I have come out of hiding!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, Soul Calibur II, or any of its characters. Wow, I haven't said that in a while…

Night Six

Kagome slowly sat up, holding her head. "Do you really have to do this right now?" she asked seriously.

"Yes," Taki answered, "It is our destiny." She pointed Rekki-Maru at Mitsurugi, her face deathly serious. "I'll get rid of you quickly so that I can return to my real problems." Behind her, Soul Edge was floating above Siegfried's unconscious body, growing more and more flesh every minute.

"You don't deserve the Sword of Power!" Mitsurugi shot back in a defensive, almost whiny voice. Apparently, he also believed in not wasting time, because he charged full speed at her right after saying this.

Taki hardly had to move to knock the sword out of his hand while at the same time flipping him onto his back, then pointing her dagger at his throat. "Now," she continued slowly, "should I finish this, or will you commit honorable suicide and do the whole world a favor?"

Mitsurugi's answer was a strong kick to the gut that sent Taki flying. She recovered with a back handspring while Mitsurugi jumped back onto his feet. With about eight feet in between them, they commenced staring each other down. The moon was only a sliver in the sky, so the only light was the eerie glow from Soul Edge. Their eyes reflected the light, magnifying the spiteful looks.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha finally recovered from the last attack. He was disoriented at first, looking around like a lost child. When he laid eyes on Soul Edge, he regained his mission and grabbed for Tetsusaiga. Kagome silently acknowledged this until he got on his feet. "Stop," she called before Inuyasha could run off. He flinched at Kagome's voice as if it were fingernails dragging down a chalkboard.

"What? Why!" Inuyasha demanded, the anger apparent in his eyes.

Without looking at him, Kagome pointed to Soul Edge. "See that glow it's giving off? That's a barrier, and a pretty powerful one. I don't think you'll be able to go anywhere near it for a while…" Inuyasha let out a low growl. "…But," she continued, "The barrier seems to be deteriorating over time. It should be gone soon…" A smirk appeared. "But…" Inuyasha huffed with exasperation. "But, while in that barrier, the sword is increasing its power." Inuyasha simply tightened his grip on Tetsusaiga. "I'm not worried about that," he said, looking at Siegfried, "What's a sword without his swordsman? As long as you don't get kidnapped, we should be finished with this in no time."

Kagome took immediate offense to his last comment. "I do not always get kidnapped!" she protested.

"Yes you do," Miroku said from behind her.

"And where did you come from?" she snapped. The answer was interrupted by the clashing of metal against metal. The two warriors were at it again.

Meanwhile, Soul Edge finally succeeded in growing a layer of flesh that covered its entire being, along with a couple more eyes. Its one mobile eye was ugly, bloodshot, and continuously viewing its new surroundings. While the barrier melted away, Soul Edge laughed a triumphant, soundless laugh in light of his victory. At last, I am one with myself again! Now, nothing will stop my great conquest! Its eye rolled to focus on Siegfried. Rise, my servant, and together we will rule! There was no response whatsoever. Filthy human? Soul Edge tried again. Still nothing. Get UP, fool! Wield me! A small twitch happened in the left middle finger. The glow of the barrier flickered, then died. Well, I see that I have no other choice, it soliloquized, moving to the right of Siegfried, It's a good thing I have friends in low places…It forcefully struck the ground, causing a flash and a violent rumble of the earth.

Mitsurugi finally lost the will and energy to fight, and was on his back, out of breath and out of luck. Taki had a foot pressed firmly against his chest while she sheathed Mekki-Maru and nonchalantly twirled Rekki-Maru. "Stay down," she hissed; then the rumble occurred. She was caught off-balance but regained it quickly. Both she and Mitsurugi stared in awe at the source.

Shippo and Kilala completely ignored the rumble, for they were already engrossed in something. "Uno," Shippo said boredly as he laid a card down. Kilala mewed almost inaudibly, and then snapped her head to look over the horizon. A second later, she transformed and took off. "Hey! Wait! This game isn't finished!" Shippo yelled after her. The moment she was out of sight, he looked at Kilala's hand. "That little sneak was bluffing the whole time…" he mumbled as he reshuffled the deck.

Siegfried was thrown against a tree by the rumble. The force woke him up.

And Sango? Well, our hero Sango was saying goodbye under a clear night sky…

"This week's been fun," Sango told the group that gathered to bid her farewell, "I won't forget the memories. Thanks Mike, Irene, Chip (Mike and Irene's godson), Mrs. Kayla (the elderly owner of the hotel), Craig (the island's track Olympian), Cecilia (Irene's older sister), Turtle Guy (the elderly jewelry maker), and especially you, Ognas (her twin from another mother)! You all have such a peaceful island for such lively characters." The islanders all said something along the lines of "Aw, shucks." At the same time, Kilala descended into their midst and landed next to Sango. "Right on time," Sango commented. "Oh, you're certainly riled up. There must be a fight waiting for me, huh? Oh well; nothing gold can stay." As soon as Sango mounted, Kilala took to the skies…

There was a huge crack in the ground where Soul Edge struck. Molten lava could easily be seen from it. Everyone stood frozen in their positions as Soul Edge slowly rotated above the opening, and a bright figure rose and took its handle. The figure resembled a skeleton with a magma-like interior. He held the sword just as Nightmare would.

