Author's note: I just have a short announcement. Even thought this story is almost "officially" over, I'm going to add a few bonus chapters. These will be between 2-5 chapters and will basically be one-shots of ideas I couldn't fit into the story. Two of the short stories that I've thought of so far are "Yahiko and Namu's Grand Adventure" and "Kagome the Matchmaker".
Recap: Both Inuyasha and Namu went into their youkai forms, but were brought out of it before either could cause much harm. Namu killed the mother youkai spider and Kouga, after knocking the young fox unconscious, wants to destroy the rest of her children. Inuyasha and Kenshin, meanwhile, have both been working together to fight Naraku, but they have not yet succeeded…
The Samurai of Tomorrow
Chapter 42: The Swords of the Fang
"Geez, the kid's still out…"
Saito ignored Sanosuke as he lit a cigarette. The two of them were currently standing near the still unconscious Namu. They were a short ways from the Imperial house, waiting for Kirara and Kouga to make their final move.
Kouga had destroyed the far wall and flung as much of the TNT and gunpowder at the cocoon as he could before the spiders began to converge on him and the others. They had then made a hasty exit as the wolf sought out the cat youkai. He had quickly explained the situation to Kirara.
The two humans had then run as quickly as they could to gain some distance while the two youkai headed back down to the underground chamber.
"You think they're okay?" Sano asked, trying not to appear worried. "I mean, I know they're youkai but it's still…"
A deep thunderous boom drew their attention back to the Imperial palace. Pieces of earth were flying from where the chamber had exploded from beneath the ground. There was a gaping hole to the left of the palace as the immediate area began to cave in. Large cracks formed up on the side of the palace that had been nearest the blast.
"Where's…" Sano started. Saito calmly took a puff of his cigarette as he pointed above them. The younger man looked up to see that Kouga was sitting across Kirara's back, who was floating up in the sky.
"H..how…?" Sano stuttered. "Even you two aren't that fast!" Kouga smirked down at him.
"I used my brain," he said. Saito raised an eyebrow then and took his cigarette out of his mouth in order to study the wolf.
"You possess one?" Saito asked dryly. Kouga began to smirk, and then stopped as he caught the insult.
"Shut up Saito! I'll have you know that I'm more intelligent than…"
"More intelligent than 'That Mutt Faced Inuyasha'?" Saito asked. "By your own admittance, that is pathetically little." He hadn't yet met this Inuyasha, but he'd had more than enough of listening to Kouga's tirades on the hanyou lord
Kouga growled at him.
Saito calmly inhaled his sacred nicotine.
"Well?" the former Shinsengumi asked.
"Well what?" the wolf growled.
"You're not going to explain your new found intelligence?"
"Shut up!"
"I see, so you didn't find it…"
"I said shut up!" Kouga warned. "If you must know Mortal, I made a trail with that gunpowder stuff and had it lead down to the chamber. That way, Kirara and I had a few extra seconds to escape." The wolf's blue eyes studied Saito as he waited for his response. Saito let out another puff of smoke before responding.
"Amateur."
As Kouga growled at the clearly amused Saito, a confused Namu finally woke up.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
Sweat dripped down Inuyasha and Kenshin's faces as the sky quickly darkened. Foul energy lashed out at them, catching the two men off guard. Their swords automatically formed a shield around them as the full potential of Naraku's dark power was unleashed around them.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled. "Stay back!"
The priestess, of course, ignored her husband and shot a sacred arrow into the maelstrom of dark energy. It negated the effects somewhat as some of the energy was purified. It was also sufficient to raise Naraku's ire.
"Wench!" He yelled. Naraku sent his demonic miasma at the priestess. Aoshi acted quickly by scooping her up in his arms and escaping before the toxic gas hit. Inuyasha reacted almost instantaneously by unleashing his windscar on the youkai.
