RK Quote of the Day:
Megumi: "And if I were with you, it would be a joke."
Sanosuke: "You selling me a fight?"
Inuyasha Quote of the Day:
Sesshoumaru: "This plan is beneath me. Should it fail, Jaken, you will die."
Recap: In the last chapter, Naraku had succeeded in resurrecting Shishio. He had the Turkish sorcerer, Basir, place Shishio's soul within the body of his new incarnation.
Shippo and company also ran across Namu and Kirara while on the way to Kurashiki. The kitsune wasn't very happy to find his son out in the middle of no where. Father and son got into a large argument and are currently not on speaking terms, not that they really were before. Kouga and Sanosuke have become reluctant mediators. Saito, as of yet, has said nothing about the matter.
The Samurai of Tomorrow
Chapter 35: Shishio Awakens, Part II
Shishio studied his new body in the mirror. It was hard to tell, but his new body seemed a little taller than his old human one. His chin also seemed a little squarer and his nose a little flatter. His shoulder length hair was also the same black color as before. He did like the red eyes and sharper teeth though. They suited him just fine.
Then there was also that spider mark on the back.
He had stared at it for a time before shrugging it off. He possessed a youkai body now, which meant that his fighting skills would be far superior then when he had been a mere human.
Except that Naraku controlled him. Shishio despised that.
Shishio pulled on his juban, and then his crimson kimono. He rather liked the color. It reminded him of blood.
"The man you know as the Hitokiri Battousai is actually the reincarnation of a youkai lord named Sesshoumaru. He was one of the most powerful youkai."
"As powerful as you?" Shishio had questioned dryly. Naraku smirked in reply.
"What do you think?"
He tied the sash around his waist and picked up his new sword. The weapon was youkai made; it was much stronger than his last blade. Not that he necessarily needed a sword now. He had new youkai powers that he had yet to try out.
"I want you to go to Kurashiki. I have…a business investment, you might say, that needs protecting."
"A business investment?"
"Yes. It may also interest you to know that Saito Hajime and Sagara Sanosuke are heading there now."
"Is that so?" Shishio had asked.
"There are two youkai with them. A wolf and a fox. They should not be taken lightly. However, I expect that you shall have no problems. I will teleport you there when you are ready."
Shishio couldn't wait to find out what his new body could do.
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"Well, we're in Kurashiki," Sano observed. "Where do we go now?" The group had reached the city by the afternoon of the next day. However, they seemed to be at a loss of where to go next.
Saito resisted the urge to kick Kouga as the wolf sniffed along the ground. He was still sore about losing his cigarettes, even though he had since bought several new packs upon entering the city.
"That way," Kouga finally pointed. "It leads to that castle in the distance."
"You sure?" Shippo asked. Namu looked once at his father, but refused to acknowledge him. He was standing as far back from his father as possible, which put him next to Saito and Kirara.
"Well, what're we waiting for?" Sano asked.
"To make sure it's not a trap," Saito stated matter of factly.
"Yes, that would be the obvious thing, wouldn't it?" Shippo added. Kirara mewed in agreement. Sanosuke folded his arms and scowled darkly.
"Feh," Kouga muttered. "I say we just charge in there." This time Saito did strike him, over the head in fact. As the wolf glared at him, Shippo quickly came to Saito's defense.
"Don't do what Inuyasha would do," Shippo pointed out. Which was true, however, it also had another intended effect on the wolf.
"I'm not as stupid as that mutt face!" Kouga protested.
"I didn't say you were," Shippo continued smoothly. "But perhaps we should try a…less obvious entrance." The wolf muttered at that before finally nodding his head in agreement. Saito found himself being thankful yet again that the fox's intelligence was far above Kouga and Sanosuke's.
If anything, he was also quite the smooth talker.
Which of course, unknown to Saito, was largely a result of Miroku's influence.
Namu gave a start as he realized that his father was looking at him. He gave a defiant glare back, which caused Shippo to sigh.
"Namu," Shippo commanded. "I want you to stay here. Kirara, please stay with him."
"I'm not staying behind!"
"Namu, it's dangerous…"
Namu felt a strong hand on his shoulder and looked up as he as about to protest again. Saito Hajime stared impassively down at him before looking over at the cat. He nodded to himself before looking back at the young hanyou.
"Obey your father," Saito said. Namu opened his mouth, but shut it immediately at a cold glare from the taller man.
