Chapter 22: Smoke
They made it to the village early the next day, having made good time on their journey. As they appeared on the horizon villagers had run scrambling to find the headman, keeping a respectable distance from the two strangers as they walked confidently down the streets. It was a much larger village than their own, but looked a bit worse for wear in light of the recent problems they'd been having. A man pushed through the blockade of gawking bodies in the town square, yelling commands to get back to work the whole way. He stopped dead in his tracks as he spotted them, falling silent at the sight of the two greatest slayers in the western lands. He snapped out of his daze, bowing before them respectfully.
"Welcome gentlemen! We thank you for coming with such haste." Miroku stepped forward, offering a priestly bow of his own while Inuyasha hung back, not one for pleasantries and already drawing a bit of a crowd to gape at his ears. He could hear his name in whispers amongst the people, which wasn't uncommon, but what surprised him was that he heard his sword being chattered about as well. 'Tessaiga' was on just as many lips as his name here.
"Thank you headman. We're happy to be of assistance. I am Miroku, and my partner is called Inuyasha." Said the monk, sounding sincere and pious as the man peeked nervously over his shoulder to the red clad Hanyo. He snapped his eyes back to the monk when he received an unfriendly glare. The headman had been warned about them both, but also promised that they could take care of any demon infestation, no matter how severe. The monk was known to be cunning and manipulative, though he didn't get that impression at all. The reports about the Hanyo seemed more accurate, that he was dangerous and rude, but strong beyond measure. Looking over them both, he hoped they would be enough to save his village.
"You two hardly require introductions here. Your demon hunting skills are legend in this area. My name is Haruki. I'm the headman here. Please, come to my home so we may discuss this further." The man sounded overly nervous, a quiver to his hushed tone, constantly scanning his surroundings as though he expected another attack any moment. Miroku understood that this problem had been taxing on the whole community, having noticed several others with the same shaken look. He turned to nod at Inuyasha, a signal for him to follow them.
As they made their way through the streets the devastation became more apparent. Not only were there caved in roofs and broken houses, but they also passed a number of people weeping bitterly over a row of freshly finished graves. As the two stopped for a moment to watch the scene the headman rushed them on. "Please… it will be dark soon." He said softly.
The pair looked to each other questioningly. It was only mid day, but the man seemed deadly serious. They continued on until they came to the headman's home, which had a few deep gashes of its own. The room they entered was a bit dim, but the gaping hole in the roof allowed the sunlight to cast bright rays into the interior. The man made no effort to start a fire as he sat by a chest near the empty pit at the center of the room.
"Please forgive me, I can't offer you any tea… why that is should be clear soon enough." He said lightly, watching the men sit beside each other across from himself. "I'm afraid it's an Enera, we are dealing with. A creature made of smoke." He watched them carefully, somewhat surprised to see neither looked worried, or even like he'd caught them unaware. "You… have faced such a creature before?" He ventured, a bit of hope returning where he'd believed there was none. The monk shook his head, dashing it again.
"No. We only noticed the smell of smoke and had assumed that was what we would be dealing with." Haruki sighed tiredly.
"There's not a single fire burning in this village, at the moment. If there was, there would be a new body to go along with it. Each time even the smallest flame is sparked it sets off another attack. Morning or night, the attack will not cease for minutes or hours, depending on the size of the blaze. It's become so frequent that I've sent my own family away, but I could not flee with them. The people here… they need me to end this. More importantly, they need you two gentlemen." His eyes shifted for the first time to the Hanyo, who sat calmly, his sword across his chest. "Do you know what this place is known for?" He asked, seeing the way he clutched the worn down blade. It was truly a sorry looking piece of steel, though he'd heard tell of its power. The look of it was only an illusion, from what he understood. Tessaiga was spoken of often in their village, and he was just the slightest bit hopeful he would see the weapon in action.
"It's known for metal works. Even I've heard of the quality of swords that come from here." Said Inuyasha, knowing that without fire, a town of blacksmiths would have a hard time surviving for long. The man nodded sadly, seeming to be thinking the same.
"It was an apprentice smith that started all of this. He'd sought to create a blade that contained a demon's rage, but to be wielded by a human." Inuyasha scoffed at that.
"Keh! Let me guess, he died tryin'?" Haruki was a bit disturbed by the sinister smirk that had appeared on the Hanyo's face, but nodded.
