Authors note: sorry for the wait. This should have been two chapters...but I didn't want to disrupt the flow. enjoy!
Chapter 25
With deep, piercing golden eyes Sesshomaru looked upon the battleground with growing disbelief. He had not been absent for more then a span of fifteen minutes… and not only was Shura hovering on the very fringe of death, his half demon brother was presently getting the life crushed out of him by one of Naraku's…things! The situation was beyond mystifying it was downright unbelievable!
A snort sounded and Sesshomaru suddenly found himself caught in a reminiscent crimson stare. It was the same piercing gaze Kagura so often set upon him, although this time it came from a distinctly larger, black and silver, reptilian-framed demon. Apparently the dog lord's presence had interested the beast, for he abandoned his current task of flattening Inuyasha in favor of inspecting him a bit closer. Or so it seemed.
"So the elder brother has decided to make an appearance," chuffed the incarnate with a toothy smile "how fortunate for me."
Sesshomaru braced himself and gripped hold of Tokijin's handle. Goshrui's overconfidence, unsurprising as it was considering the black-bodied character had popped out of Naraku, still managed to shatter what little remained of his patience. Skillfully the dog lord drew out his prized sword and held it at arms length so that his adversary got a good look at the source that would soon bring about his demise. Strangely though the incarnate didn't seem threatened at all, rather his grin broadened.
"I fail to see what you find so amusing considering I intend to kill you…" the dog lord informed calmly as Goshuri continued to beam down at him with that annoying smile of his. To this the incarnate let out a deep, raspy laugh.
"Indeed. And I suppose you plan to do it with that sword do you? How utterly foolish" Goshuri laughed again, making Sesshomaru reflexively tighten hold of his blade's handle; the incarnate wouldn't think him foolish once he was falling to the ground in pieces. Narrowing his eyes Sesshomaru flexed his muscles ever so slightly to stimulate Tokijin's power. Normally the sword was flawless when obeying his movements and the power it emitted flowed in near perfect synchronization with the demon lord's biorythems…but this time Sesshomaru met with a nasty surprise. The energy that poured from his weapon was harsh and searing; it clashed painfully with Sesshomaru's demonic aura and repelled his efforts of control. Even the blade itself seemed to seethe with resistance, for it took on a disturbing red glow.
"You see," Goshuri continued before Sesshomaru even had the chance speak; question or otherwise "unlike in your clan, my brother would never harm me!"
Sesshomaru snorted and stared up at the incarnate with one of his very distinct 'you're starting to piss me off' expressions, but it was the only retort he had time to offer. An invisible force yanked hard against the Tokijin, sending a ripple of pain up the great demon's arm before the blade was torn from his clawed hand. The sword obeyed the pull, or rather followed it, to where the incarnate stood ready, and with surprising force the pointed end dove strait into Goshuri's exposed chest.
The black demon cast his head backward, letting out a horrendous gasp as the sword burrowed into him, its blade extending diagonally downward from thorax to abdomen until only the hilt remained exposed. But the demon did not fall. In fact, as Sesshomaru was quick to observe, Goshuri seemed surprisingly unmoved considering bulk of Tokijin's blade was currently mingling with his vital organs.
A grunt suddenly sounded from Goshuri's throat and following it the incarnate started to twitch and contract the muscles of his shoulders and chest, an act which caused Tokijin to imbed deeper still, until no trace of the sword remained outside his body. Then, miraculously, the penetration wound created from the blade's impact mended over leaving near flawless, unscarred muscle in its place. Following this Goshuri sagged his head forward to stare mischievously at the now weaponless, and even more pissed off dog lord.
Sure enough the glare received back from Sesshomaru could have frozen a small army. And rightfully so. After toppling Shura at the peek of her training, and almost ruining the dog lord's self-made proclamation that he would be the only one to slay Inuyasha…now that retched demon Naraku had spawned…had the nerve to assimilate his prized sword! Grinding his fangs harshly Sesshomaru readied his poison fingertips. There were more then one way to skin a demon… and he was no novice when it came to finding methods, especially in this case.
"Hump…" chuffed Goshuri with a confident note before Sesshomaru could even make a move "Sesshomaru, so now your planning to kill me with your claw-whip am I right?"