"He's right Kid," Kouga added. "It's going to be dangerous. Just think of Kirara and yourself as back up." Namu found it hard to protest when Kirara and all four adults were set on him staying behind.
"Fine," he muttered. He crossed his arms, clearly not happy with this arrangement. The young hanyou gave a start when Saito bent down low to whisper to him.
"You'll get your chance, but for now, listen to your father. He's a better man than you think. Even I respect him."
Namu watched in surprise as Saito walked away with the other three, as if he had said nothing. Up until now, Saito Hajime had been the only adult to not get involved with his and his father's feud. Perhaps that was why those two sentences impacted him more than Inuyasha and the others.
"He's a better man than you think. Even I respect him."
As Namu had quickly learned, Saito Hajime rarely gave out compliments.
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Naraku smiled as he stared out of the office window. Inuyasha would hardly suspect that he had taken up residence in the middle of Tokyo. By the time the hanyou realized it, it would be too late.
He glanced at his pocket watch before stepping away from the window. Marvelous things, pocket watches. Naraku was thoroughly enjoying the new commodities of this age. In fact, in a mere twenty minutes he would riding west on a locomotive. He had even heard of a recent invention that allowed people to talk long distance. What was it called? Ah, yes, a telephone.
He checked his watch again. The fools should be arriving at Kurashiki any minute now. Shishio was already there with Gojin, waiting for them.
Naraku had also received a telegraph from some his new "allies." They had attacked the wolf youkai tribe's lands in the mountains, and were now also launching an assault on the Western lands. Inuyasha had better decide soon where his priorities lie.
The youkai slipped on his overcoat and headed down the stairs. He had a train to catch.
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Amaya paced in agitation as she waited for her scouts to return. Some of her father's old enemies from the Chinese mainland had attacked the wolf tribe, and were now heading here. Nearly thirty members of the tribe had taken refuge in the Western lands.
They must be allied with Naraku, otherwise they wouldn't dare to attack here. Her family had allied with the Thunder Youkai tribe, the Shadow Fox Clan, and the Panther Youkai tribe to stop them from invading from China. Why would they attack again?
"No word yet," Megumi said calmly. She had set up a makeshift infirmary in the Great Hall. Young Sango had been helping her treat the injured wolves. The young girl seemed to have a talent for medicine. Megumi reminded herself to speak with the child about that later.
"I'm worried about Namu," Amaya admitted grudgingly.
"I'm sure he's fine," the doctor said. "Wherever he is, he's probably safer than here." Amaya nodded her head reluctantly, trusting the woman's judgment. She and Megumi had become surprisingly good friends in the short time they had come to know each other.
"When they attack," Megumi said. "Will you be able to hold them off?"
"Feh," Amaya growled. "I'll rip those bastards to pieces." She cracked her fingers in anticipation. Like Inuyasha, she enjoyed a good fight. In fact, it was at times like this that she bore an uncanny resemblance to her father.
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"I don't like this," Kouga muttered. "There's nothing here. The whole place is empty."
"Something was definitely here though," Shippo added. "You smell that?"
"Yeah, it's the same smell that was around that strange spider you killed. You can smell it underneath all the youkai scents."
Saito, in the meantime, was studying the gaping hole in the outer wall. Part of the corridor had collapsed from some explosion. While he was doing this, Sanosuke was looking at the long, black scorch marks that ran across the stone flooring.
"That mutt face was here," Kouga said. "His and Kenshin's scents are pretty strong in this area."
"Kenshin?" Sano asked. Shippo began to study the damaged hallway before walking up to the hole next to Saito.
"It looks like Inuyasha used his Wind Scar," the fox added.
"Yeah," Kouga agreed. "Whoever he used it on must have got away though. Inuyasha and Kenshin's scents lead away from the castle." Saito and Sanosuke exchanged looks. For Kenshin to have been here…then this place must have been important to Naraku.
"What do we do now?" Sano asked. "We haven't found very much."
"We've found enough," Shippo said. "Kenshin and Inuyasha obviously had a reason for being here. I say we search the entire castle before leaving. We might find something they missed, or at least to tell us what was here."
"Agreed," Saito said. "Perhaps we should split up. You go with the rooster and I'll go with the wolf."
"Split up?" Sano asked suspiciously. "It'd be faster if we all went our separate ways."
