Chapter 22
A race against time
Naraku and Sesshomaru clashed as Kagome was trying to get a clean shot with her bow and arrow, but the barrier Naraku had created over himself and Sesshomaru made it impossible to take a shot. After deflecting a swing from Naraku's sword, Sesshomaru delivered a roundhouse kick to the demon's face. Naraku swung his blade around and almost took Sesshomaru's face off.
Kagome fired her second arrow at the barrier, but it had no effect. Naraku simply smiled as he pushed his assault against Sesshomaru as he opened his open to release a swarm of Saimyoushou wasps to send them flying straight at Sesshomaru. The demon lord started turning his blade in front of as he proceeded to slice the incoming wasps apart.
Naraku managed to sneak a punch in, but Sesshomaru countered attacked by head butting the demon in the face before gutting him with the Tentseiga, but the injury went unnoticed as the demon countered attacked by transforming his right arm into a blade. Naraku attempted to stab Sesshomaru as he pulled away from the dog demon, but he missed.
The female priestess fired a third arrow at the barrier and there was still no effect. Sesshomaru dodged Naraku's thrust with his court sword as he narrowly avoiding getting stabbed in the chest. The dog demon countered attack by striking Naraku in the face with the stump on the bottom of his left arm.
Each time Sesshomaru attempted to use the Meidou Zangetsuha to send Naraku to hell, but the demon lord's attempts to use the blade failed because Naraku managed to prevent Sesshomaru from using the sword by stopping him from swinging the blade to open the portal.
"It's only a matter of time before I kill you Sesshomaru." Naraku commented.
"Somehow I doubt it. Come to think of it where is the barrier over the castle?" Naraku looked up and saw that the barrier over the castle had disappeared. "Tell me does that detachment body hold its own heart or does Hitomi have it?"
Naraku looked at Sesshomaru with a smile as he replied, "Hitomi has it, but that boy wouldn't betray me. He needs me; he relies on me too much. Besides with my heart in his hands I cannot die."
"Then explain the sudden failure of the barrier over the castle."
"I doubt our attempt to smash through the barrier is what caused it to fail." A voice said as all eyes turned to the gate. Sesshomaru, Naraku and Kagome saw Haruka and Michiru transformed as Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune. "We spent a few minutes attempting to break through when suddenly the barrier collapsed."
"You are lying" Naraku announced as he was certain that Hitomi wasn't planning to betray him.
"Are we…do you know what I think is happening here?" Sesshomaru said as he put his sword away. "I doubt Hitomi happily accepted the part about where you were trying to gain control of your body when you were born and since I am taking into consideration that you were no doubt planning on back stabbing Hitomi to absorb him so you could gain all of the powers he seized for himself…I think Hitomi merely gave you that body so you could distract us while he escaped. Once he was a safe distance away he could crush your heart thus killing you before you have a chance to concoct any plans of betrayal."
"I doubt it." Naraku remarked with a smile as he rushed at Sesshomaru once more, but suddenly the demon stopped in his tracks. One hand went over the area of his chest where his heart would be, while Naraku's other hand dropped the sword he held before dropping to his knees. The expression on his face was frozen in horror as Naraku realized that his heart, in Hitomi's hands, was being crushed. "No…Hitomi you bastard!"
"Sorry Naraku, but this world has only room for one Naraku…ME. I didn't take the fact that you had wanted possession of my body from birth well, and since you were going to no doubt attempt to betray me…I decided to eliminate you before you had the chance. You proved useful in distracting Sesshomaru and mother long enough for me to get away." Hitomi said as his voice echoed through the courtyard of the castle via the small swarm of Saimyoushou that had stayed behind. Naraku tried to fight to live, but suddenly his eyes became frozen in horror before his body slumped over with both hands gripping his chest. Naraku was dead for the final time, but to ensure that he stayed that way…Sesshomaru brought out the Tentseiga and used the Meidou Zangetsuha to send what remained of Naraku to hell.
