(A Long Awaited Rematch)
"When the ten Fangs of Ryuhogo reunite after thousands of years, the Dragon Guardian shall at last fulfill his destiny and rid this world of the Jewel that has caused so much suffering, and begin a new era for all."
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The walls within the sixth temple were dark and damp, only a single dim light keeping them from being completely submerged in darkness.
'I can sense it, a new power this way…' Shin continued down the halls of dark halls of the temple, with Kuroga slowly following behind him, his mind drifting 'There are times in your life when you have to draw on everything in your arsenal, whether it be physical strength, a particular skill you possess, or the knowledge at your disposal. In moments such as these, you will have to reach down into the deepest part of yourself, when you know that you have to give absolutely everything you have, because if you give any less, then you're destined for failure, and perhaps even a gruesome demise as well/ It's in the moments such as these, that you're given the opportunity to discover who you truly are. That is, assuming that you live long enough to figure it out.' his musings were cut short when he glanced back and noticed Kuroga lagging behind him a short distance "You're deliberately trying to slow us down again aren't you?"
"Oh, so you noticed." Kuroga commented dryly "Your powers of perception continues to astound me to no end."
"Spare me the sarcasm and start looking around, the trigger that opens the chamber with the Fang has to be around here somewhere."
"Shocking as this might be, it's not like I particularly dream for the day where you find all ten sets of Fangs and conquer the world like a so-called messiah."
"Now I'm beginning to understand where your youngest son gets his attitude from. Here I had thought it would be his mother."
"I have nothing on what she possessed."
"I believe you, but keep in mind what I said. I'll return you to your home only after you help me with my goals. Now enough wasting time, the sixth Fangs lie beyond the wall in front of us. Now step aside." he motioned for Kuroga to step aside, and then subsequently unleashed a short burst of demonic energy, revealing the hidden room lying on the other side of the wall "You'll be going in first, just in case there are any traps lying inside."
"If there are supposed to be traps in there, then how come the one with the magic dragon fangs isn't going in first?" Kuroga received no response, and so he let out a sigh and just walked into the room, only to end up stepping on a trigger mechanism in the floor, causing a rapid barrage of metal blades to shoot out of the wall and hurtle towards him "Well shit."
"Get down!" Shin suddenly blitzed in front of him and used his katana to rip through all of the metal blades with ease, leaving them to clatter harmlessly to the ground "Evidently it seems that my suspicions were correct."
"Yeah, that was really noble on your part. Word to the wise, maybe next time the one wearing the magic dragon fangs around his neck should take the lead."
"Duly noted, but that's something to note for later." Shin stepped forward towards the pedestal at the front of the room, where two large snake-like figures sat atop it encased in large figures "For the time being however, bear witness to the greatness that lies before your eyes, for we've finally found it. The guardians of the sixth set of Fangs."
"Which in itself raises a number of concerns. The island natives referred to these things as the Lost Serpents that made even the likes of Cleopatra freeze in terror, and you really think it's a good idea to wake it up and try to fight it?"
"The island natives also believed that I was Jesus and that you were the Holy Spirit. In any case that doesn't matter now, I only need to defeat one of them in order to claim one of the Fangs they possess." Shin's body began surging with demonic energy as he stepped forward.
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The sun was just beginning to rise over the skies above Feudal Japan.
'Okay, time to do a headcount.' Tatsu picked himself up and tied the blast belt around his blue martial arts gi, his katana strapped onto his back and he glanced around at the others 'Miroku, still asleep supposedly, his hand unconsciously inching towards Sango's ass. Check. Sango unconsciously inching her hands towards Hiraikotsu to bash his skull in when his hand reaches her. Check. Then there's Inuyasha brooding against that tree over there, that's a check, and now Kagome should still be asleep in her bag cuddling Shippo like he's a teddy bear. Now's probably the best time to-'
"You're really just leaving without saying anything?"
'Nevermind.' Tatsu glanced back to see Kagome rising from her sleeping bag, crading Shippo's sleeping form in her arms "I figured you'd still be asleep like the others."
