INUYASHA: SEALED FATES UNLEASHED
By: Lady JenDragon
Disclaimer: Yeah…we all know the routine…not mine….yeah yeah yeah.
Author Notes: Getting closer to the end!
Chapter Thirty-Three
Powerful Means
Kagome wanted to cry glancing at the others.
Now Atokiyada was in their world. They no longer had the advantage of the enemy being caught in another world with limitations as to what power they could use against them. Being half celestial and half demon afforded her a few more advantages over the group.
'How are we going to defeat her?' Kagome asked. 'She's stronger and more powerful than any of us here!'
Asaia appeared unphased by the turn of events. Inuyasha's expression was one of happiness, Sesshomaru was unreadable, and Miroku was deep in thought nearby. Sango standing next to her also concentrated on something as if she was searching her mind for information that would give them some kind of edge. It appeared everyone had many of his or her own interpretations about what Atokiyada's entrance onto the planet meant.
Was she the only panicking at this moment? No one else seemed conflicted by this. Did they know something she did not? Kagome could only wonder what the others were thinking.
Asaia walked towards Atokiyada. "Now you're in my world sister."
Kagome looked to Asaia at that moment. It made sense suddenly. If Atokiyada was new to the world, perhaps there was a way to defeat her before her powers reached full strength. One question: how could they get rid of her?
Inuyasha jumped in front of the group putting himself between his friends and Atokiyada with Tetsusaiga gripped tightly in both hands. His face was set in determination.
"Now it's my turn!" Inuyasha growled.
"You think you can defeat me half breed?" Atokiyada laughed as she spoke.
Sesshomaru walked forward and stopped when he was even with Inuyasha, Tokijin was unsheathed and in his right hand. The two brothers stood fifteen feet apart. Inuyasha glanced at Sesshomaru then returned his attention to Atokiyada.
"A half breed and a full demon will take me down?" Atokiyada laughed louder then became serious. "I don't think so. Not even your father could defeat me all those years ago."
"Giving in already?" Inuyasha growled out and took two steps forward.
Atokiyada thrust her arm forward opening her hand. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru were suddenly thrown into the air. Sesshomaru easily righted his body and landed with the lightest of effort. Inuyasha slammed into the back wall and slid to the floor. He pushed off the wall before reaching the floor to avoid the broken mirrors shattered across the floor.
"Fools!" Atokiyada smiled then turned towards her waterbowl. She stately walked over and began waving her arms above the water. The water swirled around and began to whirlpool.
Inuyasha readied Tetsusaiga and refused to give up. However, Tir stepped in front of him then and Sesshomaru moved to stand beside Tir. However, Inuyasha rounded Tir on the opposite side to avoid standing next to Sesshomaru. If things were going to get nasty, he wanted to be part of the action.
"How long until she regains her strength?" Sesshomaru asked evenly of Asaia now at his side.
Asaia walked solemnly to Tir. "Less than an hour. She does not see us as a threat. We must get her attention and keep it."
"This Sesshomaru believes you are in possession of a plan." He kept his eyes on Atokiyada.
Sango, Shippo, and Kagome joined the group wondering what Sesshomaru was talking about. Clearly Asaia knew how to handle her sister. But there was never any mention of a plan to take her down. At least not a verbal plan.
"What's going on?" Kagome needed some answers.
"Asaia's got a plan, I think." Inuyasha growled. "So how exactly do we take her down?"
Asaia walked up to Kagome and smiled. "We have all the pieces again."
At that moment Jaken and Rin joined the group from the doorway. Sango and Kagome glanced over at Atokiyada who did not seem to mind that they were having a think tank only a few feet away. Clearly, the Imp felt it was safe enough to join them on the battlefield. Sesshomaru did not seem to think danger loomed imminently to put the young girl in harm's way. However, Kagome seemed overly anxious for no reason. Her stomach fluttered recklessly unable to render silence to the ache growing inside.
Jaken lifted his chin. "Yes, you certainly have taken great steps to get them all together, didn't you Asaia?"
"Your memory is superb, little Imp." Asaia smiled. "But it is not your memory, is it?"
Jaken pursed his lips and folded his arms in disappointment. The Staff of Two Heads leaned against his body so he could fold his arms. Rin looked between Asaia and Jaken. Even the Imp was not old enough to know of such stories. It was obvious to the group that he got his information from elsewhere.
Jaken began his story.
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It began more than a few hundred years before the Great Battle took place. Before demons and humans knew what fear meant. Before all knew what life they once lived would give way to despair and darkness.
She arrived in the northern lands. The Golden One with long tresses of hair the color of the sun, eyes the bluest of the skies, and the face of tranquility that masked the violent intent. She was a demon of unparallel power with the air of a celestial. Few knew her true identity but some wondered if there was more behind her unwavering desire to punish all who stood in her way, demon and human alike.
