Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or Yashahime.
Chapter 5: Target
It was mid afternoon as Towa, Moroha and Kazuki traveled down the road to another village nearby Kagome's. For the last two hours Moroha had been following the scent she had gotten off Suzuki's phone. Kagome had chosen to remain behind in the village in the off-chance Inuyasha might return early from his little business trip with the demon slayers. The journey to the other village had been fairly uneventful. The trio had passed a few other travelers on the road going the other way, and while these travelers found the way Towa and Kazuki were dressed to be a little strange, they paid them little attention.
"Moroha, are you sure we're going the right way?" Towa asked.
"Trust me. This nose of mine is never wrong," Moroha confidently declared. "I've tracked down plenty of bounties by scent alone."
"You know Towa, you could probably track down Suzumi by her scent as well," Kazuki quietly remarked. "You always did have a pretty keen sense of smell, and now we know why."
Towa nodded. "Guess that's just one other ability of mine I don't have to hide in this world."
"You know, last night Moroha mentioned to me how she and your uncle have had a hard time in this world because of how they're part demon. Now that I think about it, they probably wouldn't have had it any easier in our era."
Towa looked up towards the sky. "Makes me wonder a little if there's really any place I truly do belong."
At long last the village the trio had been heading for had come into view. It was a fairly large and prosperous village compared to the one where Kagome and Moroha lived. The sides of the road were lined with little shops, and they even had what looked like a bar or an inn at the end of the main street.
Moroha stopped at the village's edge and placed her hands on her hips. "Your friend's scent is all over this place. It's like she's been everywhere."
"How could that be?" Towa asked.
Kazuki put a hand to his chin. "Given how long Suzumi's been here, it could be she's been looking for something…or someone. In fact this could be the whole reason she came back to this time period other than trying to escape those soldiers."
Towa frowned. "She could be long gone by now though."
"Not necessarily. She could still be laying low here while she figures out her next move. Anyway, we may as well search since we came all this way."
Just as Towa was about to respond, she saw Suzumi coming out of the large inn or tavern at the end of the street. She was still wearing her school uniform and carrying her bag.
"There she is!" Towa called out as she pointed towards the end of the street.
Suzumi clearly heard her though because she immediately bolted off to the left. Towa and Moroha instantly began to give chase as Kazuki called after them. Unlike in the modern era where she had to hide her above average abilities, Towa didn't have to hold back her speed. In a matter of seconds she was right behind Suzumi. Moroha was easily keeping pace with her. In an act of desperation, Towa leapt at Suzumi and tackled her to the ground.
"Get off me!" Suzumi ordered.
"No way! Not until you tell us why you're running and what the hell's going on!" Towa told her.
In a few moments Kazuki caught up to Towa and Moroha. Kazuki stood for several moments gasping for breath.
"You okay Kazuki?" Moroha asked.
"You two…superhuman speed," Kazuki responded between pants. "Me…could barely climb rope…at gym class. Major struggle…keeping up."
"Talk Suzumi! Just who are you?" Towa asked. "What were those things that came after us?"
"I don't have time!" Suzumi told her. "I need to find someone before those soldiers find me again!"
Suddenly there was a scream and as one of the houses caught on fire. Everyone looked and saw four of the cyber oni soldiers advancing on them. Towa immediately got to her feet and reached for the handle of her broken sword. Meanwhile Kazuki recovered hid behind Moroha.
"Looks like they've already found you Yoshina-chan," Kazuki observed.
"Hold on guys," Moroha told them as she got her bow and pulled an arrow from her quiver. "I've got this."
Moroha pulled back the string of her bow. At first she pointed her arrow at the soldiers but then pointed it up towards the sky.
"Heavenly Arrow Barrage!" Moroha called out as she fired her arrow.
As the arrow arced through the air and came down towards the soldiers, it suddenly split into multiple arrows. Each of the arrows struck the soldiers, flashing at they impaled them in their arms, torsos and heads. All four soldiers dropped to the ground, the masks they had on falling away as the flesh beneath them dissolved away in an instant.
"That…was one of the most awesome things I've ever seen," Kazuki declared as he looked on in awe.
"How troublesome," a voice spoke. Towa and the others looked and saw Saionji standing with the other four soldiers he had brought with. For some reason Towa found the effeminate-looking man's face familiar. "A priestess has gotten involved. But what's this? I smell a feint whiff of demon from her."
"And who the hell are you?" Moroha asked.
"I am Saionji of the Nine Tales," the man responded.
Suzumi gasped. "Towa, you have to run! I'm sorry I got you involved in all this, but if you don't flee now he'll kill you! That monster is one of the worst of the worst!"
"Not a chance!" Towa declared as she drew her broken sword. In an instant a blue energy blade emanated from the handle.