"Yes," the former Shinsengumi replied dryly. "However, you and Kouga are bound to miss some important detail. You'll most likely destroy some vital piece of evidence if left to your own devices. Shippo at least I can trust to be intelligent enough to leave the castle intact."
"Hey!" Sano and Kouga protested. Shippo smirked as he grabbed the human by the collar and proceeded to drag him down the corridor.
"Come on Rooster, let's go."
"Let me go you stupid fox!"
Saito smirked as Sanosuke received a smack to the head. He turned around and expected an equal protest from the wolf. Kouga, however, glared a moment before stalking down the hallway, muttering under his breath.
"Call me stupid, will he? I'll show the bastard…"
The policeman smirked as he stuck a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. Blessed nicotine.
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Namu idly kicked a nearby rock. He didn't understand why he couldn't go inside. Didn't they trust him?
"He's a better man than you think. Even I respect him."
As much as he tried to shut them out, Saito's parting words kept reechoing in his mind. Had he perhaps misunderstood his father? After all, an unexpected half human son couldn't have been an easy task to undertake.
No.
He still shouldn't have sent him off to Inuyasha. Namu liked Inuyasha, he admired him, viewed him as a father even. However, it was Shippo that should have been there for him, not Inuyasha.
He had needed his father, not just a father figure.
Namu froze suddenly as Kirara began to growl dangerously. His fox ears pricked up as they caught the approaching, nearly silent footsteps.
"Who's there?" he demanded.
The young man leapt out of the way just as a transformed Kirara sailed by him and sank her teeth into a youkai. Namu swore with the realization that they had somehow been surrounded.
"Kirara!" he yelled. The youkai cat roared as she charged the attackers. Namu managed to kill one of the youkai before he leapt onto Kirara's back. The cat gave another enraged roar before taking to the sky.
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Kouga paused briefly and tilted his head. He listened again before whipping around.
"What?" Saito asked.
"I just heard Kirara. Something's going on outside. I think there's a battle."
Saito was immediately sprinting down the flight of steps they had been on, followed closely by Kouga. Instinct caused him to roll into a side room, as something whipped passed him. He heard a crash, followed by the yell of an irate Kouga.
He emerged back into the stair well to see that they now had company. A strange, bald youkai was facing off against Kouga.
"Get out of our way, snake," Kouga warned. He bared his teeth threateningly. Saito withdrew his katana and stepped behind the youkai, effectively placing the snake between him and Kouga.
"My name is Gojin," the youkai hissed. "Be so kind as to use it wolf."
"You have made a grave error," Saito said. "You have just picked a fight with not one, but two wolves."
"As if I would fear a mere human."
Saito smirked mirthlessly to himself. You underestimate me. He was about to prove to him the fatality of that misjudgment.
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Oblivious to what was happening above, Shippo and Sanosuke made their way deep below the castle. They had discovered a secret entrance that, according to Shippo, had reeked of that strange smell. Curiously enough, as he told Sanosuke, he also smelled the faint traces of two humans, a man and a woman, within the passage. Little did they know that these two scents belonged to Aoshi and Misao.
"How far do you think this goes?" Sano asked.
"I don't know," Shippo admitted. "But the smell gets stronger the further we go." Sanosuke nodded and plugged his nose. Even he was able to smell the ghastly odor.
"This is worse than Saito's damn smoke sticks," Shippo muttered. The smell was making him nauseous.
After a few more minutes, the two men entered a large, high vaulted room. It was completely empty.
"There's nothing here," Sano complained.
"But something was," Shippo added, and then paused. "Sano, we're not alone."
"What?"
Shippo pulled out his sword, which was now glowing a bright violet. The fox grimly pointed up at the ceiling. There, hanging in the shadows, was a male youkai. Sanosuke swore under his breath.
"Why didn't you smell him fox?"
"I couldn't. This room completely covered up his scent." Which meant that he had been waiting here for them.
"Who the hell are you?" Sano called out. He was answered by a low chuckle. Something about that voice caused the hairs to rise on the back of his neck. Shippo responded by sending a blast of green foxfire up at the ceiling. The man merely jumped down before the fire could hit him.
"We've met before Sagara Sanosuke, don't you remember? I fought with the Battousai."
Sanosuke froze. He didn't recognize the face, but the voice was distinctly familiar.
"Shishio," he whispered hoarsely. But it was impossible. Shishio was dead. Shippo gave him a sharp look before glaring back at the youkai.
"You know him Sano?"
