Inuyasha Regashi chapter 28: Trials
Meimei, Kazuka, Jaken and Shippo ran up the silver floating stairs that seemed to go on forever. Shippo and Jaken were beginning to get tired, despite them being full demons.
"how long is this stairwell?! it goes on forever!" Shippo complained.
"yes! how do we know that we are not stuck in some illusion or something, my lady!?" Jaken said.
"we are on the right track."said Kazuka.
suddenly, the atmosphere around them changed. it became much lighter and the air fresher.
"w-w-whats happening?!" Shippo stuttered.
around them, the atmosphere was a swirl of light and pastel colors. then, little huts formed around them and the ground appeared as golden cobblestones. the huts seemed to be made out of some sort of brown, soft brick-like material, pasted together with a sweet smelling mortar that was decorated with many whimsical colors.
"what is this place? and what smells so good?" Meimei wondered. Shippo, Meimei and even Jaken were entranced by the mesmerizing scent of candy and sweets.
"what are these houses made out of? it smells divine!" Jaken said, his mouth watering. he licked the side of one of the huts and squealed with glee.
"OOOOOOOOHHH IT TASTES AS IT LOOKS! i dont know what this is, but it tastes fantastic!"
"OH MY GOODNESS! LOOK!" Shippo shouted.
they looked forward and saw a gigantic red lollipop that stood as tall as a tree.
"Kagome gives me these all the time! they're delicious!" Shippo prepared to take a bite out of the lollipop until Kazuka yanked him by his tail.
"do not eat anything that is in this place. remember, we are still in the dragon demon's lair, this could be another trap." Kazuka warned.
"awww, but its soooo good!" Shippo whined
"absolutely not. i will not have you getting yourself poisoned over something absurd as sweets." Kazuka said, with her nose stuck in the air.
"ohhhh Kazuuukaaaaaaa..." Meimei called. in her hand was a soft, pink, tender seioubo*. it looked so plump and delicious in her hand. Kazuka's eyes grew wide.
"ummm, where did you get that seioubo from?" Kazuka asked shyly
"i know these are your favorite. and i know you would want one. but since you're gonna be a stick in the mud and all, i guess i can have it all to myself!" Meimei said, preparing to drop the confection into her awaiting mouth. suddenly, Kazuka saw the seioubo turn black and withered as it leaked a deadly miasma.
"KIYOME! DO NOT EAT THAT SEIOUBO!" Kazuka shouted.
"oh quit being a spoiled sport will you? its your own fault you dont want to eat it..." then, Meimei felt a burning on her hands and dropped the seiobo to the ground. the miasma spread to the ground.
"what just happened?!" Meimei said, stepping away.
"see what i told you, you idiots?! everything here is poisoned with miasma! dont consume anything you see here!" Kazuka warned.
"umm too late for Jaken...he ate half of this house..." Shippo exclaimed, pointing to Jaken, who was stuffed and dizzy-eyed.
"ahhhh!so delicious!"
"do you like what i made for you all? i thought you might like it." boomed a voice from above.
"so you finally show yourself, eh?" Kazuka said.
in the middle of the candy village, materialized Jakotsu with a frown on his face.
"I'm seriously pissed that you're all children. and all females from what i can see. fortunately for you, im not that type...if you know what i mean." Jakotsu said with a wink.
"HEY! WHO ARE YOU CALLING A GIRL!?" Shippo shouted angrily.
"AND HOW DARE YOU CALL CALL ME A CHILD!? WHY IM PROBABLY 100 TIMES YOUR AGE, YOU CROSSDRESSING HOOLIGAN!" Jaken chimed.
"well excuse me for having a fabulous sense of fashion. i didn't know that was a crime. but if it is, im soooo guuuiiiiilllllttyyyy!" Jakotsu said in a really frilly voice.
"UGH! this guy gives me the chills! lets get this guy over with, please!" Meimei said.