She brought unparalleled destruction to these lands. Those who defied her were destroyed relentlessly. Those who feared her fled to the ends of the world only to find they could not out run her. Those who did not run perished at her will. The Golden One did not care for the living or the dead. Did not care for demons or humans.
But she was a patient adversary. Not one to rush her conquests over humans and demons alike, the Golden One took her time dominating the landscape. Her attacks were slow and cruel meant to cause pain and suffering. The Golden One took pleasure in the torture of her subjects.
Many would try to stand against her. Demons and human armies perished at mere whim. Entire villages disappeared and soon the landscape became barren of life.
Thousands died, the stain of their blood covered the lands. It is said that the rain that fell on the mountains ran red. Even the trees cried red tears and the waves did not crash upon the shore. The moon hid and the sun reluctantly rose for fear of the Golden One's anger.
When all hope was lost, a single warrior arrived to ally ancient foes and bridge boundaries between long forgotten friends. It was an alliance like no other seen before…or since. This warrior bound humans and demons. Together, they stood strong and unwavering. They were able to temporarily imprison the Golden One in a small lake. But even the Golden One could not be kept hidden forever. She escaped a few thousand years later.
That was the first Great Battle in demon history. More than ten thousand years ago, this great battle occurred between the demons of the land and Atokiyada. Many perished in their brave stand against this powerful celestial foe. The fate of humans would be decided among its victor. Few demons stood a chance against the Golden One.
But even arrogance would get the best of them all. For an unknown power would go almost unrecognized until the last stand would find the strongest remaining. The warrior from the first encounter with the Golden One found the grounds of the Great Battle with the odds of success unbalanced. Those who remained found this warrior returned with a secret weapon as the last hope of victory began to slip away.
Together the warrior and demons planned one last stand, a final battle to determine the fate of all. With their weapon in hand, and with knowledge of the celestials, demons stood and won against their foe to claim victory over these lands.
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Inuyasha and Miroku glanced at one another as Jaken finished the story. It sounded a bit incomplete to Kagome. But then, if the Great Battle were so long ago, many would not know of its occurrence at all anyway. She frowned realizing that demons kept records of everything they did on purpose much like humans from her time. There was little difference between them in that regard. Shaking her head, Kagome focused on the present.
Sango looked to Asaia wondering how much of the story was true and if Asaia was actually involved back then. Shippo jumped onto Miroku's shoulder for a better view of the conversation not taking place. But there were sure a lot of staring going on between all present. Tir closed up the circle keeping his back to Atokiyada, the only one capable of handling a direct attack by the half demon-celestial. Inuyasha lowered Tetsusaiga thinking about the story.
"That was you." Sango stepped forward and pointed to Asaia. "You stopped your sister the first time. You were this warrior they mentioned."
Asaia only nodded her head.
Miroku piped in then. "It must've taken some brilliant scheming on your part to get her into the waterbowl the second time around."
Asaia looked to Miroku and Shippo. "Yes, I was able to stop her in the hundreds of years before she could take over the world resulting in the first Great Battle. However, it came at a price." Her hand moved to the beads placed around her neck.
"She cursed you." Inuyasha glanced at the beads around his neck and looked at Asaia's beads. "Forced you to live among humans as a human. How did you win the second time?"
"The Dog General and his army were able to stand against her with a scroll my father possessed I brought with me before our first encounter." Asaia looked up. "For a short time, we were able to keep her from dominating this world by keeping her imprisoned in a parallel world."
"Wait, if you needed a demon army, why didn't it work this time?" Kagome looked to Sesshomaru and Tir.
Shippo pointed out. "Tir was sided with Atokiyada and sent the Sand Dragons after us. Took out the demon army, remember?"
"Exactly." Asaia nodded. "Because of Tir's power, no demon army would stand against her like before. Atokiyada wanted to prevent the consortium of powers that stood against her and won in the first Great Battle." Asaia looked to Kagome then.
"W…why are you looking at me?" Kagome backed away.
"There was a piece to the puzzle Atokiyada tried to remove early on." Asaia reminded them.
"The night of chaos?" Sango suddenly remembered. "When all the demons attacked priests…" Her eyes widened. "You mean…a powerful miko, a priestess stood with the demon army against Atokiyada?"
"Yes." Asaia smiled. "The Dog General knew he could not defeat a celestial demon without the aid of the strongest spiritual leader among humans he could find. Clearly he was a demon who knew that humans are just as important as demons among the land." She looked at Sesshomaru. "He understood the part each plays in the circle of life."
Inuyasha had to agree it was a smart plan and growled at its effectiveness. "She took out the major players of those who could stand against her."
Sesshomaru spoke evenly. "Father never spoke of this battle."
"He wouldn't need to." Asaia smiled. "Everyone believed she would remain in her prison for all time. Including me."
"So now we get to the good part." Inuyasha rubbed his hands together. "How do we take her down?"
Sango raised her hand. "There was a scroll mentioned, from the first battle." She looked to Asaia. "You still have that scroll?"