In response to this the dog lord froze and his pupils constricted a little. Since when had this demon become a telepath? He had detected no such talent before. Bracing himself harder the dog lord watched with narrow eyes as the demon foe before him took on a new, even more menacing aura that reeked of Tokijin's power. Then Goshrui's physical body also started to alter. His right eye, previously semi-squinted, suddenly opened wide and a new arm erupted from the demon's left shoulder. The limb matched nearly every detail of the right counterpart with the exception of its color, which was a ghastly contrasting shade of magenta. It was only after the demon spoke that Sesshomaru realized the full extent of the situation…for when the beast did so his voice held not one, but two distinct vocal identities: the telltale signature of a soul fusion.
"hahaha!" cackled the demon and his twin in perfect synchrony "Now that my brother has joined with me! There is no limit to our power!"
"You've got to be kidding me…" whispered a still semi-dazed Inuyasha from his observation point, knee deep in upturned earth. Though he had managed thus far to get into a standing position, his body was not at all ready to see combat, at least not while Sesshomaru was also involved. Determined as the halfling was to kill Naraku, throwing himself between two pissed off demons, both of whom would probably sell their souls to see him dead, was not exactly the best way to go about getting his revenge. And now that Goshuri had somehow fused with Sesshomaru's sword…. the half demon gritted his teeth uncomfortably…the long since dead Goshinki was in on the match too…
Sesshomaru, also keenly aware of the new twist, offered no spoken reaction, however, it was obvious enough from his expression that had he decided to comment verbally his response would have been identical to that of his brother. This subtle yet obvious display of disbelief, irritation and downright rage delighted the now twin-souled incarnate, which of course fueled another commonality the two dog siblings were unfortunate enough to share. Despite his foe's obvious advantage, in spite of the fact that he was now sword-less, and regardless of the countless instincts that warned of Goshuri's threat to him… Sesshomaru attacked.
With a ripple of strength the demon lord pushed off from the ground and moments later brought forth his glowing whip with a graceful, yet intense motion of the wrist. Then with weapon poised the demon lord struck down hard intending to land the blow strait between the creature's eyes. To his surprise however, instead of cleaving Goshuri's skull in half, Sesshomaru's whip encountered only air. The incarnate had dodged the blow, in what had to be milliseconds before impact! Disappearing momentarily in a black blur Goshuri reappeared without the slightest warning…and in the perfect position launch an assault of his own. A massive jolt of hot, red, demon energy soared past Sesshomaru missing him by what had to be centimeters. The great dog's skin tingled all over with mild burns from the much to-close-for-comfort encounter and it made him seethe all the more. Growling, Sesshomaru shot a brief glance in the direction the attack had come from but he saw only landscape. Goshuri had disappeared again! Averting his eyes back in front of him Sesshomaru caught for the faintest instant the image of a red-eyed rush of muscle and dark fur unleash a tightly coiled arm in his direction. After that, there was only abrupt and horrible pain.
Goshuri's claw-swipe came before Sesshomaru could even consider evasion and its impact was devastating. The sheer force of the blow to his upper torso shattered the great dog's armor leaving his exposed chest to take the impact from Goshuri's razor talons. A mist of blood erupted into the sky as claw clashed with flesh. Three diagonal gashes ravaged across Sesshomaru's pale skin while gravity acted simultaneously to send his soaring body careening back to earth. The great dog landed close to where his child lay, his limp frame crashing so forcefully against a tree it sent blood flying from his wounds. A few stray drops even flew far enough to strike Shura's forehead. But the demon lord didn't see it, nor did he notice his daughter's pupils dilate following the blood splat to her face. The crash had knocked him out cold.
Inuyasha meanwhile watched the drama with growing dread. If that beast could so easily topple his brother…what then did that mean for him? Grunting the half demon adjusted the grip on his sword. Unfavorable as the odds were, that beast had to die. And as he had promised his niece, he would be the one to do it. With body tensed and sword held defensively before him Inuyasha watched with narrowed eyes while Goshuri and his twin strutted about in proud success.
"Stupid fools!" the beast taunted in the direction of the two fallen dogs before averting his crimson gaze to the anxious half demon "There is not a force on earth that can stop us now!" While he spoke, or rather announced, the twin souled incarnate coiled his body, as if preparing to pounce, and in return Inuyasha tensed his own body, ready to defend the instant that attack came. Then suddenly, from out of nowhere, a shimmering, purple streak shot past the incarnate's snout, grazing the side of his face before striking the earth. When the lavender aura faded, an arrow was revealed sticking out of the earth. Then came the feminine voice that so often accompanied this kind of attack.
