(A/N: Bye, bye writer's block. You've been waiting for the final showdown between Sesshomaru and Byakuya, and it is here at last. So I hope you enjoy it, and don't forget to leave me a review.)
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Chapter 18: Death and Rebirth
Byakuya's eyes scanned Sesshomaru up and down. Though the demon lord was regaining control of his emotions, he had already dropped his emotionless mask.
Byakuya smirked. "If I had known that all it would take to get an emotional response out of you was to hurt my sister, I would have done it long ago."
Though his expression didn't change, cold fury filled Sesshomaru's eyes. It was for this reason that he always appeared so emotionless and uncaring. Doing so gave way nothing. But now that he had shown a reaction to Kagura being hurt, Byakuya now knew one of his weaknesses. Kagura was his weakness, and if that got out, she would be in danger, as would Rin if anyone found out he cared for her too.
"You will not have the chance to do anything to her again." he told Byakuya, his voice emotionless. "This Sesshomaru will bring forth your demise."
Byakuya grinned. "But which one is the real me?"
As expected, Byakuya split into multiple copies of himself. Of course, only one of the seven of them was real. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. This trick was getting old, and very annoying. Gripping Toukijin, he closed his eyes and relied on his sense of smell. Only one of them had a scent.
He lunged at the fourth one from the left. Byakuya scowled and blocked Toukijin with his own sword. The copies vanished once Sesshomaru discovered the real one.
"Impressive." Said Byakuya. "But you only found me because of my scent. But I have a way to take away that advantage."
He jumped away from the dog-demon as several vines shot out of the ground. They immediately began wrapping around Sesshomaru. Forgetting that the vines were filled with miasma, he cut straight through them, unleashing the purple mist.
Sesshomaru growled. How could he forget about something so important? He had been foolish. And this time Kagura wasn't in any condition to blow the miasma away. Sesshomaru avoided the deadly mist, but Byakuya's plan worked; the miasma covered up his scent.
"You're getting careless, Sesshomaru." Said Byakuya, from somewhere within the mist. "Or could it be that you're just so concerned about my dear sister that it's breaking you're concentration?"
Sesshomaru ignored his remark. "Come face me, if you are so confident."
Byakuya chuckled, making sure to remain hidden. "You're too serious, Sesshomaru. Learn to have some fun every once in awhile. Oh yeah, I forgot, that's what your mate is for." He chuckled. "Yes, Sesshomaru, I know that you've mated with my sister. That makes you my brother-in-law, and Naraku your father-in-law." He sighed in amusement. "Ah, what tangled webs we weave."
Byakuya burst out of the cloud of miasma. He grinned as he used his powers of illusion to make it look like he had several arms, each one with a sword. Sesshomaru didn't know which one was real, and couldn't block them all, so he had to avoid them.
"The hand is quicker than the eye." Said Byakuya, swinging his swords around.
"Don't give up, Lord Sesshomaru!" cried Rin. "Rin knows you can beat him!"
Byakuya cut his eyes at the girl. "Little brat," he growled, "you're so annoying!"
He whipped out his lotus flower and pointed it at Rin. Flames burst out of it, heading right for her. Sesshomaru made an attempt to get to her, but Byakuya lashed out with his sword, stopping him. Fortunately, Kohaku had pulled Rin away from the flames, and no one was hurt. Byakuya also made a mistake when he blocked Sesshomaru. He had revealed which of his arms was real. Sesshomaru swung Toukijin, cutting off Byakuya's arm. The illusion arms faded away as his real arm went flying through the air, maintaining its grip on his sword.
Byakuya barely reacted to the loss of his limb. He looked from his arm, to his new stump, to Sesshomaru. "Ow!" he cried, as if he just realized that he should be in pain.
"I shall now take your other arm." Said Sesshomaru, making it sound like it was no big deal.
Byakuya just smirked. "Allow me." He said.