"The witnesses said that as soon as the steel touched the furnace… flames shot out, consuming him completely. Nothing… not even a pile of ash was left of him. Only this…" Haruki turned to the chest at his side, opening it slowly and retrieving a blackened an twisted blade from within. Folded within the steel there were strips of what looked like cracked bone, charred to a dark onyx where they joined the metal. The metal was jagged and sharp in some areas, while in others it looked like melted wax, an arch running from the guard to the pommel, covering the weilder's hand like a fluid cage. It was truly a frightful looking piece of work, thought Haruki, handling it carefully to show the slayers. "The dead man's final creation. The villagers have begun calling it Honoshiken. The sword of burning death. Every time the Enera appears, it goes wild, tearing apart our homes and whoever stands in it's way. We believe it is searching for this, and Kami help us all, should it find it." Miroku looked over the sword, wondering if the thing could look any more evil if it tried, transfixed by the way the steel seemed almost like it was still melting. Inuyasha looked decidedly less impressed with the thing, wishing the headman's story would end so they could do their thing and head home. "
"Seems easy enough to fix. Hit it with a couple sutras, then I break the damn thing over Tessaiga. Problem solved." Miroku paled a bit. He'd tried explaining to Inuyasha countless times that making their job look a bit harder than it actually is would work to their advantage. Villagers didn't like to pay for a weeks worth of work if they only took fifteen minutes to kill the demon. He coughed into his fist lightly, their code for him to shut up.
"That may be, but it will take some time to gather the… spiritual energy to fight the demon." He spoke the words calmly, though he glared fiercely at his companion.
"No way monk. Not this time. Ya know I gotta get back, we do this now!" He stood, unsheathing Tessaiga in a flash of light. Haruki's eyes went wide with horrified wonder as he finally witnessed for himself the legendary blade. He counted himself amongst the luckiest men alive to have seen it in person and live, before Inuyasha barked an order for him to leave so they could finish it off. He nodded, setting the suspect blade on the ground and speed walking through his busted door before pausing to remind them, one last time.
"Gentlemen, I cannot stress this enough, absolutely no smoke or flames!"
"We got it!" They replied in unison. Haruki nodded, a final flash of worry crossing his face before he hustled down the street to warn everyone to get inside. Even as he did, quite a few of the village men lingered outside to try and see some of the action. It wasn't every day you got to see such a fight, with two now infamous blades facing off, the fate of their village in the balance. Even Haruki could admit some fleeting interest in watching the spectacle unfold, but warning everyone came first. Then, and only then, would he try to sneak a peek at the battle, if there even was one. Their plan seemed airtight, and the two slayers seemed confident. He hoped they could back it up.
Meanwhile Miroku was busy writing out some extra sutras. Under the usual circumstances the ones he'd brought would be enough, but because he wasn't able to burn any incense or sage, he decided it would require something stronger. "I don't know about this. Maybe we should reconsider ta-"
"Just shut up and don't spell nothin' wrong." He said, watching the monk scribble on the strips of paper. It was sloppy to rush in like this, but being away from Kagome was making him nuts. They had enough experience to take care of it without any trouble, or so he hoped.
"Done." Said Miroku through his teeth, where he was holding one sutra, waving another lightly to dry it.
"Ready when you are." Growled Inuyasha, facing the blade and waiting for whatever creature may try to escape it. Miroku began muttering some prayers as he tossed the sutras on to the jagged metal. His prayers died off slowly as nothing seemed to be happening at all.
"Huh… maybe we need a different strategy." Said Miroku, double checking that he really didn't spell anything wrong. He didn't, which he realized just as he'd stepped closer, when the sutras suddenly burst into flames, sending a soft puff of smoke up. Both of them jumped back to avoid the smoke, but Miroku was slower. In an instant it had shot like an arrow down his throat, filling him with a suffocating fire.
"Miroku!" Inuyasha watched his friend screaming in agony as he clutched at his throat and chest, seeming blinded as he backed through the broken door, falling into the street. Inuyasha followed, narrowly dodging the sword as it became airbound, flying past his head and into the hands of the monk who laid prone in the dirt, seeming to have lost consciousness. Inuyasha kept his distance, knowing better than to rush at him before he could tell what state he was in. Demon swords were something he was unfortunately familiar with, and this situation was giving him deja vu. "Get back! Everyone get inside!" He barked, seeing the small crowd that had apparently decided to watch.
Just then Miroku's eyes finally shot open, showing what looked like smouldering coals in their place. Inuyasha sucked in a sharp breath, sincerely hoping the new look wasn't permanent, his panic rising as smoke began pouring out of his lips as well. Definitely not a good sign. The monk sat up, laughing as the endless smoke curled around his lips, focusing his hollow eyes on Inuyasha and standing to raise his sword.
"Finally!" Growled the monk in a voice that wasn't his own. "I have found my masterpiece! We have been reunited at last!" The demon gave a few swings of the sword before charging headlong at Inuyasha, who had no choice but to block the attack in any way that wouldn't further mutilate Miroku. He found it was easy enough, giving him enough time to think of a plan. Shit talking never seemed to hurt.
"Ha! What masterpiece? You mean that shoddy little knife? You couldn't forge a brick, let alone a demon sword!" He yelled, loud enough for the demon and the returning crowd to hear. It seemed to piss him off, exactly what he wanted.
"What!? You dare to question my craft? You shall pay!" The demon lunged again, locking blades with Tessaiga. Inuyasha could feel the heat rolling off of the sword as it came near, making him worry this little operation is dangerously time-sensitive.