"I was, but it turns out then when you spend most of your time in another era where demons can come at you at any time." Kagome gave a shrug as she set Shippo down in her sleeping bag, then glanced back over at Tatsu "So where are you really going?"
"Nowhere too big, I was just about out and do my morning workout. I figured I'd go ahead and get it done before the others get up and before a lot of people start moving around and doing their thing."
"Nobody can say you don't stick to something when you put your mind to it. Go ahead and do what you have to do out there." Kagome promptly wrapped her arms around him "Just promise me you'll be careful okay? I think there are a lot of demons out there that probably want your head on a platter."
"Yep, there probably are. But then again, nothing's killed me yet, so I doubt you have anything to worry about right now." he gave her a grin and wrapped his arms around her "So I'm thinking I'll be done in about an hour and just meet you guys back here?"
"Actually I was thinking that I'd convince the others to head over and visit Jinenji and his mother at their herbal garden. Why don't you just meet us there when you're done?"
"Sounds good to me. I'll see ya later Kags." Tatsu gave her a quick kiss on the lips, then promptly took off in the direction of the rising sun.
'Just take care of yourself Tatsu…' Kagome breathed a sigh as she watched him leave, then sat down on top of her sleeping bag 'I know why you're training so hard and so often, even in the middle of this whole journey of ours. It's barely been a full week since the battle with Shin at that temple Mount Everest, and I can tell that despite everything, he's still pretty shaken up about what happened. He never really mentioned it to me, but after awhile it became pretty clear that this sort of thing is just how he copes with stressful situations. Training is just how he lets out that stress and rage. But even besides that, Shin is still out there, so he knows that when we face him again, and we will, we're gonna have to be ready. And that means I'm gonna have to train hard too, so that I can keep my promise to you.' so on that note, she stood up and grabbed her sword, then moved a short distance away from the rest of the group and began doing katas of her own.
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Meanwhile, with the main protagonist…
By this point, Tatsu was sprinting across the grassy landscapes of Feudal Japan, though he slowed his pace slightly when a certain sensation became noticeable to him 'On one hand, it's times like this I'm really glad I've got Ki sensing going for me. On the other hand, this means my morning workout is getting interrupted by someone or something that probably wants to put my head on a pike. Again.' so he stopped in his tracks in the middle of a grassy landscape and drew his sword from its sheath on his back, only to turn around and find several demons standing in front of him "You know I usually don't want to settle things with violence if I don't actually have to, but part of me also really wants to punch you guys and whatever friends might be hiding around here."
"Be silent you insolent wretch!" one random centipede demon let out a snarl "We know all too well who you are, the human wielding the powers of a demon, who travels with a priestess that carries shards of the Shikon Jewel!"
"Yeah that's right, what's your point?"
"So all we have to do is kill you and your other human companions, then that priestess and all of the jewel shards she has will be ours to claim for ourselves!"
"...Okay then, punching you guys it is. And tell your buddies they can come out of their holes now. Seriously, I could sense them the entire time." Tatsu glanced around to see several more demons emerge from within the dense forest area nearby, all of them having either their claws or various weapons barred "So that's how we're gonna do this. Alright then guys, go ahead and come at me."
"Die human scum!" a large group of demons burst forth from the pack and charged at Tatsu in a rage.
"Sea Dragon's ROAR!" Tatsu waved his hand and unleashed an enormous water dragon that ripped through the demons with ease, as well as several of the ones behind them, starting the battle.
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Meanwhile, with another party…
'There's no sign of Naraku's presence…' at the same time, Sesshomaru and the rest of his group were making their way through another forest, the former casting various subtle glances around the area as he did so 'And he's yet to dispatch any of his Saimyosho or incarnations, or lure me into any of his traps. Either he has a new strategy he wishes to employ that will take time for him to prepare, or he's focusing all of his efforts on his recovery following the previous battle at his castle. Once that happens, he will undoubtedly set a trap, or come to me himself if he holds enough confidence in his power to face me in person.' it was then that a low growling noise drew his attention.