"Don't be so sure!" yelled the unusually talented, if not overconfident school-girl Kagome as she proceeded to ready another arrow. Her presence sent first a wave of relief over Inuyasha, followed almost immediately by a wave of profound horror.
"Kagome!" the half demon bellowed as he turned his head in the girl's direction "Stay back!" His warning was as usual ignored.
"No way!" yelled back the girl from her current position, poised atop a small hill for a better vantage many yards away "This demon has almost the entire Shikon jewel, and I'm not letting him get away!!" Inuyasha's face paled. The chore of killing this beast, he realized, suddenly seemed vastly more dangerous…and his friend was presently tackling that danger head on!
"Kagome don't it's too risky!" roared Inuyasha in near desperation but his plea came to late. Another jet of lavender illuminated the sky and sped strait for the observing monster.
"Arrogant girl," snubbed the incarnate as he watched the arrow blaze towards him. For a brief moment his eyes flashed with power and immediately afterwards Kagome's speeding arrow halted in mid air, frozen by an eerie, red, telekinetic aura "do you really think I'll fall for that trick twice?" Following this the red aura surrounding the arrow brightened slightly and the weapon within was rotated so that the point now faced the young archer who had fired it. "Lets see how you like it!" the incarnate hissed mockingly, and in a flash the arrow was off, speeding strait for a stunned Kagome.
"Kagome! Look out!" Inuyasha howled, but his cry was in vein. The blazing arrow and its red, demonic aura struck Kagome in the chest. But it was not the wound, which caused her to cry out so horribly, but rather the fiery red aura as it ignited her own and emblazoned a near devastating strike directly to her frail human soul. Soon Kagome's cries subsided to feeble whimpers and she lost consciousness, collapsing limply backwards to the soft earth. Following this, the red aura that consumed her dissipated, leaving only the arrow in her chest as proof of any injury.
Horrified Inuyasha started in the direction of his friend, completely forgetting about his body's current weakness…and his enemy as well.
"Kago…meeeee!" the half-demon's mid-stride exclamation was abruptly silenced when an enormous sphere of energy hit the ground inches from his heels and let loose an explosion that sent him soaring nearly the length of the village ruins. When gravity finally did intervene it planted the half demon on his stomach, his face buried up to the cheekbones in scorched earth. Inuyasha remained in this position for several minutes, torn between his body's desire to rest and his will to fight. Then slowly, painfully, the half demon planted his palms on the ground and pushed until his face was elevated. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the incarnate begin to advance in his direction and beyond him, further in the background, two familiar silhouettes approaching the scene at a runners pace.
"Miroku! Sango! Go help Kagome! Get her out of here!" the half demon's command reached his friends just as they had started to assess the carnage they had come upon. And despite the near overwhelming urge to help Inuyasha kill the red-eyed brute currently strutting towards their half demon companion… both the monk and demon slayer made a beeline to where Kagome had fallen.
Satisfied that his friend would be protected, at least for the moment, Inuyasha pushed himself to his knees, and from there to his feet. Then, after picking Tetsusaiga from the ground, he once again stood poised for attack. Meanwhile the incarnate was still approaching. His footsteps were distinct and heavy. The sound they cast made the half-demon's very soul burn with fury.
"Bastard…" hissed Inuyasha through tightly clenched fangs before his voice exploded into a near canine war cry "I'm going to make you pay for hurting Kagome!" With arms raised far above his head Inuyasha called upon the swirling wind-scar vortex, which promptly enveloped the blade. Then with all the strength he could manage the half demon swiped the fissure open as wide as he could. The split unleashed a golden blaze of power that ignited the air and sent great claws of energy lashing out towards the observing incarnate. But such was only a distraction. Despite his temper Inuyasha recalled Goshuri's barrier-generating ability and to his credit had devised a clever, if not risky, idea to counter the problem. With the now red-bladed Tetsusaiga firmly in his grasp, and a surge of adrenalin in his veins, Inuyasha sprinted along the path of the wind-scar power he had just released so that he might be within striking range the instant said power triggered Goshuri to place his barrier. Then in that split second, as the shield was still forming, the half demon would truly test the resistance powers of his blade by stabbing strait through the barrier and into Goshuri's terrible heart. It was a foolhardy plan fueled by anger, instinct and desperation, but for the battle-worn half demon, it was his last option.