Asaia shook her head. "It was destroyed in battle. But it would not do us any good. My sister found a way around that using the mirrors to enter our world. Had her release been from a prison not another world, we could have used it."
Asaia turned to find her sister closing in on them. Atokiyida did not look happy to see her. If only she could find a way to break the Necklace of Retribution. She could not use her celestial power against Atokiyida unless she could find a way to remove it from her neck. She did not wish to see Kagome and the others die at her sister's hands.
Asaia turned to Inuyasha. "What I need is a diversion."
Atokiyada was ready for them now. Tir stepped turned and stepped forward nodding he understood what she needed from him. Sesshomaru seemed to understand what his part was in this charade and followed.
That left Inuyasha wondering what exactly was he supposed to do. He glanced at Kagome, she motioned that he follow Tir and Sesshomaru. Strange how he felt left out recently. Then the night of chaos came bilging back into his recent memory. How he almost forgot about it completely chasing this Atokiyada woman. Now it all came rushing back at him. It was a bit overwhelming at the moment.
Atokiyada stopped walking towards the three in front: Inuyasha, Tir, and Sesshomaru.
Inuyasha readied Tetsusaiga with both hands firmly gripping the handle.
"She's not at full strength yet." Inuyasha growled nearly evading whatever that was she threw at him. "That works in our favor."
Sango was lost for the first time on her role she was to play in this battle. Miroku and Shippo quietly discussed options if Inuyasha, Tir, and Sesshomaru were eventually defeated.
Kagome glanced over her shoulder at the face off. She felt her entire body tense, her hands flexing automatically. Fear rose again within her but it did not stay long. Her fear turned to anger. There was a flash off to her right. Her arm went up to shield her eyes from the sudden bright white light emanating from where the four stood.
And the battle began.
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Kagome felt herself off her feet, flying through the air. She could still see nothing in the wash of light. Both eyes were closed but she could still see the light clearly. She concluded that Asaia yanked her through the doorway and into the hall. Her eyes opened, finding the small girl standing in front of her with a determined expression on her face.
"She's after you now." Asaia spoke softly. "It is your turn to fulfill the destiny your family has taken on, Kagome."
"My family?" Kagome frowned. "You…."
"Yes." Asaia nodded. "Your ancestor stood among demons and won the battle side by side with her enemy. She was the secret weapon. She was a powerful ally. A power among your kind not seen since now."
Kagome could only stare at Asaia astonished. Her family had been around for so long? She blinked several times as the monumental realization and significance of this fact sunk in. Even then her head felt heavy and spinning. How could her family be so…
Suddenly Kagome felt the pressure of such knowledge. "I don't know how!"
She wanted to panic. Every part of her quivered in fear…fear she had never known before. It gripped her into almost complete paralysis. How the hell could she even hope to kill Atokiyada? Fire an arrow at her and hope it hit the mark? Her marksmanship had improved but not that well. Asaia yanked her arm seemingly pulling her towards the floor as if she sensed her fear. Kagome felt suddenly felt at peace.
"There is but a short window for which my sister is a only demon…first and foremost before her Celestial powers awaken." Asaia peaked into the room. "Only you can see this and it is this part you must kill to weaken her other half. She grows in power the longer we remain inactive and dispersed. Follow your heart, Kagome, descendant of the great miko, Kayala! Only you can kill a demon with the simplest of weapons."
Kagome looked to Asaia. "I…"
Asaia placed the Pearls of Truth over Kagome's head dropping the heavy jewelry on her shoulders. She felt the weight at first almost too much to bear but then it lessened almost immediately.
"This will help guide you." Asaia began to walk away. "The Necklace of Retribution prevents me from telling you exactly what you're role is but the Pearls can. Listen to them. I must help Tir and the others now. Find your inner strength and go with your instincts."
Suddenly the answer made sense.
It was then she felt a presence beside her. KiRaRa arrived and landed at her side ready to take her where commanded. Kagome blinked and smiled shortly. It was as if the demon cat knew what her role and waited in the wings for the chance to be of use in the battle.
"KiRaRa." Kagome whispered. "You always know, don't you girl."
Kagome climbed into KiRaRa's back and took hold of the fur at the nape. Immediately, the demon cat took to the air. KiRaRa flew through the air, through the doorway, and above the battle. The bright white light was too much to bear keeping her eyes open.
"KiRaRa, I need my arrows." Kagome could barely hear her own voice. "There should be some scattered over the floor.
KiRaRa nodded her head and angled downward towards the floor. It was as if KiRaRa was in her head. Each time the demon cat landed to pick up an arrow, Kagome reached forward to take it from KiRaRa's mouth. For once, there was a plan in her head that would not connect to her brain. Kagome did not understand what she was doing. Was this a plan passed down from her ancestor, Kayala?
"Let's get this done." Kagome spoke with determination.
KiRaRa took to the air again.