"oh! are you Inuyasha's kid?! you're the spitting image of your father! although...it leaves much to be desired..." Jakotsu said, looking her up and down.
"why do i have the distinct feeling that he was imagining something very very disturbing...?" Meimei grumbled.
"OKAY! EHOUGH CHITCHAT! LETS GOOO-" Meimei shouted, charging until she was stopped by Kazuka's naginata.
"no. you go on. i can take this thing on. you can switch the atmospheric control stones. you can at least do that much."
"what do you you mean we can do that much!?" Meimei shouted.
"if you fight this...whatever it is, you will get yourself killed." Kazuka said.
"i-i-i think we should do what she says, Meimei, i dont want to be in the same room with this guy" Shippo urged.
"fine, whatever!" Meimei said, running off to the stairwell that appeared once more.
"well then, little girl...i guess its just you and i now." Jakotsu said. "why dont you just hurry up and whine and die already. i have better people to chase after."
Kazuka giggled.
"and what are you laughing at? i know im funny, but that isn't one of my best lines." Jakotsu said.
"oh dont be so full of yourself. im just wondering..." Kazuka said.
"wondering what?" Jakotsu said.
"what exactly do you call yourself?" Kazuka asked.
"oh me? well haven't you heard? Im Jakotsu of the Band of Seven! third in command to lord Bankotsu! I know it was probably before your time, but if you ask anyone about us,you can be sure that you will be scared after you hear of our exploits!" Jakotsu boasted.
"thats not what i meant..." Kazuka said curtly.
"oh?"
" i meant, what are you? you are neither man nor woman. you have the desires of a woman, dress like a woman, but still call yourself a man. who does that?" Kazuka said snided.
"grrr...whats that supposed to mean?!" Jakotsu said, becoming angry
"i mean if you are going to change yourself, be one or the other, dont straddle the fence like an indecisive squirrel who does not know where to bury his nuts."
"grrr...how dare you lecture me! i am what i am! and if we are going on looks alone, look at you! you came to battle in a dress! who in their right mind would come in their best-"
*RRRIIIIIIIPPP*
Kazuka ripped the skirt of her silk brocaded dress from the knees down and threw the excess to the side.
"sorry, i meant to take care of that before, now if you're done whining, can we fight now?" Kazuka said.
"what-?! you little-!? YES!"
they charged at each other with a clash of their weapons and Jakotsu parried Kazuka with an attempt to trip her. Kazuka jumped backwards and smirked.
"wait a minute...! i've seen that arrogant smirk before! you're...you're Sesshomaru's brat aren't you?!" Jakotsu said angrily.
"thats lord Sesshomaru to you, human." Kazuka said.
"i knew i've seen that disgusting smirk before! that arrogant, pretentious bastard! ill be sure to send you to the afterlife!" Jakotsu said. he charged with all of his might toward the small girl, she easily evading him. he tried again and again to strike her, but she proved to be too fast for him.
"alright you little bitch! come out and fight me, unless you're too-"
*insert punch sound effect*
Jakotsu squealed in pain as Kazuka had just delivered a massive blow to his family jewels.
"GAAAAAAAHHHH! YOU LITTLE SON OF A BITCH FUCKER! YOU PUNCHED ME IN MY -"
*punch*
"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL, YOU DID IT AGAIN!?"
*PUNCH*
"STOP IT! STOP IT NOW IM GONNA-"
*punch*
"so which do you want to be now?"
*punch*
"male or female?" Kazuka asked.
*punch*
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AHHHHHHHH!"
"come on, which one do you want to be?" Kazuka urged.
*PUNCH*
"A WOOOMMMAAAANNNN! A WOOMAAAANNN!"
"oh well, if thats the case, i have to get rid of these..." Kazuka said, preparing her sharp claws
"NOOOO! NOOO, PLEASE GOD NOOOO!NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"naaah, i wont do that to you..." Kazuka said, slinging her naginata over her shoulder, leaving Jakotsu to slump to the ground.
