"It…smells…like…Naraku!" Shippo stuttered out shivering.
"Naraku!" thought Human Inuyasha wildly knowing that he didn't stand a chance in this form. He back-kicked Shippo rolling him over to Kagome.
"Shippo, transform!" he commanded. "Take Kagome away!"
"It is far too late for that," came Naraku's creepy disembodied voice as his purple tendrils came shooting up through the floor all around the hut so that they were trapped by a cathedral of vines. "It is time you came with me Inuyasha," he said. "Your other half will be eager to see all of you."
"I don't think so," said Human Inyasha whipping out his ordinary sword and attempting, futilely, to hack through the vining tendrils.
"Kilala!" Human Inuyasha cried out desperately. The two-tail transformed into battle size and began chewing on a tendril which suddenly gave, just enough to make a tiny hole which immediately closed up. Kilala looked at Inuyasha in askance.
"Stand back everyone," said Kagome fiercely holding up her bow and arrow. "I'll get us out."
"All right," said Human Inuyasha moving back behind her and wrapping a hand around her waist. He studied her determined look, admiring her for it.
"Kilala, we're going to need your help too. Shippo come on."
The fire-cat motioned her head and stood beside them. The two humans climbed aboard and Kagome pulled back on her bowstring until it screamed with tension.
"Let's go!" shouted Kagome releasing the arrow.
Kilala surged forward and the threesome burst out of Naraku's tendril cage admist an awesome blast of light. As the repercussions died down, Kilala continued to fly until she nearly reached the top of a violet barrier. The decision made then changed everything.
"Kilala, turn around," said Kagome restringing her bow. She raised a new arrowhead, the tip flashing in the light, and let it loose with a sharp whistle. It tore a hole into Naraku's body, obliterating almost half of him.
"You got him Kagome!" said Inuyasha hopefully. Kagome restrung her bow.
"This will be the end of it," said Kagome with certainty. She raised her arrow and was about to let loose when an outpouring of miasma began blurring her vision and causing her to cough. At the same time, a half dozen tendrils made for them. Inuyasha intercepted these with the Tetsusiaga's barrier for a minute, but meanwhile another group of vines came up beneath Kilala's belly and so as quickly they had escaped they were once again ensnared.
"Growwwwl," moaned out Kilala in pain. Naraku turned Kilala upside down so that Kagome and Inuyasha fell off with assorted loud yells. They both fell fifteen feet before being scooped up by Naraku like toy figurines. Kagome's bow clattered uselessly to the ground. She gazed down on it regretfully as it lay below her feet. She turned to her companion whom likewise was hung a few feet from her.
"I'm sorry Inuyasha," said Kagome tearfully. "If we die it's all my fault."
"No it's not," said Human Inuyasha scoff-fully. "If we die, I just want you to know that I love you."
"I love you too, Inuyasha," said Kagome, tears trickling down her face. Naraku's pianoforte voice broke into their romantic serenade forcefully.
"So sorry to interrupt," said Naraku with sickening sweetness, "but you two won't be dying yet. I have plans for you."
"What are you going to do with us," Kagome demanded. Naraku smiled evilly.
"I am merely going to use you as bait for a certain treasure. Something, no someone whom I long to acquire."
"What are you talking about," said Human Inuyasha struggling.
"I think you could guess, Inuyasha," said Naraku. "Recall that at one time I nearly succeeded in absorbing your brother into my own flesh. Now that you have lost your demon powers, I intend to obtain them for my own."
"You bastard," said Human Inuyasha paling. Things had indeed taken a bad turn.
Naraku's smile faltered when to his shock, a well-placed arrow tore a gap in the side of his barrier. Another arrow streaked through the rapidly closing hole imbedding itself in the appendages which held Kilala. The two-tail fell to the ground and looked up at Inuyasha in askance.
"Go Kilala!" Inuyasha said urgently. "Get Sango and Miroku!" Kilala nodded. Dodging vines and raining debris, Kilala flew until she reached the rapidly closing gap. Scooting through, Kilala began to fly freely into the sky, disappearing in the distance.
"Damn that Kikyo," mumbled Naraku turning his attention back to the miko and human he held in his grasp. His smile rapidly returned.
" No matter. Whatever action she takes, it is irrelevant. Today it is certain that I will destroy Inuyasha and obtain his demon energy. The monk and demonslayer will not interfere."
