the tree line and a sudden wave of energy washed through the foliage, tearing down everything in its path. These, Sango noted, were Kagura's wind blades. The blades were slow however. Miroku and Sango easily dodged them. Kirara who now had Shippou on her back didn't even have to dodge as the blades dissipated before they even got to her.
"Miroku-sama." Sango breathed as she stared beyond the wreckage of trees and brush. Ahead of them stood a violet sphere and within that sphere……
"Naraku." Miroku's eyes narrowed and his right hand flew up in preparation. Sango's blood boiled as she stared daggers into their adversary. She glanced sideways at Miroku and noticed his confident yet calm expression. She hated that look. It usually meant that he didn't intend to fight. It usually meant that he intended to talk. Sango looked back at Naraku…. Her eyes narrowed. This was no time to talk. Sango released the hiraikotsu and held it at the ready. Sango had repaired the hiraikotsu since it had been sliced in half during their battle with Inu. It wasn't 100 combat effective but it was her best work yet. As she twirled the giant boomerang across her petite frame and switched hands to accommodate a better throw at her enemy Sango could barely notice the weak spot at the very center of her hiraikotsu. She grinned inwardly at her own ingenuity.
Miroku took in his surroundings. In front of them there was Naraku, their hated enemy. There was brush all around them except for the small strip which Kagura had done away with using her wind blades. Floating a few feet above them was the wind demon herself staring down at the confrontation uninterestedly. Using only his peripheral vision as to not turn away from Naraku, Miroku checked their sides for any signs of pathways or clearings so they could have an escape route in case they needed one. Unfortunately for him it was all gridlocked by trees and branches. The monk then focused at his cowering enemy as he hid behind his shield. 'Well looks like there's only one way… a full frontal attack.'
Naraku looked down at the pair of warriors before him. A wry chuckle escaped his lips"Hahaha…. I see that there are only two of you left. I had vowed to kill that annoying hanyou and now I have….. How does that make you feel? It's only a pity that I didn't absorb his healing powers…. But no matter, I won't be needing them anymore." A devilish smirk appeared on Naraku's face.
Sango sprung one leg forward and shifted her weight so that her right arm would act as a slingshot. She wanted nothing more than to put her hiraikotsu through this half breed's skull. As she edged forward though a beaded hand came up and stopped her in her tracks. Quizzically she looked at the houshi as he looked on at his enemy with no fear.
'What is he thinking? He must be up to something.' The monk then spoke.
"Naraku… Have you come to gloat about what you have done or have you come to fight?" Sango's eyes opened wide at Miroku's words. He was never one to rush into battle. This made the demon exterminator a bit uneasy. If Miroku couldn't see any way other than fighting to win this battle then there was no other. It was usually at this time that Inuyasha would say something optimistic and charge into the fight… only that wasn't about to happen this time. Inuyasha was near death and Kagome had stayed by his side. Without moving her head Sango glanced at Kirara and Shippou behind them preparing for the battle before them. The tiny kitsune was shivering all over but the rage and hate in his eyes was apparent. She didn't know if he had heard Naraku talk about the 'dead friend' or if he even understood what the fiend was talking about… but he was nonetheless standing his ground. Sango edged a bit sideways so that she was completely in front of Kirara. She paused for a moment….. Then yelled out behind her as she sprinted forward, "Kirara! Take Shippou somewhere safe!!"
Miroku barely had a chance to react as Sango lunged forward towards the red sphere. Using all of his cunning the monk threw a pair of sacred scrolls on the ground before Naraku and then leapt into the air with his staff gripped tightly in his hands to strike his enemy down. The staff, however, was met with a brilliant red light as the barrier around Naraku rejected the houshi's attack. Pushing backwards Miroku landed on one knee a few feet away and looked up just in time to see hiraikotsu sail past him towards the barrier. A blinding flash of red light emerged from the point where the giant boomerang struck the barrier. After the light died down the barrier was still in place and the hiraikotsu was lying a few feet away. Miroku recalled Inuyasha always being the one to break the barrier. Of all the strengths that hanyou had… breaking through Naraku's barrier was definitely his most useful.
The monk took a second glance at the boomerang which lay to his right. Of course! Having recalled a moment where Sango and himself had been forced to confront a dead monk which created strong barriers. Miroku quickly jumped to his feet and pulled some sacred scrolls from his pocket. Taking careful aim the monk then affixed the scrolls to the hiraikotsu.
"Sango! Try it now!" The demon exterminator's eyes flashed with realization and with the agility of a cat she quickly ran to her hiraikotsu and flung it over her shoulder at Naraku. The weapon hit with deadly precision where Naraku's head should have been had that barrier not been in place. Again there was a blinding light… only this time the barrier trembled before it regained its power. Miroku took this opportunity to open his kazaana right in front of his enemy. In a matter of seconds the air around them filled with a buzzing sound they knew all too well. Quickly sealing his kazaana the monk stepped backwards and used his staff to fend off the mass of demon insects. At the same time Sango made a dash for her hiraikotsu.