As it turns out, Rin was clutching her stomach from where she was riding on Ah-Un's back "If I may, Lord Sesshomaru…"
"You wish to go and gather some food?"
"Yes my lord."
"Be silent child!" Jaken started squawking at her in his typical annoying fashion "A forest like this is no place for a foolish human like you, so you'll just have to wait for now."
"Yes, but…"
"I don't want to hear any more complaining out of you, so keep your mouth shut for once and just-" and then he looked back to see her running off into the forest "What the-"
"I promise I won't take long!"
"Oh that stupid little brat, Rin you get back here right now before-"
"Jaken." came the sharp reply from Sesshomaru "Let her do what she must. She needs to learn how to fend for herself."
"But… as you wish milord." Jaken hung his head in resignation 'I don't believe this, why does he continue to indulge her?'
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Meanwhile, with the main protagonist…
'Okay, so there was more of them than I was expecting there to be.' Tatsu breathed a sigh as he leapt over the wreckage of a tall tree, and he looked down to see the front of his gi covered in a fair amount of blood, which he promptly got off with a simple wave of his hand 'It's times like these where the water manipulation powers really come in handy. Thank Ryuhogo himself that wasn't my blood. So what now, should I call it quits and head over to meet up with Kagome and the others?'
"Human filth!" this was when several more demons showed up on the scene "Prepare to be devoured!"
'...And just like that my mind has been made up for me. I guess I'm gonna end up having to do this for awhile.'
"Prepare to die!" the demons charged at him.
"Okay then, I guess we're doing this now." Tatsu tightened his grip on his sword as the blade began surging with electricity "Demon Slayer, eat your heart out. Thunder Breathing: First Form: Thunderclap FLASH!" with a powerful burst of electricity, he blitzed forward at a blinding level of speed and ripped through the demons faster than they were able to react, and when it was over they had all evaporated in flash 'I might have gone through hell to get the fifth Fang, but the benefits are so worth it. Alright, who wants to go next? Come on, I know you're out there. I've kind of got a feeling about these things, I can sense other beings nearby when I can't see or hear them. Anyway come out and show yourselves!" he received his answer in the form of several more demons gathering in the area around him 'Yeah, part of me thinks that I should've seen that coming. Now it feels like this is turning into a running gag. Alright then, let's get this over with." so he covered his body in a set of metal dragon scales and charged back into the fray.
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Meanwhile, with the main group…
"Oh come on, you've gotta be kidding me." Kagome let out a groan and shot an annoyed glare over at Inuyasha "Why the heck did you eat all of the chips?"
"Get off my back already, I told you that I was hungry." Inuyasha grumbled.
"I know, you spent an hour complaining about it while I was trying to bathe down by the river, you never say anything down there by the way, and then I made you ramen."
"Yeah I know, and I was still hungry."
"That were the last bag of chips, and who knows when I'm gonna get the chance to get more of them."
"So what, it's just one bag of the stuff, you don't have to get so fucking worked up. Besides, you have more of the ninja food in that weird bag of yours."
"That's not the point Inuyasha, I wanted to give the bag to Jinenji as a gift. Besides, you never even liked this kind of chips."
"Hey it's not like it's my fault, I took one piece of the stuff and I couldn't stop."
"Again that's not the point, I need to have something to bring as a gift for Jinenji and his mother when we get there. Now what am I supposed to give them?"
"If I may." this was when Miroku spoke up from where he and the others were in the middle of packing up their campsite "Who exactly is this Jinenji person you keep speaking of?"
"Don't you remember? After that one battle with Naraku at his castle, Sango and Kilala were both bedridden because of Naraku's poison. Tatsu was meditating and trying to master another one of his powers from the Fangs, and you and Shippo were looking after Sango, so Inuyasha and I went off to find some medicine. Then we came across Jinenji and his mother's herbal garden."
"Oh right, I remember that…" Sango's face fell slightly at the memories "And I remember how we ended up there in the first place, because of my actions." she was suddenly pulled into a tight hug by Kagome.