Saionji raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Someone else with a demonic aura. But you're only a half demon, aren't you. More demon than that priestess or whatever she is, but still. In fact…wait a moment. You couldn't be…"
Just then a young village woman who had been hiding behind a nearby hut when the soldiers arrived attempted to flee. Saionji noticed her and opened his mouth, spewing out several strings of a puss-colored silk. The threads ensnared the woman and in a matter of seconds she became encased in a cocoon. The sight caused an image to flash in Towa's mind. She saw the same thing happening to a beautiful young woman with dark hair as a fire raged around her.
"Something for me to play with later," Saionji remarked before turning his attention back to Towa. "Anyway little girl, I'm willing to forget your involvement in all this if you'll just hand over the girl behind you."
"Not a chance!" Towa declared as she bared her sword at him.
Saionji began to laugh. "Oh how amusing fate can be! Once again the very same scene from twelve years ago is playing out before my very eyes!"
"What're you talking about?"
"Of course you probably wouldn't remember. But right now is exactly like what happened the last time I went after little Suzumi! Just like back then you were standing in front of the girl and little Setsuna in a feeble attempt to protect them as I ensnared your mortal mother."
Just then the same image Towa recalled earlier flashed before her before, only this time with more clarity. She remembered her family's house burning around her as she stood in front of Setsuna and another girl, trying to protect them as she watched a monster…as she watched Saionji encase her young mother, Rin in a cocoon.
"You…you're the reason I got separated from Setsuna?" Towa asked, her grip tightening on her sword.
"In truth, we didn't care about you or your mongrel sister," Saionji responded. "If I had my way I would've killed you both right there and escorted little Suzumi back personally, but some overzealous soldier decided to try beaming all three of you to my time. I don't know what happened in the time stream that caused you to be separated, and frankly I don't care. In the end none of what happened mattered because some meddling spy for the resistance managed to grab little Suzumi before she could be brought to the empress."
"And Setsuna…what did you do with her?"
"I don't see why I need to tell you. Especially since you're about to die anyway."
Towa's anger began to boil over. Her eyes became filled with demonic fury and the the energy composing her sword's blade intensified.
"You…you BASTARD!" Towa shouted as she swung her blade.
With her swing, a roaring serpentine dragon made of blue light emerged from her sword and flew at Saionji. Saionji jumped back at the last second and the dragon struck one of his four remaining soldiers. The soldier was cut right down the middle and his two halves exploded. Saionji ordered the other soldiers to attack. The soldiers drew swords of their own and charged in. In a berserk rage Towa charged at the soldiers, her eyes fixed completely on Saionji. Towa cut one of the oncoming soldiers in half with her sword and charged straight for her target. Stunned, Saionji found he had no choice but to draw his own sword.
Meanwhile Kazuki drew the blaster he had taken and began firing wildly at the oncoming troops. Not a single shot hit any of his intended targets.
"Okay. I suck as a marksman," Kazuki declared as he put away the blaster.
"Let me handle this!" Moroha declared as she drew her sword and raised it in the air. "Crimson Dragon Wave!"
A red dragon flew from Moroha's sword and cut another of the soldiers in half. The two remaining soldiers stopped their charge and looked at one another. The sheathed their weapons and pressed some sort of devices on their wrists resembling watches. A second later they both vanished with flashes of red light.
"Guess these guys are smart enough to know when they're beat," Moroha observed as she sheathed her sword.
Suzumi meanwhile finally got to her feet. "Whoever you are, you need to help Towa! She's up against one of the most dangerous demons from my time."
"And just what time period are you from?" Kazuki asked as he adjusted his glasses. "I'd say it's far past time you gave us some answers."
"Now isn't the time! If you don't help Towa, she'll be killed!"
Moroha looked on at the sight of Towa crossing blades with Saionji and put her hands behind her head. "I dunno. Towa seems to be handling herself pretty well."
Saionji was in fact struggling to parry each of Towa's strikes as the tomboyish half-demon forced him back. On his face was a look of complete and utter shock.
"Tell me what happened to Setsuna!" Towa demanded.
"I don't have to tell a half-breed like you anything!" Saionji declared as he swung his blade towards the top of Towa's head.
Towa twisted her body out of the way and dodged the attack. She then swung her sword at Saionji's chest. Saionji jumped back far enough to avoid a fatal blow but still received a large gash through his sleeveless coat and the armor covering his chest.
Saionji dropped his sword and clenched his teeth. "You…filthy little mongrel! I WILL MAKE YOU PAY!"
Suddenly Saionji's body began to swell and change. His eyes turned completely red and grey fur sprouted all over his face. A second later his clothes and armor ripped off his body and a pair of black moth wings had sprouted from his back. When Saionji's transformation had finished, he had become a large hovering insect-like beast with a body covered in shaggy dark-grey fur. He had no legs and only a pair of blade-like arms. His head had gained two red insect-like eyes, large green feelers, and a jaw like a pair of mandibles. Upon seeing her opponent in this transformed state, Towa forgot her rage.
"I'll soak the ground with your blood!" Saionji roared as a gust of wind emanated from his wings.