With blade powered and poised for striking Inuyasha pushed himself into the air. The wind scar's golden energy was seconds from impact…all he needed was for Goshuri's barrier to show… A smirk from the incarnate sent wave of dread over the half demon, and before he realized it, the creature was no longer in his path. The wind-scar energy sped onward, mowing down nothing but harmless vegetation and stray rubble, while Goshuri stood to the side just out of range.
"How amusing. It seems that in your haste to destroy me you neglected to remember that I now share the clairvoyance of my brother Goshinki…and can predict your every move." Inuyasha heard the incarnate gloat just before a set of fangs snatched him from the air and a swift toss of the head landed him back on the ground. For the briefest of seconds Inuyasha's vision clouded and the sight of Goshuri's monstrous frame leering down at him was replaced by Kagome's soft, smiling complexion. It was a face he'd never see again…if he let this demon win.
Inuyasha squinted, forcing his eyes to focus and his mind from the brink of unconsciousness. Goshuri was still standing there, a grin of sheer rapture etched across his pointed snout. Both he and his joined brother, thrived off of Inuyasha's suffering.
"It's over half-breed…. " hissed the echoed blend of demon voices, but they seemed to trail off the harder Inuyasha tried to move.
"Damn….yu…" The half demon blurted out between gasps for air as he agonizingly piloted his near crippled body first to reach for Tetsusaiga, laying inches from his fingers, then from there moving the still empowered sword until the tip was embedded in the ground. "I'll….make….yu…." Inuyasha went on with each action, as if his own words were giving him strength "suff….fr….fo..r….h…ting…." Now almost in a crouch the half demon leaned heavily upon his sword, pushing hard to make his body rise. "Ka..go..me!" with a final urge Inuyasha made it to a stand, though both hands still held firmly to Tetsusaiga, his primary means of support.
It was not the half demon's actions, however that caused a boggle eyed Goshuri to practically burst out laughing, but rather Inuyasha's babbled proclamation of revenge.
"Is that so Inuyasha? You can barely stand, let along lift your sword…so how then do you plan on…" again the incarnates voice trailed off, but for what reason Inuyasha didn't know, until that is, he felt a gentle touch to his shoulder.
"Huh?" murmured the half demon as his neck arched reflexively in the direction of the new presence. His golden eyes came to focus on a identically colored irises that mimicked his stare, and the familiar feminine face that carried them. "Shu..ra?" Inuyasha puffed out the barely audible question to which the demoness beside him gave a subtle and difficult nod. His niece's complexion had paled almost beyond recondition creating a stark contrast of her stripes. With her left hand she was concealing the heavily bleeding wound inflicted to her chest; red ooze was seeping through her fingers and ran in small streams all the way to her elbow. Her right hand, meanwhile, was resting on Inuyasha so that she might remain precariously balanced on quivering paws. The she-demon's breaths were staggered and difficult, even more so then Inuyasha's, but regardless the half demon still heard her whisper.
"Uncle, open the wind scar…" Inuyasha looked with heavy eyes upon his niece. For a moment he was convinced her statement had been meant as a joke or was the product of venom induced incoherence but a firm squeeze to the shoulder quickly made him realize that such was not the case. Shura was serious.
"It won't work…" the half demon protested weakly "he…knows our every move…before we make it…"
"Trust me…" Shura interjected in a barley audible whisper. And though the half demon couldn't understand her logic, he decided to obey. At this point he had nothing left to lose. With agonizing slowness Inuyasha worked to raise Tetsusaiga. In his battle-worn state the sword seemed to weigh one hundred times more then normal.
Goshuri meanwhile had lost all his patience. Inuyasha and his niece's blatant and stubborn refusal to die had long since ruined the fun of torturing them.
"Damn dogs!" roared Goshuri and his twin in unison "I'm through holding back!" as he spoke the distinct, tainted aura of the sacred jewel enveloped around his body "Now with the power of the Shikon jewel infused within me…I'm going to send your entire clan to hell!" Goshuri opened his mouth revealing a flickering red, spark of energy. The sphere, hovering precariously between his fangs, soon became entwined with the pinkish, glowing aura of the sacred jewel that exuded from the incarnate's body. Rapidly, the sphere expanded, growing more formidable with each passing second the Shikon jewel amplified its power. Then, when the object almost threatened to consume its master Goshuri launched the orb at Inuyasha and his kin.