His other left arm popped off his body as the right one floated over to him. Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at Byakuya, whose arms were now hovering beside him. This was rather… unusual.
"Don't look so surprised, my friend." Said Byakuya. "I'm a demon of many talents."
His right arm, the one wielding his sword, flew at Sesshomaru, as the arm holding the lotus flower shot a stream of fire at him. Sesshomaru blocked the sword with Toukijin and leapt out of the way of the flames. But Byakuya was immediately at him, attacking with a series of kicks.
Sesshomaru growled. This was going to be more difficult than he thought. He had Byakuya attacking him, while trying to avoid fire and a floating arm with a sword. It was very annoying.
Then, just to make things more difficult, Byakuya's right arm split into at least twenty copies. Sesshomaru had to dodge them all, since he didn't know which one was real. He glanced at his companions, worried about their safety. Some of those arms were a little too close to them. Damn it, this was why he never wanted to love! He was being distracted by his feelings.
"I'm sensing lots of tension from you, Sesshomaru." Said Byakuya, as he kicked out at the demon lord again. "It's too late to hide your emotions. I know exactly what you're feeling; you've showed it to me. You're worried about your mate, and angry at me for what I've done to her." He smirked. "If she is that much of a distraction, I'll just get rid of her."
One of the arms flew at Kagura. Sesshomaru rushed towards her and shielded her with his body. The sword meant for Kagura stabbed him in the back, but it was only an illusion. Byakuya had been playing with him.
"You crack me up." Byakuya laughed. "Look at you, Sesshomaru. You're pathetic. What happened to the coldhearted demon lord? You just risked your life for my worthless sister." He shook his head. "So stupid."
Sesshomaru whirled around, his eyes now glowing red. He looked furious. Even Byakuya took a step back. "You dare to make a fool of this Sesshomaru. You dare to harm my mate. You are the fool, Byakuya. If you truly wish to get a reaction from this Sesshomaru," Toukijin began glowing with demonic energy, "you shall have it."
He swung his sword, unleashing a vast amount of demonic energy. Byakuya's eyes widened as he was consumed by the red light. Once it faded away, all the copies were gone, leaving only Byakuya, who was being protected by his barrier.
"Damn, dog-boy, don't get so sensitive." He said, dropping his barrier and allowing his arms to reattach themselves. He dusted himself off, as if he had simply tripped. "Jeez, it's next to impossible to get an emotional response out of you, but once you do, you go all out, don't you?"
"You have brought this upon yourself." Said Sesshomaru, slowly approaching him. "Now you will face the consequences of your actions."
Byakuya laughed. "Listen to you. 'You will face the consequences of your actions'. You really crack me up."
Sesshomaru rushed at him, swinging Toukijin. Byakuya's upper body was cut off of his lower half. But the two halves neatly reattached themselves like nothing happened.
"Crack me up, cut me in half, same thing." He said. He turned to Sesshomaru, smirking. "It doesn't matter. You can't kill me like that."
Sesshomaru didn't reply as he went on the attack again. And for once, Byakuya didn't resort to his illusions, but actually fought.
"You make poor battle conversation." Byakuya remarked.
"There is nothing to talk about." Sesshomaru replied.
Byakuya sighed. "You're so boring."
He swung his sword, unleashing his demonic energy. Sesshomaru did the same, and his attack easily overpowered Byakuya's, causing him to have to retreat.
"On second thought, maybe you're not so boring." He smirked. "Lets take things to the next level."
He enlarged his paper crane, jumping on it and taking to the air. He flew over Sesshomaru's head, well out of the demon lord's reach.
"You can't get me here." he cried.
"Coward." Sesshomaru muttered.
"I heard that!"
Byakuya dove down, crossing blades with the demon lord before taking to the air again. Sesshomaru growled in irritation as Byakuya continued to mock him.
"Are you just going to stand there and wait for me to come to you?" asked Byakuya. "And you're calling me a coward."
"Very well, I shall come to you." Sesshomaru replied.