Towa raised her blade to fight back but then stopped. She could sense something coming, some sort of energy. Then out of the corner of her eye she saw three waves of yellow light rushing towards her and Saionji. Saionji didn't notice the lights at all however. Towa quickly jumped back out of the way, and a second later the lights enveloped Saionji, cutting the moth to ribbons. When the lights faded there wasn't a trace left of the demon, only three deep gouges in the earth like claw marks. With Saionji dead, the cocoon he had created earlier dissolved and the woman encased inside dropped to the ground unconscious.
Towa looked in the direction from where the mysterious attack came from and immediately found its source. Standing a few feet away was a young-looking man dressed completely in red. He had long silver-white hair and a pair of pointed white dog ears on his head. His eyes were a golden yellow, and resting on his shoulder was the blade of the sword she was holding, which looked like a giant fang.
"Hi Dad!" Moroha called with a wave.
The silver-haired man looked in Moroha's direction. This left no doubt in Towa's mind she was looking at her uncle, Inuyasha.
Inuyasha walked towards Moroha as he sheathed his sword, the blade of which glowed as the giant blade went into the scabbard at his waist.
"You okay Moroha?" Inuyasha asked.
"Sure. Just helping my long-lost cousin and her friends," Moroha responded. "How'd it go with the demon slayers?"
"Feh! The whole thing was a big waist of time! It was just some wimpy crab demon. I dunno why Kohaku thought he needed my help. If you ask me, he needs to train his men better." He then noticed Kazuki's presence. "Who's this kid?"
Moroha grinned as she put an arm around Kazuki and pulled him close. "This is my new buddy, Kazuki."
"Uh, it's nice to meet you, sir," Kazuki responded.
Inuyasha gave Kazuki a murderous glare that made his blood run ice-cold. "I see. And just how friendly are you with my little girl?"
"Oh…well, we really only just met yesterday," Kazuki answered as cold sweat covered his forehead.
"Oh c'mon Kazu, we're already pretty close," Moroha declared. "I even spent last night at your house!"
Inuyasha lifted his right hand to display his claws, which Kazuki noticed were very sharp. "Is that a fact? Looks like you and I need to have a little talk."
"Sit, boy!" Kagome's voice called out over the air.
Suddenly the necklace of purple beads around Inuyasha's neck shimmered and he was pulled to the ground by some sort of invisible force. By this time Kagome was storming over.
"What the hell just happened?" Kazuki asked.
"Oh, you saw the necklace my dad has on, right? Those are the Beads of Subjugation," Moroha explained. "Apparently my mom had to put them on my dad when they first met for some reason. Now whenever she says the right word, those beads pull my dad to the ground. My mom only uses them when my dad does something stupid though…which actually happens a lot."
"What was that for?" Inuyasha protested.
"Kazuki's a very nice young man!" Kagome told him. "There's no reason for you to tear him limb from limb!"
"But you heard him, right? He had Moroha staying at his place last night!"
"It was Moroha's idea! She insisted on staying at his place until he came back with her to this era, which is what a certain someone did to me all during junior high!"
"Okay, well…how do we know something didn't happen between them last night? For all we know this little piece of scum tried putting the moves on her!"
"What're you guys talking about?" Moroha asked.
"Nothing happened at all sir! I swear!" Kazuki insisted. "All last night Moroha stayed in the guest room, which was all the way on the ground floor underneath my room! She was down there by 11:00 and I didn't see her at all until the next morning."
"You had better be telling the truth, punk. Otherwise we're gonna have some real problems," Inuyasha warned. "In the meantime, I'm watching you."
"Um, excuse me," Towa interrupted. The others finally noticed her standing nearby. "Thanks for the save earlier."
Inuyasha at last forgot about murdering Kazuki and came over to Towa. She began to sniff his niece all over just as Moroha had done the day before.
"Guess this is just a family greeting I'll have to get used to?" Towa remarked.
At last Inuyasha pulled away. "You're definitely one of Sesshomaru's kids, no question. Kagome told me about you on the way over. So, you really don't remember how you ended up in Kagome's time?"
Towa shook her head. "No, but…the demon you just killed had something to do with it. He and his soldiers apparently attacked the house where my family and I lived. I now remember him attacking my mom as our house burned around us. He was wrapping her up in a cocoon."
"Inuyasha, do you think Rin and Sesshomaru might be…?" Kagome began.
"Please! As if Sesshomaru could be killed by some third-rate moth demon," Inuyasha responded.
Before the conversation could go further, Suzumi stepped forward. "Excuse me, but are you really the legendary Inuyasha?"
Inuyasha looked indifferently at Suzumi. "I don't know about the legendary part, but yeah. What do you want, kid?"
Suzumi suddenly got down on her knees and bowed before Inuyasha. "My name is Suzumi Yoshina! I come from the year 5000 A.D. I came to this time to seek your help. I beg of you! Please save my world!"
Please review and let me know what you think.