Disclaimers: I do NOT own Inuyasha or any of its characters.
Good lordy… I just feel the angry mob bearing down on me with sticks.
Either that, or my readers have simply abandoned this forsaken story.
But here's how my 2 months went:
Mid November through mid December: 3 week long exams.
Mid Dec. through beginning of January: 2 week long break, tried to finish up chapter 26, but procrastinated (hey, I just finished a 3 week long exam period, give me a break…no pun intended)
Early Jan. through early Feb: either busy or I was on a 4 day long trip to New Orleans (beware of drunken old men/women who ask you how old you are! Beware!) or an equally long trip to Savannah (where an ice storm kept me there an extra day- it was heaven on earth baby).
And here I stand now, procrastinating warts and all.
But now for the reviewers:
Fire Princess: No need to panic! An update is here!
Wandering Namekian: Those darn summatives…wonder if they'll be here next year?
Hayai-Hakai: No problem. Work is ever in abundance now days…
YuniX: Actaully, I was incorrect. It is CENTRIFUGAL force, not centripetal or centripical force.
And please, no Jakens in ANYTHING pink. I believe you might have shattered our minds completely with that image.
Stephanie: Hurrying!
Inucrazy: Sorry again for the long wait, but I think you guys will like this chapter. :D
Shakujou: Thanks! If my net was a bit more stable I'd be hanging around at Yakusoku a lot more…
Fred the Mutant Pickle: Long time no see Fred!
Good one liners, eh? I never considered myself a comedian, but oh well. Thanks!
And on with the story!
"" - Speech
'' - Thoughts
-Asterisks
"Hydro Blast!"
The globe of water plowed through the Shadow guardian like a fist through a thin board of wood. It continued on to obliterate three other guardians behind him and pounded a great, gaping hole in the door.
"Yatta, Kagome!"
"Go, Kagome-chan!"
Shippo turned his attention back to his gargantuan opponent. It kept at him as though completely unfazed by the destruction of its comrade.
Its victims, on the other hand, were more than just a bit fazed by the huge stone giant stomping towards them.
"Uwaawawaaaa! Heeeelp!" Shippo's shrieking snapped Miroshin to attention.
"Shippo-chan! Hold on! Wind Spear!" Familiar lances of air shrieked towards their targets; however, the airy projectiles failed to penetrate the Life guardian's barrier.
And the vines kept on coming.
"Ji-ji, hurry it up! I don't like creepy crawly things! I'm too young to die!" Shippo wailed.
Grumble "Whiny little runt...Alright, just keep on running-Doof!" Iron-hard roots sprang forward and wrapped themselves around the monk, binding him fast. He squirmed until another root brutally concussed him to submission.
Realizing that no help would come from his friends (who were still occupied with their guardian or too winded to do anything), Shippo took a nervous gulp to swallow a soaring butterfly that threatened to spew out of his mouth and faced his enemy. (1)
"I am life, I am death." rumbled the guardian who towered over the cowering kit. "Mortals fear me above all else. Surrender to me, the ender of life."
"Death i-isn't that sc-cary!" squealed back Shippo. "W-we've all s-s-suffered things w-worse than it!"
"Pray tell, what might that be?"
"L-like feeling as if you'd lost someone you loved!" he replied somewhat lamely.
"Incorrect, puny one. Nothing is worse a fate than death. Allow me to relieve you of your naïve mindset." Vines burst from the ground as if the beasts beneath the earth let forth their wrath.
"Iie! Kitsune Bi!" Blue flames licked at the vines; each caress took apart layers and layers of incoming brambles.
And the vines kept on coming.
"Submit to the oblivion, kit! Flesh began with destruction, and will end in such!"
"Never! KITSUNE BI!" Once more the anger-fueled fires charred away at the organic offenders.
And the vines kept on coming.
"Mortality is pitiful." A hideous, rotting creature burst forth from the ground and latched onto Shippo. While the kit struggled, more fiends clawed at him from the earth.
"Flesh, like these mindless creatures, will eventually crumble away into the sands of time. But I am the circle of life, and I am eternal." At this point, Shippo began crying out in pain as skeletal claws dug into his skin.
"For where there is death, there is life. And death will come to all things. Such as you, little fool." Sickly green light began gathering in one of the guardian's arms.
Shippo saw the arm readying itself for the death blow as he struggled to release himself from his bony cage…
A waft of warm air flowed into his nose…
'A scent of grass and forests?' thought Shippo. 'But from where?'
Shippo, my son…
'Chi-chiue…'
The green light ran down the length of the arm.
The pattern of life and death is a circle…
'I miss you…'
The arm finished charging and began raising itself.
And to break the unending circle…
'Daddy…'
It got up halfway…
You grasp the two tips…
'I'll make you proud…'
It was raised full…
And unbalance them…
'Chi-chiue…'
"Chi-chiue…" Shippo voiced. He felt no fear, only peace and serenity. "Arigatou."
"And this is where you say farewell, fleshling." The arm came back down-
"Shippoooo! Thunder Crash!" A clap of energy blew the green ectoplasm apart.
"I-Inuyasha!" Eyes wide, Shippo's head snapped up in surprise.
A slightly worn but still vigorous Inuyasha skidded to a halt in front of Shippo.
"Oi, rock face, next time you wanna hurt my buddies, you're gonna have to get through my dead body first."
"And I shall gladly arrange that, halfling." The guardian positioned itself to attack.