Kenshin found that he was glad for the protection that the Tenseiga gave to him. The titanic clash of energy was quickly demolishing the surrounding area. Inuyasha gave a yelp as he was thrown back from Naraku's counterattack. The swordsman took this instant to make his move.
The Dragon's Flight of Heaven, the Hiten Mitsurugi's ultimate technique.
He drew his sakabatou and stepped forward with his left leg an instant later. With God-like speed he slashed at Naraku, who tried to block it. However, as Kenshin had half expected, the youkai teleported out of the way just as he made the final strike.
"Fools," Naraku laughed. "You can not touch me."
"This one fears that you are correct," Kenshin replied. "Somehow, you are able to predict our moves by reading our thoughts." Naraku smirked at that, confirming Kenshin's suspicions.
"How are we supposed to fight him then?" Inuyasha growled softly, having come up quietly to Kenshin's left side. The red haired swordsman's lips tightened.
"Inuyasha…why did father give us these swords?" Sesshoumaru asked. Inuyasha gave him a sharp look as he realized that Kenshin had yet again faded briefly to the background.
"How the hell should I know?" The hanyou growled. The two men jumped out of the way as the ground exploded beneath them. Toxic miasma turned into a liquid form as it reached up in an attempt to grab each of their legs. Inuyasha hissed as the miasmic liquid burnt through the red fabric on his leg. He twisted out of it with an enraged howl and landed next to Kenshin, who had been faster.
"Inuyasha," Kenshin/Sesshoumaru said again. "I believe that father intended our swords to work together."
"How?" Inuyasha asked. "Your sword can't kill."
"It can't kill the living, no." Sesshoumaru's golden eyes narrowed at his brother. "However, little brother, that which exists from the netherworld can not escape the Tenseiga's wrath."
"What are you saying?" Inuyasha asked. "What good does that do us? Naraku's not undead, he's still alive." They were interrupted by the sudden laughter of Naraku. The youkai's green eyes flashed in wry amusement as he crossed his arms.
"What now?" Inuyasha asked icily. Naraku smirked at them.
"I am laughing, half-breed, because there are two flaws in the plan that your brother has thought up," he said. Sesshoumaru/Kenshin growled at him. He had also come to the same conclusions.
"Lord Sesshoumaru seems to have the idea that by using your two swords together, you may open up a gate to the netherworld and hereby seal me for all eternity in the firey depths of hell. Is that not so, Sesshoumaru?" Naraku asked. Inuyasha gave his brother a sharp look.
"Is that possible?" he asked. Sesshoumaru grimaced.
"This one does not know," he answered, unconsciously slipping back into Kenshin's manner of speech. "This one faintly remembers our father speaking with Totousai about the swords, though he remembers little, that he does." Inuyasha's eyes widened before turning back to glare at Naraku.
"All right you bastard, you said that there were two flaws, care to enlighten us?" he barked out. However, it was Sesshoumaru who answered the hanyou.
"With his ability to teleport, it is uncertain we should be able to seal him, that it is. Besides, he should most likely escape as we were making our attack," he said. "Also…Shippo is still inside him. If we managed to do this, we would also condemn him to hell."
Inuyasha gripped the Tetsusaiga tightly. Shit. He had only recently talked himself into being able to kill Shippo in order to kill Naraku…but to send him to hell?
"Damn," he muttered. Sesshoumaru's eyes flickered over to his brother before looking back at their foe.
"This one agrees."
………………………………………………………………………………………………
"Put me down!" Kagome ordered. "I have to be with Inuyasha!" Aoshi grimaced slightly as the priestess swatted his head painfully. He almost considered dropping her and letting her fend for herself.
That is what Saito Hajime would have done.
"I'm not sure what we can do," Sango advised. "We do not want to be in the way. Naraku could very easily use us against Inuyasha and Kenshin."
"Yes," Aoshi said. "We must be calm. We will watch and wait until we have a moment to strike."