"Stay gone this time Naraku." Sesshomaru remarked as he sheathed the Tentseiga as the barrier that had encased Sesshomaru and Naraku disappeared.
"What happened here?" Haruka asked.
"It turns out Hitomi was tutored by the lingering presence of Naraku's mind that has resided inside Hitomi's body who he had just expelled into a detachment body. Hitomi used him as a distraction so he could escape right before he killed him."
"Where did Hitomi go?"
"To the Higurashi Shrine…we have to get there before he does. He is intending to go through the well again to claim the last jewel shard."
"Actually…I already have the final jewel shard. Its inside a sealed box kept inside the shrine itself."
"But I thought Kohaku had the shard?" Michiru pointed out.
"True, but remember that close to five hundred years separates us from the past and the present. I found the shard at a local jeweler when I had taken my wedding ring Inuyasha gave me to get it fixed when the diamond fell out."
"Then I can assume you brought the jewel off the owner didn't you?" Sesshomaru asked.
"It was sheer luck that I even found it."
"Does Hitomi know about it?" Haruka asked.
"I think he does, but I don't know if he knows where I put it. But regardless I think he intends to go to the Warring States era anyway."
"Either way we need to get to the Shrine as soon as possible to stop Hitomi." Michiru commented as a weakened Ami emerged from the hole in the side of the castle where Sesshomaru had blasted Naraku through. The trembling young woman approached as she pulled out her communicator.
"I think I can at least warn the others about what is going on." Ami said as she was trying to contact Usagi.
"Hurry and tell Usagi what happened and then we're out of here." Sesshomaru said as he waited for Ami. All they could hope for was that Usagi and the others could get to the shrine before Hitomi does.
Later that day at the Higurashi Shrine, a whirlwind of Miasma appeared as Hitomi landed in the middle of the front yard before the Tree of Ages. Arael was with him as was Tentai. The two began walking towards the shrine storehouse where he, if he recalled correctly was where the jewel shard was hidden.
True he had planed to get Kohaku jewel shard, but he merely said that so he would to send his enemies looking for him in the Warring States Era while at the same time he would deploy Tentai into that time period to gather up more demons for him. Right now she collected the demons Hitomi had hidden at the remains of Mt. Hyakurai and other locations to keep with her until he found a new location to create a new stronghold.
As Hitomi approached the shrine storehouse, both Jaken and Rin confronted him. Jaken was ready with his staff of heads to blast Hitomi with flames while Rin drew the small weapon Totousai had created for her. "Well the interferences ever end?" Hitomi asked as Jaken, although he was sweating, boldly declared.
"In the name of his grace Lord Sesshomaru I demand that you leave these grounds." Jaken grew afraid as Hitomi showed no signs of doing such a thing especially when he received a hateful glare from the half demon. "Please" Jaken asked as he felt like running away screaming, but before he had the chance…each of Hitomi's hands transformed into a tentacle which seized the two poor excuses of guards and sent them flying. Rin hit the side of the tree of ages as Jaken went flying across the yard.
Hitomi smiled as he opened the door on the shrine storehouse, but suddenly someone behind the door saying "Rainbow Moon Heart Ache!" A half second later an explosion of energy came through the door and came close to striking Hitomi down if he hadn't raised a small shield of energy in front of him to take the blow.
Still…the impact of the blast sent him flying a few feet away from the door. Before the smoked cleared, Usagi transformed as Super Sailor Moon emerged with her specter in hand. Glowing from the top of her scepter was the final shard of the Shikon Jewel that Hitomi needs.
"So Ami has betrayed me…she used her communicator to alert you that I was coming here for the final shard of the jewel." Hitomi deduced as his eyes were overflowing with hatred for Sailor Moon.
"Hitomi…Kagome explained everything that happened at your castle. We know it was Naraku who manipulated you. Just give it up and become human again." Usagi said as she tired to plea with the hanyo.