"goddamn you, you little-!" Jakotsu said.
"oh quit your whining already." Kazuka said. with a flick of her naginata, Jakotsu was cut in half.
"ugh...i hate the whiny ones." Kazuka said sighing. she looked up toward the stairwell and continued on her journey.
Sesshomaru stood at one of the lower balconies of the castle, ignoring the fierce battle going on around him.
"so, Ryukoushi...you seek to draw me out and face me one on one have you? well, i will make sure that you will die by my hand: for it seems as if my pathetic brother isnt too thorough when it comes to exterminating his enemy." Sesshomaru thought to himself as he walked meditatedly into the darkness inside of the castle. around him, he could see the rotting corpses that were killed by Ryukoushi.
" he killed his vassals and servants to prevent anyone from escaping...Ryukoushi, i didn't think you were the desperate type...but as it seems, you resorted in bringing some worthless humans and that vile thing Naraku back from the dead. are you that intent in making your death as dishonorable as possible?" suddenly, Sesshomaru's vision was clouded by a thick purple smoke.
"heheheh...i pity the fool who takes a whiff of my poisonous smoke , made special by me: Mukotsu!" said the small, bent over figure of the one called Mukotsu.
"not you again." Sesshomaru grunted.
"oh! its you! the one who attacked and killed me for no reason!" cringed Mukotsu. "but luckily for me, i have improved my poisons, that will weaken even you!"
"oh really? i'm trembling with fear." Sesshomaru mocked.
"you should be! i took good time in finding victims that have perished by your poisonous claws and made my own special brew! Here! have a taste!" Mukotsu said, opening an urn and releasing a thick green gas.
"you fool. do you think that i will be easily brought down by my own-!" *cough cough cough* 'what? what is this?! i cant breathe!' Sesshomaru looked around him and saw the bones and much of the wood being dissolved in the thick poison, before even his vision was becoming blurry. and he felt his skin beginning to burn.
'damn this cretin! using my own poison against me? and now my vision is failing me. i must deal with him quickly.'
"hahaha! how do you like it!? its my best work yet! i call it the essence of Mukotsu!" Mukotsu laughed.
"don't celebrate yet, you haven't won..." Sesshomaru said, trying to keep a brave face. Sesshomaru stood up and his eyes were red and his irises were blue. he had reverted to a full demon and was about to transform. he dashed towards the tiny old man and nearly ripped out his throat.
"ohhh! that was a close one! that could have killed me! it looks like the poison has had more of an effect than i thought! considering how it has even melted your calm demeanor!" Mukotsu chuckled.
Sesshomaru growled at the direction in which his voice was coming from.
'damn him. i cant see him, but i can very well smell him and detect his aura.' with that, Sesshomaru stood up and chuckled for a moment.
"w-wh-whats so funny?!"
"i have a riddle for you: how far will a blind dog walk into a forest?"
"not very far, considering you as a prime example!" Mukotsu said. a flash of white appeared before him before he knew it, his windpipe was being crushed.
"wh-what?! but-but you're blinded by my poison!"
"false. the answer is halfway. After he gets halfway, he's walking out of the forest. you see, Mukotsu. while you thought two steps ahead of me, I've already found a way out. you forget the very very important fact: dogs have a keen sense of smell. i will give you credit or playing on that and using a potent poison against me. but another thing that completely slipped your mind is the fact that i am also a demon that can sense energy. and i'm not going to even count the fact that i can hear your annoying voice. so as you can see Mukotsu, even if you blinded and deafened me and even make smelling you difficult, i can always sense you with my mind. and the only way you can get rid of that is by killing me. but you cant do that, can you?"
"grr! damn you! if I'm going to die, I'm taking you with me!" Mukotsu splashed Sesshomaru's face with the poison from his urn. Sesshomaru growled and stepped back, holding his eyes.