"Bring it! GaaaaaaaAAAH!" Inuyasha let loose a primal warcry as flames devoured Tessaiga.
"Hi no Kizu! GO!" The earth melted under the intense flames that soared towards the Life guardian.
"Wall of Thorns," rumbled the sentry as it clapped its huge hands together. A large hedge of brambles clawed its way up out of the ground and intercepted the flames, which burned them to ashes in an instant. The flames continued past unhindered.
"Gotcha!" cried Inuyasha. He let down his guard and lowered Tessaiga.
He immediately was then blown forward by a green cloud of ectoplasm and landed hard on the floor, wincing.
All of this passed in a matter of a dozen seconds.
"I-Inuyasha! Daijoubu!" Shippo ran up to his friend and shook him. "Answer me! Inuyasha!"
"He will be lucky to get up after such a blow," spoke the Life guardian.
"Kisamaaa…" Shippo's round eyes frowned in anger and moistened with tears of rage.
Inuyasha groaned underneath him.
"But before I send him to his miserable death," continued the guardian, "You shall be the first to go to the after life. This time, you shall perish." A blade made of iron-hard wood formed itself around the guardian's arm.
"May your death continue the cycle." The blade went -Swoosh- as it cut through the air.
Shippo didn't even think. He grasped the closest object he could feel and swung it up. 'I hope this works!' he shouted in his mind.
The Clang of two swords clashing shattered the air.
When Shippo opened his eyes, he saw the wooden blade of the guardian resting upon the sharp blade of Tessaiga. Shippo hardly felt the sword's anti-demon barrier, though it crackled and raged against his tiny hands.
Had the situation not been so razor edged, the sight of a two-foot tall fox kit using a seven-foot long sword would have been hilarious.
'Tessaiga? Nani…' Shippo had no time to think further as the wooden sword plunged itself towards him.
Scrape! Sword met sword and Shippo leaped backwards, away from his adversary.
'The Tessaiga is so light…I can hardly feel its demon ward…Come on, Steel Fang, help me protect your master!' The Tessaiga thrummed in response and stopped resisting its current wielder.
"Yatta! Let's go Tessaiga! YaaaAAAAA!" He charged forward, his blade at his side in a quick draw position.
"That blunt sword will lead you to your ruin, like its former wielder. Let everything go, and submit-"
"I've sick of your stupid babbling! Eat this!" He swung Tessaiga around and aimed for the legs.
"Little fool!" The stone figure, utilizing agility belied by its great size, somersaulted above the strike.
"Fooled you! Ha!" He swung the sword diagonally and cut into the guardian's left leg. Gravel flew all over the battleground.
The guardian fell awkwardly on its two-and-a-half legs.
Giving his opponent to time to recover, Shippo dashed forward slashed at the guardian's face. This time however, the guardian blocked his attack and threw more vines at him.
Once again, the sea of vines raced toward the kitsune. He raised his hand up to blow it away with foxfire…
Shippo, my son…
Grasp the two ends of life and death…
"And unbalance them…" he finished. "That's it!" He dashed away and allowed the vines to come towards him like a pack of hungry wolves.
"Come on, keep coming…" More and more vines grew out and chased him.
"Come to daddy…" The ground was carpeted by squirming vines.
"Now!" He dashed across the vines, to where the guardian was. He could see the minute cracks across its normally smooth skin.
"For chi-chiue! DaaaaaaAAAAAH!" SLASH
The guardian's head teetered for a moment before it fell into two pieces. Yet the guardian could still talk.
"Not…p-possible…how!" it stuttered out.
"Simple, really," spoke Shippo, sounding very much like a college professor. "Life is balanced by death, and vice versa. I tricked you into creating a large number of living things in this room. That put a big strain on your elemental powers, since your Life powers have to be balanced by destruction and death. And since there was so much Life in this room, your body was more than willing to be destroyed to preserve a balance."
Shippo walked over to Inuyasha's lifeless body and spoke again. "Death isn't eternal. Balance is." He sheathed Tessaiga into its scabbard.
"No…death cannot…be…overcome…ever…" The voice faded into the dust that contained the remnants of the defeated guardian. A slight breeze that came from seemingly nowhere scattered the dust into oblivion.
"I must say… that was incredible swordplay you just demonstrated, young Shippo."
"M-Miroshin? Miroshin!" Shippo's voice rang with relief. "Daijoubu?"
"Hai, hai. I'm no worse for wear, though my head feels like my wife took stick to it after a trip to the geisha house…"
Shippo wisely chose to ignore the last part of that comment. He instead asked, "Is Inuyasa gonna be okay?"
Miroshin checked Inuyasha's pulse, then slapped him a few times. Inuyasha's fist subsequently introduced the monk to a pillar face first.
"Huh? Ow, I feel like I just got run over by a bull demon…"
"Inuyasha!" Shippo leaped onto his chest and buried his face in it.
"Oi runt…what happened?"
"Inuyasha, I used Tessaiga!"
"You what!"
"I used Tessaiga!" exclaimed Shippo excitedly. "I picked it up, asked it to help me, and it did! I kicked the guardian's butt too!"
"…"
"Inuyasha?"
Inuyasha thought he'd die laughing.
Shippo indignantly began protesting. "No, for real! I really did pick up and use Tessaiga! Inuyasha! Stop laughing! Inuyasha!"
(1) For those who haven't figured it out by now, the butterfly is a metaphor for Shippo's lunch that was on the verge of spewing.
Super Shippo! W00t!
Next Chapter: Miroku and Sango's Battle!