"NEVER!" Hitomi declared as he drew Tetsusaiga, everyone watched as swirls of dark demonic energy began to surround the sword. "I'll free Ami from your brainwashing and make this world MINE!" Hitomi declared as he swung the demon sword and unleashed a burst of energy that traveled along the ground towards Usagi.
Two attacks, which were Sailor Venus's Love me moon chain paired with Sailor Jupiter's Supreme Thunder Dragon, were used to cancel out the energy blast Hitomi had tried to use against Usagi. "More fools who dare to interfere…I see, so you are all here to kill me." Hitomi said as he readied himself battle.
"Hitomi stop…we don't want to fight you anymore." Rei said as she also tried to plea with Hitomi.
"I intend to kill Sailor Moon for enslaving Ami to her will and this foolish destiny of servitude."
"What? You got to be joking Usagi wouldn't" Makoto began.
"I know everything that has transpired since Usagi became Sailor Moon and I know for a fact that Ami was killed when Usagi dumped her to face Beryl by herself. I will never forgive you for that. I will avenge what was done and eliminate you along with anyone else who stands to defy me. I will free Ami and prevent the world from being ruled by a foolish girl with a pathetic excuse of a brain." Hitomi declared as Tetsusaiga glowed brighter with demonic energy.
"Hitomi wait!" One of the Sailor Senshi said in a final attempt to plea with the young half demon.
"I am not Hitomi! I am Naraku!" Hitomi turned his body as he prepared to unleash the power of the Tetsusaiga's Kaze no Kizu against Sailor Moon.
Suddenly a Burning mandala followed by a giant flying boomerang was heading towards Hitomi, but a barrier quickly repelled them. Hitomi or rather Naraku smiled as he turned and unleashed the Kaze No Kizu against the Sailor Senshi. Sailor Moon in particular was the target the of the attack, but she was saved at the last minute by Tuxedo Kamen who grabbed the young woman and carried her out of the path of the Kaze No Kizu. The storage house and the few homes and buildings behind it were either destroyed or severely damaged.
"Hitomi stop!" Miroku pleaded.
"I won't…not until I am the most powerful being on this planet. Then no one can harm me ever again. I'll prove that things like fate and destiny are meaningless." Without another word Hitomi began swinging Tetsusaiga at Sailor Moon and the others while sending bursts of energy heading straight for them.
Everyone was ducking for cover as they tried to avoid the bursts of demonic energy released from Tetsusaiga. Unable to penetrate his barrier without Kongosouha, the situation seemed grim for the Sailor Senshi. Another arriving Sailor Soldier attempted to smash through Hitomi's barrier, but it failed. The half-demon looked to his right and saw that Sailor Pluto had arrived as well.
Hitomi spun around and countered attacked with a blast of demonic energy from the Tetsusaiga. Setsuna dived to the side to avoid getting struck, but it didn't matter to Hitomi…sooner or later the Sailor Senshi would wear themselves down to the point where he will be in a position to easily pick them off one by one. Even with the last jewel shard empowering Sailor Moon, it made no difference he had the nearly completed Shikon Jewel augmenting his powers. Besides…without Ami and the remaining Outer Sailor Senshi they don't have the required power to lay a finger on him.
However, if Sesshomaru and his mother were to return: they would become a problem and drag this battle on longer than it was required to be. Hitomi smiled, as he knew it would be better to finish them all now before any more possible interference arrived to prolong the battle. He raised his arm up with Tetsusaiga as a warning to everyone around him of what he was going to use next.
"I grow weary of this battle…let us finish it." Hitomi declared, as he was ready to release the Bakuryuuha to finish them off once a Sailor Senshi launched another attack against him. It came when Minako, Rei and Makoto launched a combo assault against the half-demon. Hitomi smiled as he turned and cut down with the blade into the attack the three women had launched against him.