"Hey come on, we all make mistakes, so let's just learn from them. We're all together, healthy and alive, and that's all that matters." Kagome gave her a warm smile as she released Sango from the hug, then turned back to the others "Anyway Jinenji's village isn't too far from here, so I thought it would be nice if we stopped by and paid him a little visit, maybe give him and his mother a little present to thank him for the way he helped us. But then someone had to go and eat it."
"Quit going on about that!" Inuyasha barked at her.
"Alright fine, I'm just saying."
"Hey isn't Jinenji a half demon too?" asked Shippo from his place on Kagome's shoulder.
"Yeah but he's not like a lot of other demons, or a lot of humans for that matter. He's really kind and sweet, sort of like a gentle giant."
"Yeah well there's no food or anything for him, so let's just skip it and go." Inuyasha grumbled, his tone about as sour as it ever was "We don't have time to screw around and be all buddy buddy with everyone we come across."
"Fine, then let me put this another way. We can't rely on my healing powers all the time, so if there is another way for us to treat Naraku's poison then we should take the chance to stop up on it while we can."
"That does make sense." Sango gave a nod of agreement "Plus I want to take the chance to thank him for the way he helped me and Kilala."
"Exactly. So anyway we should get going, we do have a little ways to get to there. Inuayasha can go ahead and do whatever he likes."
"Oh yeah, really showing off that pure heart of yours." Inuyasha's tone was laced with sarcasm and a small hint of bitterness "How the hell Tatsu puts up with you is beyond me."
"Maybe because Tatsu has a little something called patience, you might wanna give that a try for yourself one of these days."
"Speaking of which, where is Tatsu right now?" asked Sango "I don't think I've seen him all morning."
"Oh he's off doing his morning training session, he left pretty early this morning. I just told him to meet us at Jinenji's farm when he's done."
"Let's just hope that he doesn't take too long." Miroku frowned as he cast an uneasy glance out at the landscape "I'm sensing a large number of smaller demonic auras in these lands. A lot more of them have been appearing since Naraku disappeared."
"Yeah I know, I noticed it too. It does have me a little bit worried." Kagome let out a sigh, but then she gave a smile "But you know Tatsu and his training, nothing stops him. He's gonna come back just fine, there isn't a single doubt in my mind about that."
"Very well said Kagome, I wholeheartedly agree. Shall we be on our way then?"
"Works for me." and so the group went on their way, though as they did, Kagome cast a small worried glance out into the distance 'I know if there's anyone that can take care of themselves in a place like this, it would be Tatsu, but I can't stop myself from worrying.'
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Meanwhile, with the main protagonist…
"Okay, so how many rounds is this now?" Tatsu stood amidst the mutilated corpses of several large demons, only to see several more surround him "Oh the hell with it, let's just get to this already. Iron Spear Storm!" and so he charged into the fray with metal scales covering his body and subsequently began firing a series of large metal spears in multiple directions, skewering numerous demons in a matter of seconds and leaving their corpses to litter the ground around him, to which he breathed a small sigh of relief as he retracted his metal dragon scales and placed his sword back in its sheath 'Okay, I think that's all of them. I think I'd better head over to that herb garden and meet up with Kagome and the others, this whole thing already took longer than I was expecting.' he was about to take off, only for a loud scream to end up attracting his attention 'Or my conscience can take over and drive me to go and figure out what the hell is going on over there. It's times like this I can't help but wonder what my life would be life if I was one of those people that ran away from the screaming instead of towards it. I mean it's not like I want to be that kind of person, but the thoughts are there to entertain.' and so he took off toward the forest in the direction of the scream.