Taki glared at her adversary. All she had to do now was defeat the yes-man and destroy the sword to finally end her journey. She was so close to finishing this for good. "Demon…" Her thoughts were interrupted by the sight of the neko taking her benefactor somewhere deep into the woods. With her was all of that money she'd earned this week. She went through way too much this week to just let that money slide. Yet, Inferno was still poised for an attack. One of them was going to have to wait.

"Jewel shards?" Inuyasha asked.

"Nothing," Kagome answered.

"Great. It's just another useless demon standing in our way." And with that, he ran to face off with Inferno. Taki watched this and silently thanked the heavens for bullheaded boys. "Don't blink," she said, and disappeared in a flash.

Siegfried slowly gathered his bearings. He felt calmer than he ever had in a long time. "Soul Edge…" he said slowly, "is away from me? And my thirst for souls is gone…am I finally free?" He tried to stand, but sank back down against the tree he hit. A sharp pain went through his demon arm, and suddenly he felt like he was being pulled. At first he was confused, but then he realized what was happening: the demon in him was still trying to rejoin with the sword.

Sango stood in the area where Kilala took her, dressed for battle. "She said she would meet me here," she thought to herself just as Taki appeared there in a flash.

"There's not much time," Taki said quickly, reaching in a shadow to pull out Hiraikotsu. "Take this and follow me." Sango took her weapon and watched the ninja leap through the forest. Kilala began to run; Sango grabbed her fur and swung onto her back, and together they flew back into the fray.

The fight started without them, and currently Inuyasha was winning by a landslide. It didn't even look like Inferno was attempting to hit him. Six swings and an uppercut later, Inferno was down. Inuyasha looked down disapprovingly at him. "That was easy," he commented.

"Too easy," added Miroku.

"It isn't over!" Everyone turned to look at Taki. Soon after, Sango and Kilala touched down. "One knockout won't keep him down," Taki continued, "As a matter of fact…" her words trailed off. In one fluid movement, Rekki-Maru was unsheathed and flying right towards Inuyasha. Kagome gasped; Miroku and Sango followed the path of the dagger intently. Inuyasha didn't duck; he knew he didn't have to. Rekki-Maru went right over his head and into the chest of Inferno, who'd just recovered and was standing right behind Inuyasha. The being roared in anguish and tried to yank the blade out. A second later, Mekki-Maru struck as well, even deeper. Inferno staggered, Soul Edge dropping out of his hand, and hit the ground hard. Taki ran past Inferno at top speed and removed her daggers and she sped past. "Anyway," Taki said, "One more round should-"

THUD. A tree off to the side fell to the ground. Standing next to it was a haughty reptile demon who had no idea what he'd just walked into. "Beware humans!" the demon laughed, "I will steal your wives and…" He began to realize what was happening around him. "…eat…your…children? Um, is this a bad time?" he finally asked.

"Not at all," Sango replied, and flung Hiraikotsu. The demon was obliterated. "Anytime's a good time to destroy lowlifes." Hiraikotsu circled around Taki and returned to Sango's hand. Sighing, she thought, I'm glad I still have a strong throw after a week of no sort of training. She caught the last (and most critical) part of a conversation between Shippo and Miroku.

"Yep, that's the real Sango," Shippo said proudly.

"The real Sango?" Miroku repeated.

"What?" Sango interjected with shock. Taki squinted at the little runt. He'd better hope that this doesn't involve me…

Siegfried had been struggling this whole time, and was now about to lose to his evil self. He relaxed for a split second, and in that time his arm pulled with unnatural strength towards Soul Edge. It didn't get very far; a sacred arrow dug right into the dragon-like forearm. Siegfried stared at his now limp demon arm open-mouthed, then up at the archer.

Kagome lowered her bow to examine her handiwork. Satisfied, she turned to the newly arising problem. "Okay guys, what's this real Sango/fake Sango business?"

This was my longest chapter ever. I think one more chapter should be enough to wrap this up. Sorry if you think I'm cutting this short. I left quite a few cliffhangers, like what's become of Inuyasha and Inferno? Does Shippo really know Sango's secret? If he does, will this stop Taki from being paid? I don't know…find out in the final chapter!

Oh yes, one more thing: a prize to whoever can guess the character counterparts of the islanders!