The light from the blast was blinding. Inuyasha had to clamp his eyes shut just to be able to concentrate. He had managed to lift the empowered Tetsusaiga to his upper torso…all he needed was a final nudge of strength to get the blade high enough for an effective attack.
"Strike!" Inuyasha heard Shura hiss in his ear, and in the same instant he felt his niece's arms slip under his own until her hands came to rest on his wrists. Pulling in a deep breath for air Inuyasha arched his body backwards and with Shura's added pull raised Tetsusaiga far above his head. Goshuri's energy was nearly upon them. Inuyasha could feel the heat from the blast radiate across his skin. Releasing the resistance in his arms the half demon let the Tetsusaiga sink downwards into the searing heat. When the blade staggered with resistance he drove down as hard as he could, splitting open the wind scar and unleashing his ultimate attack.
"Backlash wave!" roared Inuyasha when he felt the two demonic energies start to collide around him. Tetsusaiga's energy twisted into Goshuri's energy sphere, replacing the heat and light with a windy coolness that made it safe for Inuyasha to open his eyes. Out of reflex the half demon shied a glance over his shoulder to insure his niece was still safely concealed behind him. But to his surprise she was nowhere to be seen. Seized in a twinge of panic Inuyasha glanced over the swirling blue and red surroundings for any trace of his kin. Eventually the half demon caught sight of a silver spark riding Tetsusaiga's blue power as it bound with the last of Goshuri's fiery attack. Then in the following instant the massing of demonic energy exploded outward sending a fleet of churning blue cyclones flying directly towards the wide-eyed incarnate.
"What have you done!" was the last thing Goshuri managed to roar as two twisters swarmed in and took great chunks out of his limbs and face. A dozen storms were still coming, and one of them, presently aiming to land in his torso, carried a second, silver, demonic aura. It was this aura that reached Goshuri first.
After separating from the tip of the blue cyclone the silver energy burrowed into Goshuri's chest and after forcing its way through ribs, lungs and muscle emerged out the other side in a spray of blood. As it descended to the ground this same energy assumed briefly the shape of a dog, and in its mouth was Goshuri's throbbing heart. The cyclone meanwhile, continued on its course and landed in the now vacant space that had seconds before held the bulk of Goshuri's power. The force ripped the demon in half and promptly thereafter tore what remained of him into thousands of tiny, bloody pieces. While the fragments scattered Tokijin soared intact from this wreckage and after twirling several times in mid air landed with its tip imbedded in the ground only a few yards from the bloody sight. Goshinki's red aura remained on the blade for only a moment before it subdued and faded into permanent dormancy.
When the attack finally faded the only trace that remained of Goshuri were the scattered pieces blanketing the landscape, and a sizable indentation in the earth where the backlash wave had struck him. Inuyasha was kneeling, exhausted, where he had landed following his attack, ten feet or so from the crater. He could see his niece at the opposite side of the depression. She was standing upright, the remains of her silvery aura dissipating, and in her left hand was incarnate Goshuri's heart. For a few moments Shura just stared at the object vacantly. Then her face hardened. Inuyasha saw his niece flex her wrist as if to coil her fingers into a fist and almost immediately afterward the object within her hand exploded, leaving a bloody mess on her face and garments. But Shura didn't seem to care; she was fixated on something else. Inuyasha squinted to try and get a better look. Presently the she-demon was staring at her blood-stained right hand. Corroding fragments of Goshuri's heart were still falling from around her poison claws, and as the last of them dissolved, Inuyasha could see a familiar lavender energy shine out from between her fingers.
"Good, she has the jewel shard," thought Inuyasha in a moment of relief. But that moment was quickly replaced by concern. Something about the way Shura was staring at the jewel…it made him uncomfortable.
"Shura," Inuyasha voiced in his niece's direction. For his present weakness the half demon's voice was fluent and stern. "Give that to me."
Now Shura set her gaze upon him, and it made the half-demon's skin crawl. Her stare was cold and sinister, and it radiated an intense dark essence.
"No." The demoness answered.