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Now to backtrack a little bit, to find the source of the scream…
"Now let's see here, where can I find… Oh there they are, and they're edible too." Rin made her way through the forest in search of some food, which quickly came to a head as she came across a small patch of mushrooms, only to turn around as a noise drew her attention, which led to her being grabbed by a giant demon claw that had risen out of the ground, leaving her screaming in terror, until…
"Thunder Breathing: First Form: Thunderclap FLASH!" in a burst of electricity, Tatsu had blitzed onto the scene with his sword drawn and cut down the demon arm in a single stroke, and then with a wave of his hand he enveloped Rin in a sphere of solidified water that allowed him to slowly lower her to the ground "Hey."
"Oh, hi." Rin gave him a bright smile as the water sphere dissolved around her "Thank you for saving me."
"Don't worry about it, I'm pretty sure you would've been saved regardless, especially given who you're travelling with. And here he comes now."
Sure enough, this was when Sesshomaru blitzed onto the scene in a flash, Tokijin in hand, and his gaze hardened as he saw the demon arm dissolve to reveal its true appearance in the form of dozens of Naraku's poison insects "The Saimyosho again."
"Oh, so that's what those things are called. How do you know that?"
"I've had… interactions with Naraku in the past. That abomination chose to leave behind some rather irritating vermin in an attempt to distract me." he tightened his grip on Tokijin as the Saimyosho reformed the giant demon claw "Knowing these insects, there should be a hive that is located not far from here."
"And you want me to go and deal with it?"
"I never asked for your assistance."
"Fair enough, though there is a pretty decent chance I'm just gonna go and torch their hive either way. Plus think of it this way, me destroying their hive while you're dealing with them means that we get it done faster and have more time for something that the two of us would actually want to do."
"Hm. Do as you will then."
"Good enough for me." and so Tatsu took off running into the forest.
"Insolent pests, I grow tired of you already." Sesshomaru bisected the demon claw with a single stroke of his sword, only for them to once again dissolve into dozens of Saimyosho, and then fly off into the forest 'They must be retreating towards their hive, which means following them will likely lead to it. Does the one with the Fangs know of this?'
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Meanwhile, with the main protagonist…
'Okay, I think I sensed something coming from this direction.' Tatsu looked around a small remote area of the forest, though he quickly frowned at his lack of findings 'Now I'm thinking that it would've been a good idea to ask him what the hive looked like. I really have to work on my foresight skills.' it was then that a buzzing sound drew his attention, and he looked up to find a hive attached to the trunk of a nearby tree 'Then again, powers of observation can be pretty effective too. One quick blast of fire oughta be enough to do it' and then he looked back to see the swarm of Saimyosho hurtling towards him at full speed 'Or multiple fire blasts if I wanna get all of those things. Salamander's BREATH!" he stuck out one hand and unleashed a stream of flames that engulfed the Saimyosho and incinerated them in a matter of seconds, only for another swarm to appear only seconds after the first 'Well so much for finishing them off in a single shot, but then again that would've been boring. On the plus side, I get to further test how much my powers have improved. Fire Dragon ROAR!" he breathed out an enormous stream of flames that incinerated that group of Saimyosho as well, only to see another group emerge from the hive on the tree, so he whipped around and unleashed another stream of flames that incinerated them and the hive in one fell swoop, as well as a few of the surrounding trees 'Huh… That might have been a little bit overkill, but it got the job done.'
"It seems that you had little difficulty in disposing of those vermin."
Tatsu glanced over to see Sesshomaru emerging from the forest, with Rin and Jaken trailing close behind him "The only thing they really have going for them is numbers, and that doesn't really matter as long as you know how to deal with that. And now I'm realizing that I probably should've seen if I could use one of them to try and lead back to Naraku. Dammit."
"It matters little. I have already acquired the information that I need in order to locate Naraku's whereabouts."
"Of course you did. How did you pull that off?"
"It was actually a lot of fun." Rin stepped up and gave a bright smile as she started telling her story "We were wandering around when we were found by these people from a village that started calling Lord Sesshomaru their Dog God and tried to get him to destory this evil monkey demon that was attacking them."
"That's enough Rin, shut your mouth already!" Jaken started squawking at her "You don't need to tell this filthy human about how Lord Sesshomaru was objectified by-"
"Jaken." came the sharp reply from Sesshomaru "Be silent."