So saying, Naraku looked up to the sky and a buzzing off insects began to be heard. A swarm of demon insects appeared carrying a large chunk of flesh which Naraku quickly absorbed, restoring his body. Human Inuyasha and Kagome looked on horrified.
Several miles away, Sango and Miroku approached the dark, watery gloom of a stream-carved cavern. Pausing at the edge where light barely bled into the heart of air, water, and stone, Sango lifted a small candle lamp such as demon slayers used. It cast a barely detectable sliver into the recesses, painting the rock walls with a violet hue. Further along, the barest of light transmuted into a monotone gray, causing an apprehension of the unknown mysteries to weigh upon the shoulders of the monk and demon slayer.
"What do you think, Miroku?" whispered Sango in a hushed voice. Miroku thought a moment before answering.
"While we journeyed through the valley leading up to this cavern we encountered hundreds of demons, the concentration becoming greater and greater the closer we came to this spot. I believe that it is possible that a parent responsible for those lesser demons dwells in this cave."
"That's true, Miroku," said Sango continuing to hold up the lantern.
Wearing a determined look, Miroku pushed one of his hands into the top folds of his kimono. He withdrew a single paper sutra and held it out in front of him.
"Prepare yourself then Sango," he whispered fiercely. His companion nodded.
With fluidity of movement that comes from practice, Miroku launched his sutra. Spiritual energy began to crackle as it slapped against the wall. The trembling turned to a shaking and then a shattering of rock as a giant centipede youkai burst out from the cavern floor, a bath of poison emerging with it as it flailed about like a fish breeching as it is reeled in. Angrily, the centipede demon began to chase after Sango and Miroku until the fleeing combatants regained the sunlight so that the full features of their prey became visible.
It would have been a terrifying youkai, if it had been anyone else whom viewed it. The creature was well over forty feet long, its coils as tall as a man and stacked so that it was far higher than one could see without exercising the neck. A leathery armor of black glinted in the sunlight, while interlocking plates of crimson flashed between. The centipede stood upright, angrily rattling a dozen of its scuttling legs and gnashing its pincher jaws like a couple of steel sheers. Its front and the ground below were dripping with poison which frothed out its mouth in a unholy fountain.
"Miroku," Sango stated quietly. "You had better not use your Windtunnel on that, there's too much poison."
"I agree," said Miroku dipping into his vest once more for sutras.
"Let me handle this Miroku," said Sango assertively. "Hirikatose!"
With a mighty whirr the bone weapon was let loose and it sailed in a dead-end collision for the demon's head. At the last moment however, it dodged and lashed against the ground, causing Miroku and Sango to leap to either side to avoid its lashing coils.
Sango ran behind the demon and captured her returning Hirikatose. She was just about to slam the demon from behind the head when a strained creak and an accompanying whoosh and thud streaked the air.
"What?" said Sango as the demon's back that she had been standing on simply disappeared. She pushed off from the disintegrating demon and landed neatly on her heels several feet away. Sango and Miroku both looked upwards onto the surrounding hillside and there, a steep vertical face stood Kikyo. Her face remained impassive as she gazed down upon the two living mortals, the diminishing lights of her purification powers playing upon her features.
"If you are searching for the enemy," she stated flatly, "then you have found the wrong one. You would do better to return to village from which you came. Naraku is there."
"Naraku!" repeatedly Sango and Miroku clutching their weapons as they tasted panic in one singular breath.
Kikyo looked down on them somberly. "If you wish to save your friends you must return without delay. It may already be too late." She began to rise up, collected by her shikigama as usual.
"Wait Lady Kikyo!" said Miroku sternly almost as if testing her. "Aren't you coming too?"
"I have already done all that I could," said Kikyo eerily. "The rest waits on Demon Inuyasha."
"Let's go Sango," said Miroku. A dark look crossed his face as he began to run rapidly.
"Right," said Sango likewise hurrying. They had not run far when they met up with Kilala.
"Kilala!" shouted out Sango hopping aboard. The three took off at a breakneck speed and soon Naraku's barrier could be seen.
"No wonder we couldn't sense him!" said Miroku amazed at the glowing barrier. "I can't see how we are going to get through."
"It doesn't mean we can't try," said Sango letting loose her Hirikatose. It glanced off senselessly and Miroku prepared to unless his Windtunnel.
"Indeed," he said.