"I…he can't be. Shishio died while fighting Kenshin!"
"Yes, indeed I did," Shishio replied. "But Naraku had the kindness to resurrect me and give me this new, youkai body. It's so much better than a pitiful, human body. Don't you agree?"
"Shippo," Sano muttered. "We're in trouble."
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Gojin hadn't expected this kind of resistance from the human. He had expected the wolf to be trouble, but not the mortal. The snake youkai opened his mouth and spat out a liquid substance at the human. Saito rolled out of the way as it ate through the stone wall behind him.
"Watch it Saito," Kouga warned. "He can spit acid."
"I've noticed," Saito replied dryly.
"Look snake, we're going to kill you anyway, so just tell us where Naraku is," the wolf commanded. Gojin hissed in reply before shedding his skin and lunging at the wolf. Kouga was completely caught off guard as the large, transformed snake bit into his left leg.
Saito quickly took the opportunity to slice into the snake's belly. However, a burning sensation on his hands caused him to jump back. Acid had immediately poured out of the youkai's open wound. To his dismay, he realized that it was eating away at his sword.
Kouga growled as he brought his claws down into the snake's head, ignoring the poisonous acid. After several more strikes, the snake finally let go of his leg and backed off.
"You okay?" Saito asked.
"I'll be fine," Kouga panted. "The acid doesn't bother me as much as it does you." It was true, but Saito was still concerned. The bite on his leg looked very nasty. The wolf wasn't even putting any pressure on it, but was instead balancing on his good leg.
Kouga's eyes widened suddenly in surprise as he spotted the spider mark on the giant snake's back.
"Son of a…this bastard is one of Naraku's incarnations," he growled. Saito raised an eyebrow.
"Incarnations?" he asked.
"I'll explain later. Let's kill him first," the wolf growled.
"Agreed."
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Sanosuke gave a grunt of pain as he was thrown back into the wall. Damn it all. Shishio as a human had been bad enough, but Shishio as a youkai? Even Sano wasn't totally optimistic about this fight.
"How disappointing. You have improved little since our last meeting," Shishio stated. "You're not even worth my effort." That caused Sanosuke's blood to boil. Not worth his effort?
Sano unstrapped the Hiraikotsu from his back that Shippo had given him. The fox had explained to him how Sango had originally used the weapon, but he himself hadn't yet learned to throw the weapon properly.
But that didn't stop him from using it as a blunt object.
Or as a shield for that matter.
Sanosuke whipped the weapon in front of him just as a blast of energy forced him back. He muttered darkly as he watched Shippo battle Shishio. As much as he hated to admit it, he was out of his league. He would have to wait for an opportunity to attack, when Shishio had forgotten about him.
Shippo growled softly to himself as he blocked the other man's blade. He had learned his swordsmanship from Sango and Inuyasha, but this man's skill level was far above what he had learned.
Not only that, but Shishio's new found speed and strength didn't help him either. When it came to swordsmanship, Shippo knew was outmatched.
With that realization, he decided to change tactics. Foxes were best known for their trickery. That was how he was going to have to fight.
Shishio narrowed his eyes as the fox apparently split into five different mirror images of himself. He attacked the nearest Shippos and found to his surprise, that all five images disappeared with several pops, leaving five leaves in their places.
Where was he…
Shishio's new, enhanced instincts saved him from being hit by a wave of hot foxfire. He whipped around again, but the fox was no where to be seen.
Ah, yes, of course. He remembered now. Naraku had said that he was a shapeshifter.
"You can't hide forever fox," Shishio pointed out. "Your tricks will only delay the inevitable for so long."
His new instincts alerted him again, but this time, Shishio couldn't move. The entire floor had been blanketed with some strange, sticky substance, which had effectively glued his feet to the ground.
A sharp pain dug into his shoulder as a great, red furred fox bit into him, ripping out a chunk of flesh.
Shishio chuckled wryly as he fended off the next attack and wiped his bleeding shoulder. The kitsune backed off and swished his tail in agitation.
"I see," Shishio said. "That must be your true form. Quite clever really, sabotaging the floor while distracting me with that green fire of yours. However, you won't be able to use that trick again."
"No, I expected not," Shippo admitted. He had transformed back into his more human form. He wiped the blood from his mouth.
"I really must give you some credit. Had I still been human, then I most likely would be dead. I am curious though. How strong has the Battousai become since my death?"