"FOOLISH!"
Just as Sango's fist wrapped around the leather sling of her weapon a barrage of tentacles enclosed around her, almost crushing her had it not been for her hiraikotsu. The weapon held, but slowly began to crack at its weak point.
"Sango!" Miroku ran forward but was also met with an army of tentacles. Desperately the monk fought through them to get to Sango.
Within Naraku's grasp the demon exterminator wriggled her hands free and pushed herself upwards just as her hiraikotsu gave way. The boomerang was crushed under the pressure but she narrowly escaped. Leaping off the tentacles and doing a double back flip to get some distance from her enemy, Sango pulled a katana and a kodachi (A/N: A kodachi is a short sword used in the left hand for defense) from her belt and ran to the monk's side.
"I'm surprised that you haven't run away yet. You must really want to die." With that Naraku unleashed yet another hoard of tentacles. This being his primary weapon, Naraku used them very often. Miroku and Sango did their best to dodge and weave through the intricacies of flesh, but one caught the monk off guard and left him a large gash on his right arm. Sango turned and sliced it in half before it could do any more damage.
"Are you ok?" She breathed between strikes of her swords. The monk didn't reply, but rather took up his staff and kept on plowing through the tentacles. Sango knew that Miroku was strong, but she also knew that he was human. They needed to end this battle quickly before he passed out from loss of blood.
Miroku ignored the pain that was now throbbing from his right arm. He concentrated on using his left for strength and continued to fight the slimy twines that threatened their very lives. Using all of the strength he possessed, he pushed forward knowing that Naraku's barrier was currently down. To his right Sango also seemed intent on reaching the center where Naraku now stood. Fighting almost shoulder to shoulder, Miroku and Sango only moved far enough apart to allow their weapons room to move. Pushing forward the two warriors battled against the onslaught of decoys keeping them from their ultimate goal……. Naraku.
As Sango wielded her blades expertly against her enemy, a side glance at Miroku made her hopes rise substantially. On the monk's face was a hint of a smile.
'He has a plan….. But what is it?'
As Sango pondered on this she noticed that the poisonous bees had retreated behind Naraku. It suddenly donned on her what Miroku was thinking. Sango smiled inwardly.
'He always was the smartest…'
With one fluid motion and his staff in his left hand, Miroku sliced three tentacles in front of him and released the powerful wind tunnel in his right palm. At that same moment Sango leapt upwards and brandished her katana and kodachi at the oncoming demon insects. With Naraku being dragged into the dark void in the monk's hand, Sango knew that she had to keep these demon bees from interfering.
It had seemed like the perfect plan… that was until Kagura's wind blades nearly chopped Miroku to pieces. The monk had recoiled just in time before the wind energy tore him to shreds. In a fit of rage the demon exterminator twisted around and launched her smaller kodachi at Kagura. Being as uninterested as usual with the fray, Kagura easily dodged the attack and didn't bother to retaliate. It was not her job to kill the humans but to keep them from killing Naraku.
Sango turned sideways and saw Miroku backing away from a sea of flesh. 'Damn!' Using all of her strength Sango sprinted back into the battle and fought off the vines that had already twirled around the monk's robes and legs.
"Houshi-sama…." Her words were faint as Miroku struggled to stay conscious. It was as if Sango were whispering in his ear when in actuality she was screaming.
'I can hear you Sango, ' the houshi thought, 'I just need to rest for a bit.' With that the last bit of energy left Miroku and he passed out from the pain and loss of blood combined. Sango knelt before Miroku with her katana before her in a defensive stance ready to risk her life for the monk lying on the ground behind her.
"You will die with him then? How admirable. It would be a shame fo--………."
Naraku didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. No sooner had he noticed the powerful force had it collided against his side.
'Impossible!'
Sango shielded her eyes as the energy wave made contact with Naraku and sent him flying into the forest. It was an attack she knew very well yet she couldn't bring herself to believe that it had just knocked her adversary out. It was the infamous attack of a purification arrow intertwined with the destructive force of the kaze-no-kizu….. A specialty that Kagome and Inuyasha seemed to do so well together.
'But that couldn't be…'
Naraku found his footing and stared into the forest where the energy wave had come from. His facial expression went through a series of changes as he stared into the foliage. The first was disbelief, the second being denial, the third being realization….. and the final being complete and udder horror.
'Can it really be………. A ghost hanyou?'
(A/N: No… it's not a ghost…. But I wanted to make Naraku the fool for once. Bear with me please. Also to those of you who read this sorry that I took so long to get this chapter up but work was getting in the way….. so I quit. : ) Nah, just kidding.)