A cloud of sparkling dust appeared around his feet, and Sesshomaru took to the air. Byakuya hadn't expected this and just barely managed to dodge the demon lord's sword.
"Impressive. You caught me off guard." He said.
Sesshomaru flew at him and their swords clashed together. As he passed, his sash sprang to life and lashed out at Byakuya.
"What the hell is this?" he cried, as the sash began to wrap around him.
Sesshomaru flicked his wrist and a cloud of poison shot out of his claws. Byakuya put up his barrier, knocking the sash away, and blocked the poison.
"Trickster!" he shouted. "I'll show you."
He waved his hand and hundreds of vines burst out of the ground, surrounding Sesshomaru. There were so many that it left him with no room to fly, and if he cut them down, he would unleash their miasma.
"See, I still got a few tricks up my sleeves too." Byakuya remarked.
On the ground, Jaken's eyes were shining with excitement. "Finally, I can be of assistance to Lord Sesshomaru. Now feel the power of the Staff of Two Heads!"
Flames shot out of the wood carving's mouth, incinerating the vines. Byakuya glared down at the toad-demon, who was looking very proud of himself.
"You little pest!" he cried. "I'll kill you slowly."
"Your opponent is me." Said Sesshomaru.
He slashed at Byakuya. Toukijin went straight through him and the image faded away. An illusion? But when did he…
"Behind you!" cried Byakuya.
Sesshomaru was surprised to hear Byakuya's voice behind him. When had he switched himself with an illusion? And there wasn't enough time to block or dodge the oncoming blow that Byakuya's sword was about to deliver.
But the blow never came. Instead, Byakuya cried out in pain as Kohaku's sickle buried into his back.
"You!" he gasped.
"Me!" Kohaku shouted, pulling on the chain.
Byakuya was pulled off his crane and began falling. Sesshomaru whirled around, channeling all his demonic power into Toukijin. Byakuya sensed the power rising and looked fearfully at Sesshomaru.
"Sesshomaru, wait!" he cried.
The demon lord didn't react to Byakuya's pleas in the least. "My regards to your siblings." He said, and unleashed Toukijin's power.
Byakuya put his barrier up, but the intensity of Sesshomaru's attack, including the closeness, blasted right through it. His cries filled the night as he was totally blown away.
Kohaku's sickle fell to the ground, smoking from Sesshomaru's attack. A few chunks of flesh dropped from the sky, but regeneration was impossible for Byakuya at this point, and the pieces dissolved.
Sesshomaru remained where he was for a moment, using all of his senses to see if Byakuya was still alive or if this was another trick. He felt nothing, which meant that the miserable bastard was finally gone. With that fact known, Sesshomaru jumped off the cloud of dust and sheathed Toukijin as he landed by Kagura's side.
"Lord Sesshomaru, you were incredible!" Jaken cried. "Did you see your loyal servant help? Of course, you did all the work and didn't require my assistance, but I felt that you didn't need to waste your time cutting down those roots, so I-"
Rin bonked him over the head. "Master Jaken, be quiet!" she scolded.
Jaken rubbed his head. "You little brat! What was that for?"
Rin put her finger to her lips and pointed at Sesshomaru. The demon lord was looking down at Kagura, his long white hair hiding his expression from them. He reached down and scooped up his mate, cradling her with his one arm.
"Sesshomaru…" she muttered.
"Rest now." He told her. "The danger has passed. This Sesshomaru will now and always protect you."
Kagura smiled. "I know." she said, and cuddled into his chest.
Sesshomaru began walking away, keeping a tight hold on her. "We are leaving." He told his companions.
"Yes, we're coming!" said Kohaku.
"Come on, Master Jaken!" Rin cried.
The toad-demon grumbled as he sprinted after them.
(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)
Naraku entered the room. Kanna, Hakudōshi, and Mōryōmaru looked up as he entered. The evil half-demon had a smug smile on his face.