"Don't give up yet," wailed Shippo popping up from where he had been hiding as a large patch of Kilala's fur. "Kagome's in there, and Inuyasha too."
"Don't worry Shippo, we won't give up," Miroku reassured him.
"That's right," Shippo thought to himself. "We'll defeat Naraku and rescue Kagome. Then Inuyasha and Kagome will get married and I'll have a family again."
"I really hope they're okay," added the little fox almost tenderly as Miroku began to let loose his attack.
Hundreds of miles away, Demon Inuyasha was yawning in the castle palace he now inhabited along with Sesshomaru. His head servant whom was an otter youkai was seated not far away from him in a pretty kimono while he fed breadcrumbs to the koi, lacking anything better to do. From time to time a girl came from the kitchens to press on him a bowl of bloody meat. It was, "to keep up his strength," according to Sesshomaru, "while he adjusted to this nontransparent form."
The quiet waters of the fishpond and the ever-blooming cherry trees bored Inuyasha. Sloshing the water around with his hand under it smacked noisily against the sidebanks, Inuyasha dreamed of the days of adventure he had once had. A woman by his side, one whom he had loved more than any other as they ran wild and free across the landscape, making enemies, killing them, and picking up friends along the way. How he longed for those days once again.
The winds stirred and tangled themselves in his wild mane. Sniffing the wind, Inuyasha decided to go running in the limitless expanse of sky that beckoned above his head. Lifting off without a word to his servant, he passed the timid cherry trees and their wretchedly soothing company. In truth, what he really yearned for was to hear the abusive yell of someone whom never listened to him, and with whom he frequently argued. Someone as wild and untameable as the wilderness itself, and whom was equally compelling to his instinct.
Thinking adoringly of the woman he had so recently lost, Demon Inuyasha flew over Kaede's village and the forest that had once been his. Nostalgic, he landed beside an old campfire they had once built together quite distant from the village. It had been one of the first ones they had ever made, back when it was just Kagome and himself. Over the years, their little group had visited the same spot over and over again on their way back to Kaede's village so that it smelled of all his former pack members. It was the same spot where he had been slapped by Kagome for waking her. Firelight had roared in his eyes on that translucent night. The unquencheable fire that had piqued her cheeks back then was like to the one that now roared in his stomach and danced at the back of his eyes, kindled by her memory. Utmost lovingness and a desperate need combined themselves as Inuyasha tenderly picked up one of the charcoaled sticks from the old fire ring and held it near his heart.
"Kagome," Demon Inuyasha spoke softly. "I wish I had never even thought of becoming demon. Then I would be right there, by your side."
The wind shifted and Demon Inuyasha perked his now youkai-style ears. Something seemed to be calling out to him.
"Why do I suddenly feel this way?" said Demon Inuyasha, his youkai energy pulsing wildly. "Why do I feel someone has to be protected?"
"Damn it," said Demon Inuyasha throwing away his stick while swallowing down the heart that had come up his throat. "I should never have left her. There's no way those three could have ever protected her themselves. I should have known better. And here I was too busy feeling sorry for myself to realize."
Lifting up into the air so rapidly that he became a blur of bluish orb, Demon Inuyasha streaked through the sky. Soon afterwards, he cascaded down with a slam beside the pulsing auras of someone he loved and someone he loathed with all his being.
"Naraku," said Demon Inuyasha emerging from his crater full of dust.
"Heh," said Naraku with a small smirk on his face.
Soaring up above Naraku's demonic barrier, Miroku, Sango, Kilala, and Shippo watched as a bright bluish orb sailed towards them and crashed into the ground below.
"Growwwwwl," said Kilala with a silent "l".
"Is that really Inuyasha?" said Shippo awestruck as a figure began to emerge from the dust. At that moment, his bully/idol had the appearance of being a strong, ferocious youkai to be revered, even to his impudent kitsune (fox) eyes. The youkai aura pulsing through the air reverberated across the whole horizon and washed against him like a sheet. Not even his own father had been this strong, nor many of the enemies they had ever faced.
"Remind me to never steal his ramen again," thought Shippo with his tail quaking. Naraku suddenly dropped his barrier.
"So you have come to face me, Demon Inuyasha," said Naraku with a sneer, his sarcastic use of formal titles bleeding across the ground.
"Wrong Naraku," said Demon Inuyasha. "I have come to kill you."