"you will not live to regret that!" Sesshomaru barked. he charged with lightning speed and ripped his throat clean off of his body and head. he cast the throat aside and watched as his victim bled out and attempted to speak. he mouthed, "i'm still one step ahead of you..!"
"having trouble speaking, are you?" Sesshomaru said. Sesshomaru stepped on his head and smirked.
"too bad."
he walked away into the castle and continued on his journey.
*Shippo, Sango and Miroku climbed aimlessly up the silver stairwell in deep darkness. the only thing lighting their way was *Shippo's fox fire. they were beginning to get tired and wondered when the stairs would end.
"i hope we are not caught in some illusion where we will never reach the end of this stairwell!" Miroku said, panting heavily.
"don't worry guys, that is just what it is, an illusion. i sense a whole lot of youkai magic in this place. just keep going, i sense that we are getting somewhere." *Shippo said.
"hey Shippo, you seem to have gotten a lot stronger now, what have you been doing these past few years?" Sango asked.
"oh nothing much. just rigorous training and practicing of my kitsune magic. in these latter years i've been trying to rely less on my kitsune magic and more on my raw strength. you see, one day i hope to become the greatest kitsune that ever lived, become a ninja even. because looking back now on my past self, i don't ever want to cower in the face of danger like i did as a kid. i want to face my battles head on, even if they are a lot stronger than me. Inuyasha has become my prime example of how hard work and determination will pay off in the end."
"wow, Shippo! thats impressive! you have really made something of yourself! i bet you're having good luck with the ladies as well, eh?" Miroku said, nudging him suggestively.
"i pretty much tried as hard as i could not to follow in your footsteps, Miroku." Shippo said.
"aww, whats wrong with my methods? i tell them what they want to hear, they sleep with me, they bear my children, everybody wins!" Miroku said emphatically. a heavy but swift bonk on the head with Sango's hiraikotsu brought him to silence.
"thanks Sango." Shippo thanked.
suddenly, above them, appeared an iron door with the imprint of a dragon on it.
"so this is the end of the road for this one, eh?" Shippo said. he prepared to open the door before Miroku stopped him.
"hold on a minute, Shippo. we cant risk in taking everything we see here at face value. be cautious when opening that door."
"don't worry about that, ill check." Shippo said, disappearing into the door. a moment later he reappeared and said, "it looks fine to me, but still we should be careful." Shippo warned.
"okay then. open the door." Sango said.
they opened the door to reveal a blank room.
"well, this was not what i expected..." Sango said.
"it seems like we are in an alternate dimension of some sort...its as if this reality is attempting to recreate what happens when one's mind is totally clear when meditating."
the room started to darken and then take shape into what became some sort of dungeon. the air became cold and stale as they were surrounded by metal chains.
"or not..." Miroku sighed.
"are we in a cellar or something?" Sango said.
"well wherever we are, i dont like it." Shippo said.
"well, i guess the only way to go is forward!" Miroku said cheerfully. he stepped forward and onto a brick that sank into the ground.
"uhh Miroku..." Sango began.
with a sudden 'whoosh', a spear nearly impaled Miroku.
"OH DEAR BUDDHA!" he jumped onto Sango who held him bridal style in his arms.
"seriously, you can get down now."
"that was way too close. is this whole room laid with traps?" Miroku asked.
"it appears so. we are going to have to proceed with as much caution as possible." Sango said.
"i dont think we'll get the chance! look!" Shippo exclaimed.
the walls were closing in on them in every direction, and even metal spikes were pushing out of the walls.
"oh no! we'll be smashed and impaled between the metal spikes!what do we do!? how are we going to get out!?" Sango exclaimed in fear.
there you go you guys. i promised that i would give you guys something during thanksgiving break. so here it is. i thought this chapter was decent. sorry that it was too easy for poor Sesshomaru. until next time!
PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!
*seioubo: a traditional japanese sweet that is shaped like a peach.