"It's time." he said.
Hakudōshi nodded. "This is the best course of action, isn't it?" he asked. "Once it's done, it can't be undone."
Naraku gave his incarnation a curious look. "Are you having second thoughts?"
Hakudōshi shook his head. "No. For the most part I will still be me. I will just be a different person."
Naraku nodded and turned to Kanna. "What about you, Kanna?"
Kanna showed no emotion as she replied, "My will is your will."
Naraku smirked as he looked at Mōryōmaru. "And I know that I don't have to ask your opinion."
The undead demon merely cocked its head to the side. Naraku snickered at the creature's response.
"Shall we begin?" Kanna asked.
Naraku nodded. "You know what to do."
He watched as the three demons embraced each other. He held up the Shikon Jewel and a bright light filled the room. Flesh liquefied as the three demons seemed to melt into each other. Flesh and bones reformed and fused together as the three demons became one.
"It's perfect." Naraku growled. "Now my heart will truly be protected. Just as I was born from the fusing of demons and Onigumo, they now fuse to create a demon of unquestionable power."
The creature's body stopped glowing as it began to take form. Mōryōmaru stood where all three of them once were, only now there were a few differences about him. His eyes had turned a blood red color, looking very similar to Naraku's, except the whites of his eyes were black, and he now had a spider-shaped burn mark on his back.
"Can you hear me?" asked Naraku.
The creature turned to Naraku and smiled, revealing a mouthful of razor sharp teeth. "Yes." He growled.
Naraku smirked. "Good. How do you feel?"
The demon examined himself. "It is hard to describe. I have all of their memories, yet I feel the part of me that is Hakudōshi dominating the rest."
Naraku nodded. "It is only natural that your personality will be made up mostly of Hakudōshi, since Kanna and Mōryōmaru didn't have much of a conscience. I see you still have Mōryōmaru's body."
"Mostly. He did have the dominant body." The creature replied. "You may continue calling me by his name since I have his body, even though I am no longer him."
Naraku shrugged. "As you wish, Mōryōmaru."
The demon, Mōryōmaru, chuckled. "Now then, I think I'll go take care of my sister like I should have long ago."
"That is Byakuya's job." Naraku replied.
Mōryōmaru chuckled. "Byakuya is dead." The image of Byakuya was visible in his eye as Sesshomaru killed him. "I have Kanna's scrying ability. I can see it clearly. Sesshomaru just ended Byakuya's life. That means that it's up to me." He turned to Naraku. "I would much rather go after Inuyasha, but I know that you want to be the one to kill him. So may I take care of Kagura and her group?"
Naraku considered this for a moment. If Byakuya was dead, then Mōryōmaru was his only remaining servant, except for his Saimyōshō. On top of that, Mōryōmaru now contained his heart. If he was killed, then Naraku would be mortal again.
Then again, hadn't the reason he transferred his heart into this new creature been because Mōryōmaru couldn't die. Try as he might, Sesshomaru wouldn't be able to kill the new carrier of his heart. And if Mōryōmaru couldn't die, then neither could Naraku.
"Very well." He said. "I shall deal with Inuyasha and Kikyou while you take care of Kagura and her little friends. After that, go and take care of the wolf-demon, Kouga, and retrieve his jewel shards."
Mōryōmaru grinned evilly as his wings stretched out. "Looking forward to it." He said, and took off into the night.
(A/N: Byakuya has finally been defeated, but now there is an evil bigger problem. Naraku has transferred his heart over to Mōryōmaru, who is now a whole new demon made up of Kanna and Hakudōshi as well. And is it true that Naraku is now truly invincible? If Mōryōmaru can't be killed, then neither can Naraku. If you thought this chapter was action packed, just wait until the next one. See you then.)
Preview for next chapter: The new and improved Mōryōmaru arrives to do what Byakuya could not. Sesshomaru attempts to kill the new holder of Naraku's heart, but all attempts fail.