The two youkai winds battled against one another, lashing fiercely until the sky above crackled with vibrating storm clouds, promising a typhoon were this not land. Instead the world above swirled in a slow, trebling motion that extended to where Kilala and the others were now buffeted by currents.
"This is no good," shouted Miroku over the gale. "If Demon Inuyasha fights, Kagome and his human side are likely to be injured. Besides that, if Naraku wins he will absorb Inuyasha's powers and it will be all over for us."
"You're right, Miroku, but what can we do?" Sango shouted back at him.
"In any case, we should probably land and try to get closer to them," said Miroku as Kilala struggled to stay aloft in the sky.
"Wait!" came an urgent child's voice. "I have a plan Miroku. If you can just get me closer to them, I'll transform and take Human Inuyasha and Kagome away."
There was a lull in the conversation, then…
"All right Shippo," said Miroku. "What would you like us to do?"
Demon Inuyasha glared at Naraku, his already red eyes blazing as if there were fire in them, perhaps the very fires of hell. Naraku's own small red eyes of bloody crimson gleamed with excitement of battle.
"Come at me then, Inuyasha," the demon (technically-hanyou) said.
"Keh. Don't expect me to be goaded like my human side would," said Demon Inuyasha observing his enemy.
"My apologies," said Naraku with an evil smile.
The two demons ran at one another at the same moment, Demon Inuyasha leaping up and slashing through appendages with his claws in an attempt to free the two humans.
In the sky above the two enemies, the wind stopped swaling the moment the fighting began.
"That's odd," thought Miroku out loud to Sango. "Why isn't Naraku resorting to extortion? We all know he's capable of it. Perhaps he wants to get Inuyasha tired so that he can absorb him?" Miroku ended as he observed hundreds of demons stream in from the sky.
"I don't know," said Sango. "Look at that!"
Miroku looked down on Demon Inuyasha whom had turned toward the demon-laden sky with a wicked grin.
"Windscar!" the demon once hanyou shouted as the terrifyingly destructive wind they were all so familiar with issued from his claws. At the same moment the attack was cried out, Human Inuyasha felt a forgotten weapon pulse at his waist. Bum-bump.
"Tetsusiaga?" said Human Inuyasha knowingly. Sorrowfully, he could not reach anything bound as he was. All he could do was merely watch as the battle ensued.
"That idiot," said Human Inuyasha out loud. "All he's going to do is get himself absorbed." Kagome merely looked on in a worried way. That was until the clearing exploded in a mountain of smoke and the two humans felt themselves cut free from Naraku's tendrils.
"Don't worry," said Miroku carrying Human Inuyasha over his shoulder as he ran across the clearing. "Sango and I are here to save you!"
"Yes!" said Sango whom had hoisted her best friend over her shoulderpads and was racing away in the same direction to where some bushes were.
"Not so fast!" said Naraku during a break in his battle with Inuyasha. Demon Inuyasha leapt after Naraku as he sent his sneaky tendrils across the ground but it was too late as he was being blocked and choked by miasma.
"Kagome!" Demon Inuyasha shouted wildly as his human half and the woman he loved were both caught again and dragged into the center of Naraku.
"Heh. If you want them, you will have to cut them out of me, Inuyasha," said Naraku.
"Whew," said Shippo looking down to where Kilala and himself were flying high in the sky disguised by his fake cloud. "Naraku fell for it. Unfortunately so did Inuyasha."
"Yeah, well my demon side has always been a bit of stupid prick," said Human Inuyasha leaning back for a look, his arms still wrapped around Kagome.
"Come on, Inuyasha," said Kagome exasperatedly. "If you ask me your demon side has always been the smarter of the two."
"What is that supposed to mean!" said Human Inuyasha shouting.
"Sit down Inuyasha," said Kagome. "If you shout so much Naraku will find us and then what are we supposed to do?"
"She's right you know," said Shippo authoritatively.
The little group kept floating around until a pinkish blur of youkai energy approached.
"Sesshomaru!" said Human Inuyasha surprised as they passed his former brother mid-air. The youkai lord halted, his furry boa drifting around his feet.
"Sesshomaru," called out Kagome in an urgent voice. "Demon Inuyasha still thinks that Human Inuyasha and I are inside Naraku. Naraku is trying to absorb him and he might succeed if Inuyasha gets too close."
"I understand," said Sesshomaru regally descending from the clouds.