Kagome glared at him and a bead of sweat ran down his neck. He had thought that Kaoru, Megumi, and Misao were stubborn, but Kagome and Sango were much worse. At least Sango was able to retain a cooler head in order to review the situation tactically.
"I promised Inuyasha that I would protect you," Aoshi said dispassionately. "I do not break my promises."
Kagome cast another glare at him before crossing her arms and sighing. Sango and Aoshi both had a point. They would just have to wait until they had an opportunity to catch Naraku off guard.
"Fine," Kagome admitted unwillingly. "But put me down!" she ordered. Aoshi quickly put her down in order to avoid another swing to the head. His left temple was still throbbing from her last effort.
"You are somewhat impossible to deal with," Aoshi stoically informed her. Kagome smiled innocently up at him, which he did not buy for an instant. Then to his great annoyance, she reached up and pinched his left cheek affectionately.
"Just remember," Kagome said sweetly. "I'm older than you."
"Hnn," he answered, swatting her hand away.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
"Hey, what was that?" Sanosuke asked. "It sounds like a storm." The group turned their eyes towards the east.
"It's not a storm," Namu said. He rubbed his head, which was still sore from where Kouga had punched him. Kirara growled softly in agreement.
"He's right," Kouga growled. "There's a lot of demonic energy over there. I'd bet anything that it's Naraku!" The wolf paused and sniffed the air. The wind was blowing from the direction of the battle.
"Hnn," he muttered out loud. "I can just pick up the scent of Kenshin and that mutt face." Saito, Namu, and Sanosuke all gave him a sharp look. Kirara growled.
"Let's go," Sano suggested. "They might need our help."
Kouga bared his fangs in reply as he flexed his claws.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
"Backlash Wave!"
Inuyasha's attack forced Naraku's youkai energy to come back against him. However, as before, the youkai simply anticipated the attack and teleported out of the way. Kenshin/Sesshoumaru leapt out of the way to avoid the deadly miasma just as Naraku fired Shippo's foxfire at him.
Damn. There must be a way…
"Fools," Naraku admonished. "To think that you could kill I, Naraku. Your deaths will come momentarily." Hundreds of youkai suddenly poured forth from his body. Inuyasha was preparing to unleash his windscar when Kagome's air zipped by and flew through the mass of youkai. An instant later, several more killed the remaining youkai, with one flying on past towards Naraku. He teleported out of the way before it could hit.
"WENCH!" Naraku yelled. He reached out both hands to unleash an attack on the priestess and her tall protector. His hands froze suddenly and began to shake. No…not again! Impossible!
Naraku's eyes widened as a clawed hand suddenly thrust itself out from his chest. Inuyasha and Kenshin also froze as Shippo's head and shoulders forced themselves out of Naraku's body.
"INUYASHA! KENSHIN!" Shippo yelled. His green eyes were strained. "Do it now! I can hold him!"
"Fox!" Naraku roared. Shippo's body sank a few centimeters back into the youkai's body. Inuyasha and Kenshin both stared at him with startled expressions.
"You idiot fox!" Inuyasha bellowed. "You really want to go to hell?" The kitsune gave a dark smirk as he sank slightly more back into Naraku. Then he gave a growl as he gritted his teeth.
"DO IT YOU STUPID BAKA!" Shippo bellowed back. "I CAN HOLD HIM! KILL US!"
"Inuyasha…" Kenshin murmured. He tightened his hold on the Tenseiga. "Perhaps…perhaps if I'm fast enough I can…" Inuyasha's face tightened.
"If you go after Shippo, you might get killed too. That, and if you were able to pull him out, Naraku might be able to teleport to safety while you two…" Inuyasha's voice broke. His heart seemed on the verge of splitting. Shippo's anxious voice forced him out of his chaotic thoughts.
"INUYASHA! DO IT!"
"Kenshin," Inuyasha swallowed the lump in his throat. "We don't have a choice." The two men looked at each other before swinging their swords instantaneously.
"WINDSCAR!"
"TENSEIGA!"