"I don't think that's your concern right now," Shippo growled. "You still have to deal with me."
"Of course," Shishio smirked. "However, are you aware that while you fight me in here, your son is, at this very moment, battling for his life?"
Shippo froze, which was the very opportunity that that Shishio had wished to exploit. The fox barely caught the blade as it pressed down at his chest.
"Sano!" Shippo yelled. "Find Namu!"
"What? And leave you here with Him?"
"Do it, damn it! Protect my son!"
Sano clenched his fists before running out into the dark corridor and up into the castle. Damn it all. He had to find the others. Sanosuke hoped that the fox had several more tricks up his sleeve, because if he didn't…
He picked up his speed. First he had to find Namu.
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Namu and Kirara had decided to enter the castle. The cat's roars could be heard echoing down the hallway as she charged through the winding corridors, Namu still seated on her back.
The young hanyou wasn't sure where they were heading until he heard the sounds of fighting up above. His ears twitched as they picked up Kouga and Saito's voices.
Moments later, the pair burst into a now devastated stairwell as Saito slashed at a giant snake. A heavily bleeding Kouga was down on one knee, clutching his side. Much of his skin seemed to have been burned.
Saito too, had several burn marks, though none as bad as Kouga's. The wolf had borne the brunt of the attacks.
Kirara sank her teeth deeply into the snake's neck. She gave a howl of pain as acid ate into her mouth, but she boldly held on.
"Kirara! Namu!" Kouga bellowed. Kirara gave a roar of rage as she bit deeply into the snake and managed to nearly rip the head from its body. Saito immediately finished the job by using what remained of his sword to slice through the rest of Gojin's "neck" and severed the spinal cord.
Kirara gave a soft mew as she reverted to her small form and curled up weakly in Namu's arms. The acid had hurt her deeply. Saito eyed the snake corpse irately as Kouga stumbled to his feet.
"Can you walk?" Saito asked him.
"I'll manage," Kouga muttered. "That damn bastard." Namu waited for a rebuke. After all, he was supposed to have stayed outside the castle. However, the rebuke never came. Saito merely told him to help Kouga walk. Namu surrendered the weakened Kirara to Saito and placed his arm around the wolf.
"We'd…better find the others," Kouga panted. "I doubt we're the only ones who had a surprise."
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Shippo felt a flash of pain as Shishio's sword cut through his right arm. His sword clattered to the ground. The fox leapt back away from his attacker and held his bleeding stump of an arm. Shishio stopped his advance as the kitsune's eyes glowed a furious, bright red.
Shishio Makoto was not a stupid man. The fox was injured, disarmed, and fearful of his son's life. It was a cornered animal that was the most dangerous.
He was right.
At that moment, Shippo transformed himself into a giant, green scaled dragon. The very stone walls cracked and splintered around the growing size of the fox. Hot, green fire sizzled in the room, turning it into smoldering inferno.
Shishio smirked. Now he could finally test out his new powers. He had to be careful of course. Naraku didn't want the fox dead.
He wanted him alive.
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"Rooster! Where's the Fox?" Saito demanded. At that moment, the whole castle shook violently. Sanosuke, who had raced towards them, was still panting from exhaustion.
"It's Shishio," he gasped. "Naraku resurrected him! He gave him a youkai body. Shippo's fighting him now."
A stunned Saito Hajime swore under his breath and unsheathed his sword. He was more than ready to join Shippo in the fight.
Unfortunately, the castle seemed to be coming down around them. The very walls were crumbling as they stood in indecision.
"Where's Shippo?" Kouga demanded weakly. Even though he was badly injured, the wolf was anxious to fight this Shishio character.
"At the bottom, under the castle," Sano said quickly. It was at that very moment, however, that the floor gave out underneath them. With the whole castle coming down around them, it was all they could do to struggle out into the open air. The ragged group stumbled out into the sunlight and away from the crumbling debris.
It turned out that the group was lucky to escape when they did. As soon as they had emerged from the broken castle, the stones had simply vanished. All that remained was a deep, burned out pit and small traces of fading green fox fire.
"FATHER!"
"Namu! Wait!" Sano yelled. The young hanyou ignored him as he put Kouga down and raced down into the pit and stared.
There, still gripping the Kadouki, lay his father's severed arm.
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Author's Note: Oh no! Cliffhanger! Don't worry, the fate of Shippo shall be revealed in the near future.
Next chapter: The Sakabatou Reforged