Down below, Demon Inuyasha was indeed getting too close and for a moment, Naraku caused his two captives to resurface so that he leapt into him. By this time, Naraku already knew they weren't real but it didn't matter. The lure had done its trick and his clumps of demon-eating flesh fastened themselves around the hapless demon.
"I win, Inuyasha," said Naraku gleaming triumphantly only a moment before the sound of a blade tore his triumph away.
"Not so fast, Naraku," said Sesshomaru coldly, his sword Toukijin held out in front of him.
"I will not suffer a lowly being such as yourself to possess a dog demon's power. Nor will I allow you to escape. You will die today."
"You think so, Lord Sesshomaru," said Naraku with mock respect.
"Stand there if you wish to find out," said Sesshomaru letting loose his Toukijin again so that it tore through Naraku's center. At that moment Demon Inuyasha pulled himself free of the debris and staggered out.
"What the hell are you doing!" Demon Inuyasha roared.
"Calm yourself, Inuyasha," said Sesshomaru coldly. "Your companions were never there." All his human friends took this as an opportune time to gather round him.
"He's right, Inuyasha," said Sango as Kilala and her passangers landed. Miroku was there too. "We tricked Naraku using Shippo's decoys."
Demon Inuyasha looked enormously relieved. Turning back to Naraku, he allowed himself a viscious grin.
"I guess that means I can tear you apart now," he said cracking his fingers in a menacing way.
"Unlikely dog demon," said Naraku chuckling. A cluster of saimyoushu appeared behind him, as well as Hakudoshi floating midair. Kanna appeared as well, holding a box.
"Kanna," said Naraku in his creepy manner. The said demon creaked open the box slowly and a paralyzing mist shot out. Within a few seconds, it spread itself out in the form of a raven and became an intensified fog. Naraku, Sesshomaru, and Inuyasha disappeared into this vapor while the others flew away.
"Inuyasha," said Naraku in a very evil way. "This poison was made especially for you. It subdues the power of all demons, numbing them and rendering them defenseless. It is especially potent to dog demons, I would expect."
"Damn you Naraku," said Demon Inuyasha choking on the mist. He felt he was about to pass out when suddenly a pair of hands wrapped themselves around his arms and hauled him off to the fresh air. Two rough hands shoved him into a thicket and he lay there sputtering looking up into the face of his human side.
"You stayed behind did you?" he said gritting his fangs out of pain and the humiliation of having to be rescued by what he considered his weaker half.
"Of course I did you idiot. I was in same body as you for too long not to know what your weaknesses are. When I saw Kanna appear with that box, it didn't take two brains to figure it out."
Demon Inuyasha looked as if he were about to reply back, but he didn't get a chance to reply. Instead, the mist cleared and they could observe Sesshomaru lying sprawled out on the ground.
"Shit," Demon Inuyasaha cursed out loud.
"There, you see," said Human Inuyasha. "That's where your demon pride gets you. You're too stubborn to move away even if it means being target practice."
"Yeah, well you're not much different," said Demon Inuyasha referring to the human nights his past hanyou self had experienced.
"True," said Human Inuyasha. He had done his share of stupid stunts. "Shit, here comes Naraku."
It wasn't exactly Naraku himself, but rather several of his insect minions.
"Hiding out in the bushes, Inuyasha?" came the villainous voice. "I never would have imagined you to stoop so low as to become a coward, Inuyasha," said Naraku scathingly.
"Shut up, Naraku," said Demon Inuyasha staggering upright and limping forward into the clearing.
"I haven't given up on pummeling you yet."
"Do tell," said Naraku smirking. "You're expecting to defeat me with that beat-up body of yours?"
"Hell ya!" said Demon Inuyasha sounding more like his usual hanyou self. He lifted up his wrist and let off another earth scorching attack.
"Wait a minute," Kagome said as they were lifted up in the air. "Inuyasha wouldn't. He couldn't…"
Apparently he could for when the enormous black vapor dissipated, she could see Human Inuyasha talking to his demon counterpart.
"We have to go help them," said Kagome panicking.
"Agreed," said Miroku lifting his staff so that it was ready for whacking any poisonous insect they encountered on their descent. "Kilala!"
The firecat roared and glided down to the earth, her various riders spilling out along the ground to face off with Naraku.
Um. Okay this fight scene is taking a really long time to write, so it will be at least another chapter to wrap things up. Read and review please! I find feedback inspiring.