Future Crisis: Chapter 5

Akuhei's gray beam of light burned through the cutting winds, calming the air around them. Inuyasha jumped out of the trajectory of the light, but his elbow was "burned".

"What is this?" said Inuyasha. He raised his arm to examine the impact area, but it seemed unscathed.

Akuhei was equally confused. "What? Why didn't it work?" He raised the barrel and prepared for another shot.

Inuyasha's eyes widened. "I know this feeling," he said. "My elbow… it's suddenly heavier than how it's supposed to be. It's also a lot warmer. That's an annoying weapon you got there, bastard," he said.

Akuhei pondered at the situation. "As a demon, your arm should have been vaporized," he said. "Why are you still intact?"

"Maybe you suck," said Inuyasha. He raised the Tetsaiga. "You seem to be completely human," he said. "So why can't I smell you? There's only a weird inhuman stench on you."

"The sense of smell of a dog is sharp," said Akuhei, "but the chemical sprayed over my body overpowers the natural musk. While you cannot find me, my radar will always locate you." He put down the weapon, and then he took out a pair of glasses and put them on.

"You think you can protect your eyes with two pieces of glass?" asked Inuyasha.

"Glasses aren't always meant for the improvement of eyesight," said Akuhei. "But even if you knew what they are for, you wouldn't know how my pair works." He clicked a button on the left frame and raised the barrel again. Two faint circles appeared on the left lens, making strange patterns. "This time, the probability of missing the next attack will be less than 15%." Akuhei raised the barrel again. The jet pack on his back hissed as he lowered his elevation. A beep beep sound was heard, and Akuhei raised an eyebrow.

"I understand why this weapon does not produce the intended results," he said. "Inuyasha, you are a hanyou, am I correct?"

Inuyasha's blood boiled. "Shut up! It won't change the fact that I'll kill you! Kaze no Kizu!" Inuyasha swung the Tetsaiga, sending tendrils of wind at Akuhei.

Akuhei's jet pack struggled to keep him in place. "It's no use!" He pulled the trigger, dispelling the cutting winds and engulfed Inuyasha in the gray light. Inuyasha knelt down as Tetsaiga's transformation was cancelled, and he writhed in pain. His body clung to the floor, and his dog ears disappeared. His hands became gentler and smaller, and his hair turned black.

"What have you… done to me?" asked Inuyasha, but he knew the answer already.

Akuhei dashed in front of Inuyasha, but he was stopped by Miroku. "That's enough! Not another step!" he said. He raised the Buddhist staff.

"What can you do? Against my modern weapons, a human is nothing," said Akuhei. He drew a pistol and cocked it. "Remember this?"

Miroku gritted his teeth. He glanced at the dead man on the floor, blood flowing from his two wounds.

"What do you want with us?" asked Miroku.

"'Us' is the wrong word to use. I have no business with you. I only want Inuyasha, and I'm willing to kill a few extra demons as well," said Akuhei.

"You are from the other side of the well, is that correct? Why do you need to hide your scent from Inuyasha? Unless… have you two met before?"

Akuhei's eyebrows narrowed. "That's also none of your concern. Besides, our relationship has nothing to do with the situation at hand. Now, if you could step back, I have a hanyou to kill."

A large creature pounced from the trees, carrying two women on its back. It was a cat-like animal, with fire around its paws. The creature hissed at Akuhei.

"Down, Kirara!" said the woman in the front. She was dressed in a casual kimono, but she carried a giant boomerang on her back.

"Inuyasha!" said the one in the back. Her top was white while her skirt was red, and she carried a bow and quiver of arrows. She covered her mouth, mortified at the sight of Inuyasha.

"Kagome! Get back!" said Inuyasha. He was kneeling on the floor, threatened at gunpoint by Akuhei.

"Sango! Be careful! This man has a weapon from the other world!" said Miroku.

Kagome's eyes widened when she saw Akuhei. "No way… that's a pistol! Those aren't even invented yet!"

Akuhei gritted his teeth. "Higurashi Kagome. Why did she have to come now," he muttered under his breath.

"This is impossible!" exclaimed Kagome. "The well closed off over a decade ago! How did you get here?"

"There is always a solution for those who deserve it," said Akuhei. He was about to pull the trigger, but Miroku wrestled with his arm, and the shot fired in a random direction. Birds flew out of the trees.

Kagome pointed at Akuhei's waist. "That tube… I feel… the Shikon no Tama!"

Sango drew her boomerang. "What? But the jewel vanished from the world!"

"You cannot possibly imagine what I have been through to find the source of this power!" said Akuhei. He shot Inuyasha again, but no bullets came out. "Damn it!"

"Hirai Kotsu!" Sango shouted as she threw the massive boomerang at Akuhei. The jetpack on his back whirred, and Akuhei took refuge in the sky.

Akuhei fumbled with his belt. "No more bullets. I didn't think that I would use up all of them," he said to himself. "This isn't the end! Soon, I'll find a way to kill you, Inuyasha!"

Sango caught her boomerang. "He's getting away!"

Miroku stopped Sango from throwing the bone again. "It's futile," he said. "The thing on his back probably gives him unimaginable speed." As he said this, Akuhei was long gone, replaced by a mere streak mark in the sky.

"How did Inuyasha get like this?" asked Kagome, who ran to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha pounded the ground. "Damn it! Damn, damn, damn! No!" Tears flowed down his cheeks. "I can't be human forever! I can't!"

"Calm down, Inuyasha," said Miroku. He picked up Tetsaiga. "Until we get the sense of the situation, you're going to endure this state. I'm sure that you can transform again somehow." He handed Inuyasha the sword. "That man said that he sprayed something on himself to mask his scent," he continued. "This could mean that Inuyasha might have already met him before."

"Who can he be?" asked Kagome. "I don't even remember where Inuyasha was back then, when he was in my era. It was so long ago."

"More importantly, you said that you felt the Shikon no Tama?"

Kagome shuddered. "I'm certain of it. It wasn't as complete, but at least parts of the Shikon no Tama was definitely in that cylinder."

"It seems to power his weapon," said Miroku. "That weapon is harmless in every way except one: it erases youki completely. As you can see, Inuyasha lost his power after being hit by the blast."

Inuyasha stood up. "I'm going back to the village. This guy, Akuhei, will definitely be back. And next time, I'm going to take his head."

"In that condition?" asked Sango. "You saw his weapons. You're as vulnerable as the rest of us."

Inuyasha raised Tetsaiga. "We'll just have to try harder, then!"