In moments their attack had been consumed and a trio of large tornados emerged heading straight for the three Sailor Senshi. It seemed Rei, Makoto and Minako were as good as dead, but suddenly a blast of violet colored energy came in-between the Bakuryuuha and the Sailor Senshi canceling the attack out. A surprised Hitomi looked to his left and saw Hotaru was standing there, but she had transformed into a Sailor Senshi: Sailor Saturn. The young woman looked at Hitomi with an angry expression as she held the Silence Glaive.
"So Sailor Saturn has decided to join this little gathering?"
"Naraku…I won't let you have your way!"
"At someone has been kind enough to refer to me by the name I have chosen." Hitomi commented with a grin. "However I have a chance to finish the absorption of your power once I am done with these other distractions."
"I won't allow it!" Hotaru announced as she sent a blast of energy at Hitomi, but his barrier repelled it, but the impact of the blast shook the barrier. It signified that had Hotaru put more power into that blast she might have had a chance to penetrate the barrier. However it failed and Hitomi smiled as he planned on his next move, but his senses flared up as danger was fast approaching him…from above, to his left.
Hitomi looked up at the direction where he sensed the danger and saw, much to his surprise, his father…Inuyasha coming straight at him. But there was a difference…Inuyasha's eyes had turned blood red with green. Hitomi quickly realized that his father's demon blood had taken over causing him to go berserk. He must have awoken at some point after he nearly killed him. Another possibility was that Inuyasha could have someone detected Hitomi nearby and awoke to pursue and engage him. Whatever reasons his father, who should still be hospitalized by all accounts, was attacking him Hitomi had another problem to deal with.
Hitomi watched from the safety confines of his barrier as his half-demon father clawed at the barrier wildly trying to fight his way inside, but the barrier was too strong for Inuyasha to break through. Hitomi began to generate a cloud of miasma around his barrier to weaken Inuyasha further and to deal with Sailor Moon and the others. The miasma began to spread as Hitomi began electrifying his barrier so not only could be begin bombarding his enemies with lightning bolts of demonic energy he could also repel anyone physically attacking the barrier, namely Inuyasha.
The berserker was sent flying as black demonic energy electrocuted him and sent Inuyasha flying to the far side of the courtyard as he readied Tetsusaiga. Seeing how his luck was seemingly beginning to go sour decided to kill Sailor Moon and claim the jewel shard. He levitated across the ground inside the barrier as he mowed through the other Senshi heading straight for Sailor Moon. Usagi realized the danger she was in as she blasted Hitomi once more with her scepter, but nothing happened because the energy from the Moon Princess's attack was nullified by Naraku's barrier.
"Nothing you have will work…I'll claim the last shard now."
Hitomi swung the Tetsusaiga up, as he was ready to cleave Usagi in two, which would then be followed by a Kaze No Kizu at point blank range. Although Mamoru tried to intervene, but was stopped when a tentacle lashed out from inside the barrier and knocked the masked man away. One half of the blade emerged from the barrier as it came down on Usagi, but at the last moment an arrow glowing with holy purifying energy emerged and stuck the blade causing the Tetsusaiga to transform back into its original state.
"WHAT?" Hitomi roared, as he looked skyward and saw Kagome, Sesshomaru, Haruka, Ami and Michiru riding on a transformed Sesshomaru's back. The group was heading straight for him as Kagome with a tearful expression was readying another shot. Before the half demon realized it a surge of energy from Tetsusaiga began to electrocute him. Hitomi began crying out in pain as his grip on the sword began to weaken.
Turning around Hitomi saw Inuyasha trying to get up. In one quick motion he threw the sword as it flew straight at the half demon. If the blade continued traveling along its current course it would impale Inuyasha through the heart killing him. Kagome turned her arrow and let it fly while she prayed that it would hit its mark and stop the sword. The sword was knocked off its course just a split second before it could hit its target. The blade landed on the ground a few inches away from Inuyasha.