"Yeah, right! You can't touch me in that scrawny priest's body! If you wanted a real chance, you should have just gone for me!" He shouted, hoping that his suggestion would be taken seriously. If he could hold back the power of So'unga, he could handle this punk. Better than the monk, at least.
"Your filthy hands could never touch it. It can only be wielded by a human!" Spat the demon, still pushing with everything he had and being blocked at every turn.
"Try me!" Barked Inuyasha, pushing him back just enough to put some distance between them. "I may be half demon, but I'm half human too! Same as your shitty sword! If anyone can wield it, I CAN!" He roared, going in for one last push and hoping he would take the bait. As he made contact with his blade, suddenly he was surrounded by a dense smoke screen, burning all of his senses. As he tried to take a breath his throat and lungs were set ablaze. He concentrated hard, switching Tessaiga to his left hand and pressing it into the ground for support as the torrent of smoke choked his last breaths out. After that, his vision returned, but altered. He heard the demon's commands echoing through his head like hammers on steel, compelling him to take up Honoshiken and fight. He opened his palm, letting the sword fly from the hands of the dazed monk to his own, the metal scorching his hand immediately as it made contact, trying to fuse with his flesh.
Miroku regained consciousness, looking through blurry eyes up to Inuyasha, or what looked like Inuyasha. His eyes now smouldered, like a pair of dark coals, smoke pouring from his lips as he stood above him with the enemy sword in one hand and Tessaiga in the other.
"Yes…" Growled the demonic voice from Inuyasha's body. "Now I control Tessaiga along with my masterpiece. With this body, I will kill and conquer thousands…" Miroku paled at the familiar sight of his friend under an altered state. He was reaching within his cloak for the prayer beads that might have been the only slim chance of saving himself and the rest of the villagers when Inuyasha threw his head back, laughing maniacally, in his own voice.
"You think you can control me!? You're pitiful!" He laughed darkly, looking back to the crowd of people and raising both the swords into an x. "You are nothing at all…" Growled Inuyasha, looking like a nightmare from the bowels of hell, fangs bared, eyes ablaze. "Wait till you meet my own demons." Miroku's eyes widened in horror and shock as horrible screams of agony and vicious demonic growls filled the air, all coming from Inuyasha, though he remained calm and still, a smile on his lips. It went on for only seconds before he raised Honoshiken high, letting it fall over Tessaiga with force, shattering it instantly and vanquishing the demon once and for all. A ball of fire engulfed him, making Miroku and much of the crowd turn away from the intense heat until it dies down, leaving Inuyasha a little scorched, but otherwise unharmed.
There was a heavy silence as the crowd tried to understand what they had just seen. Even Miroku was looking a little shocked. Inuyasha finally blinked, looking down at Miroku with his usual golden eyes, smiling a bit smugly. He stuck the end of Tessaiga into the ground to help him up to his feet as Miroku coughed away the last of the smoke, pounding his sore chest with his fist to try and clear it. They both looked from each other to the silent crowd, which seemed to be waiting, holding their breath for something else to happen. Not knowing what else to do, Inuyasha thrust the broken hilt of the sword into the air over his head triumphantly. The crowd erupted into cheers, some laughing, others crying, but all ecstatic to have seen the monster vanquished at last.
Loudest of all was Haruki, who had returned just in time to see everything unfold. He again pushed through the bodies of people, this time to shake their hands. "Anything! Anything you want gentlemen! It is yours!" He said happily, instructing a couple of the village men to gather some firewood for a celebratory bonfire. Just as Inuyasha was about to turn down the invitation to attend, Miroku reminded him of the stranger in the village who could help with his problem.
"Haruki… Tell me…" Said Miroku, with a now more discernable hint of slyness in his voice. "Is my good friend Shohi still running that business on the edge of town?" Inuyasha didn't like the look on Miroku's face, knowing it usually meant trouble, but he stayed quiet.
"Shohi… Shohi- Oh! You mean-?" Miroku nodded knowingly at the man who raised a brow at the request. "Yes, in fact I believe she is." He said, a bit more hushed. Miroku patted him on the back, thanking him for the job, and the very, very ample pay, before quietly slipping away with Inuyasha to find his friend.
They walked for a long while, the sound of the happy people dying out the farther they got from the headman's house until he picked up on the sound of shamisen being played in the distance. As they neared the source of the music Miroku slowed. They were approaching a tall building, covered in red lanterns that were still unlit. "Well, this is it!" Said Miroku, stopping outside the door of the business. Inuyasha looked at the building, then back to him, a dark scowl on his face.
"Hey, Miroku…" He said calmly. "Mind tellin' me why ya brought us to a brothel?!" His voice echoed in the empty street, but the monk only laughed.
"I would simply ask you keep an open mind, Inuyasha!" He said happily, stepping inside.