"Damn you mother!"
"Hitomi please stop it." Kagome said as tears streamed down her face.
"I won't stop until I am a full demon. Then I'll make things the way I want them to be. I will not permit the future of this world to be controlled by the likes of Sailor Moon nor Ami for that matter." Hitomi drew his sword from its sheath before he began to attack Sailor Moon with it; the young woman used her specter to parry each of Hitomi's swings. The barrier suddenly expanded as Sailor Moon was drawn inside the barrier with Hitomi, but it wasn't enough…a miasma mist began to appear within the barrier.
"Miasma…we got to break that barrier now or Usagi will die in there." Rei said as her voice carried a strong sense of urgency.
"But Inuyasha is the only one who can use the Tetsusaiga and the Kongosouha." Makoto pointed out.
Inside the barrier tentacles emerged from Hitomi's back as they flew straight Usagi as they tried to grab the last shard of the Shikon jewel from the top of her specter. Usagi managed to fight them off, but she also had to parry each time Hitomi tried to sleeve her in two with the Shibofukkatsu. Not to mention the miasma inside the barrier grew thicker and deadlier with each passing second. It Usagi didn't get out of the barrier soon the miasma will kill her.
"Evade and parry my attacks all you want Usagi, but my miasma will finish you."
The miasma was beginning to affect Usagi, as she grew drowsier and weak as the poison was slowly overpowering her. At this point it would have killed a normal human, but Usagi's transformation into Super Sailor Moon has given a small form of protection. However it wasn't going to hold out for long.
Hitomi saw an opening as he was about to take Usagi's head off, but suddenly a wave of Kongosouha spears punched through the barrier. Mamoru rushed into the mist and carried Usagi out of the miasma before Hitomi could finish her. Sesshomaru rushed into the mist to engage the half demon directly as the two demons locked horns, or rather swords. Hitomi noticed that Sesshomaru was wielding Tetsusaiga.
"I thought you couldn't wield that blade?" Hitomi asked.
"I guess Tetsusaiga is allowing me to borrow its power since its master is momentary unconscious." Sesshomaru answered as the two swordsmen struggled against the other. Hitomi jumped away as he was about to release a blast of demonic energy from his sword as Sesshomaru was doing the same. Their blades and the energy being released collided in-between them and an explosion of power erupted between them.
Both Sesshomaru and Hitomi were knocked back, but neither one seemed ready to give up. At that moment the Sailor Senshi decided to join in the attack and throw whatever they had at Hitomi to stop him. Rei and Minako followed by Makoto launched an attack on the half demon. Their attacks struck the ground where Hitomi stood knocking the half demon off his feet, but it didn't stop there. Hotaru attacked next with a Silence Glaive surprise, but Hitomi saw the attack coming and retreated into the air to evade.
Haruka and Michiru with Setsuna's aid began attacking Hitomi. Setsuna sent a blast of energy at Hitomi while Michiru provided support and attacked while Haruka leapt into the air to attack the half demon in melee combat with her sword. Hitomi managed to bat both of Sailor Pluto and Neptune's attacks and fight off Haruka. Hitomi took one hand off his sword and transformed his free hand into a thorn-covered tentacle before lashing it out at Haruka.
Sailor Uranus cut off the top half of the tentacle, but the rest of it quickly wrapped itself around her body allowing the half demon to throw her across the air sending her crashing onto the top of the Higurashi household's roof. Hitomi landed back on the ground before heading for Sailor Moon to claim the last shard of the jewel. However an arrow fired from Kagome hit the ground in front of Hitomi stopping him in his tracks.
Kagome couldn't bring herself to harm her own child.
Hitomi saw his father beginning to stir in the corner of his eye, realizing it was now or never to get the shard otherwise things would get completely out of hand. Desperate to get the shard, Hitomi rushed at a recovered Sailor Moon who had regained enough of her strength to use another Rainbow Moon Heart Ache against the demon. Usagi blasted Hitomi, but a small bubble of energy appeared in front of Hitomi, which absorb the attack. But that was when Hitomi noticed that the shard on the top of Usagi's specter was gone.
Hitomi looked behind him and saw that Kagome had taken possession of the jewel shard. Using her purification powers, Kagome was trying to use the jewel shard she held to not only amplify her powers, but to cause the Shikon jewel Hitomi held to react. Just as Kikyo once attempted to use the shards within Koga's legs and Hohaku's shard to purify the jewel shards held by Naraku to destroy him. Now Kagome was trying to use that same strategy to weaken Hitomi instead.
In seconds Hitomi began to show signs of him beginning to weaken. With a pained look on his face he cast a glare on his mother as she held the jewel shard. With the threat of his power being weakened by his own mother he rushed towards the well house intending to escape through the well into the past. Ami rushed towards the well house to stop him, but Hitomi kept coming.
"Hitomi!" Ami cried out.
"Out of his way traitor!" A voice said as blank-inky tentacles emerged from Tentai's shadow after the small girl appeared behind Ami. The shadowy tentacles grabbed Ami and threw her aside allowing Hitomi unblocked passage to the well house. However, in hot pursuit of the half demon was a still berserk Inuyasha. His Youkai blood that coursed through his veins was still driving the half-dog Youkai forward.
Sesshomaru took up pursuit, as did Kagome. Arael was already inside the well waiting for his master. Tentai appeared right next to her fellow detachment as Hitomi leapt into the well and the passageway into the past began to open. Halfway down the well a berserk Inuyasha entered the well, as the crazed half demon was right on Hitomi's tail. As Hitomi, his detachments and Inuyasha entered into the rift that separated the past from the present; Hitomi fired a powerful blast of Youkai energy that collided with an aura of crimson Youkai energy that had surrounded Inuyasha in an attempt to shield his body the blast.
Unknown to both of them, the resulting explosion caused an unexpected catastrophic chain reaction to occur within the well as they were traveling into the past. A sudden dimensional fracture combined with a black hole effect pulled Hitomi, his detachments along with Inuyasha into the opened fissure of energy within the time stream leading into the past. Outside of the well…Kagome, Sesshomaru along with Jaken and Rin were pulled into the well and ultimately into the rift.
Acting quickly to contain it, Sailor Pluto pulled out all of the stops as she used her influence over the time stream to seal the passageway between the past and the present within the well to keep the rift from pulling anyone else into it. The other Outer Senshi loaned her the power she required to seal the rift. The dust began to settle as the well house was left in ruins as a result of what happened.
Everyone was shocked by what had happened including Ami. "What happened?" Mamoru asked Setsuna.
"The passageway that linked the past with the present inside the Bone Eater's well must have reacted to the two demonic energies of Hitomi and Inuyasha. The passageway inside the time stream was highly volatile and fragile and the energies they released caused the bounds that held the passageway together to collapse creating a black hole effect that pulled Hitomi, Inuyasha, Sesshomaru, Kagome, Jaken and Rin into a dimensional rift of some short. I cannot explain it."
"Do you think there is any chance that they survived?" Usagi asked.
"That is something none of us can answer. If they did there is no telling where they could have ended up. Somewhere in the universe on another planet, in a different time or even another dimension…there are so many possibilities of what could have become of them that no one can begin to guess where they have disappeared to…if they survived."
Everyone was saddened by this turn of events as Miroku looked at the sky wondering about the welfare of Inuyasha and the others. Regardless…he cursed Naraku's name, the hated half demon. Although suffering a final death at Hitomi's own hands, Naraku had in essence had his revenge against Inuyasha and Kagome.
A/N: I decided to end this Sailor Moon/Inuyasha crossover fic a little differently than my other two with a sad ending. Did they live? Find out next chapter.