"...As you wish milord."
"Rin, continue your story."
"Yes my lord." so Rin turned back to Tatsu "It turns out the monkey demon was actually just three little monkey demons that were looking for their monkey god that lives within some kind of sacred object, and they thought that the villagers had him, and they had this magic stone trapped onto Master Jaken's hand until they could find their god. Eventually we found it being used as a weight inside a pickling pot, and Lord Sesshomaru freed it with just one stroke of his sword. Then he was so grateful that he told us where we could find Naraku at-"
"That's enough Rin."
"Yes my lord."
"And thus ended a tedious affair."
"One that I'd never believe you to be a part of even if I saw it." Tatsu turned his attention back over to Sesshomaru "The only reason I actually buy it is because I know for a fact that you would never lie."
"This is true. It was a tedious affair and incredibly irritating, but it did yield the information that I needed." Sesshomaru then studied Tatsu intently for a moment, until his gaze fell upon the set of Fangs he wore around his neck "I see that you've located and awakened the power of another one of the Fangs of Ryuhogo."
"And I had to go through hell to get it. Aside from the test itself, I met the one who carries the other set of Fangs."
"I take it you fought him then?"
"I didn't have any other choice. I fought him with everything I had, he had all of my powers and decades of experience on me. Eventually he ended up wearing me down, he would've killed me if Kagome hadn't jumped in when she did. From there we teamed up on him, and it pretty much ended when she cut his arm clean off and left him lying in a pool of his own blood. I still think of our first fight when I say that."
"The similarities were apparent to me as well. So you killed him?"
"No, he got away. He's still roaming around in my world, looking for the rest of the Fangs so he can try and conquer it. There's no doubt that I'm gonna have to fight him again soon, and I've gotta be ready when that happens. That means I have to keep training for as long and as hard as I can, which is actually why I was out here in the first place."
"While conducting on your own search for Naraku's whereabouts I take it?"
"Yeah, but right now the rest of the group is off gathering some medicine from a friend. I was going to meet up with them when I was done, then I heard the sound of the kid screaming, and now here I am."
"I see." Sesshomaru stared at Tatsu intently for a moment, and then he spoke again "It would seem that we have reached an impasse of sorts."
"How do you figure?"
"You seek information regarding Naraku's current whereabouts, information that I have recently acquired through… less than desirable means. At the same time, you have acquired another of the Fangs of Ryuhogo, and as such have surely gained a significant increase in power as a result of this. The prospect of finding out just how much is one I find intriguing."
"Uh huh. Are you going where I think you're going with this?"
"I merely intend to offer a proposition. If you were to defeat me in battle, I would relinquish to you the information I have acquired on where you may find Naraku. Also that you never tell any of your companions of how I had acquired that information."
"Duly noted. In other words, you want a fight."
"Do you refuse?"
"Of course not, I've been wanting to fight you again for ages. The prospect is exciting to me on just about every level."
"So you accept."
"Are you surprised?"
"With you, not in the slightest. Shall we move to a new location then? The forest limits the area to which capable beings can fight to their fullest."
"Works for me. I actually know a pretty good location not far from here. Just ignore the various scattered body parts of demons around there."
"Such things matter little to me." Sesshomaru glanced back at Rin and Jaken "The two of you are to wait with Ah-Un. I shall return shortly." he turned back to Tatsu "Lead the way."
"Works for me." and so the two of them took off for a new location.
A new and glorious battle was about to begin.
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Meanwhile, with the main group…
"I don't know, something about this seems off…" Miroku and the rest of the group stopped in the middle of the path they were walking on "Tell me Kagome, are you absolutely certain that this is the right path?"
"Um… truth be told, I'm not actually sure." Kagome let out a sheepish chuckle "To be fair, it's been awhile since I've actually been to Jinenji's village. Hey Inuyasha, this is the way that we're supposed to go isn't it?"
"Oh yeah sure, now you care what I have to say." Inuyasha rolled his eyes, but then his gaze grew hard as he glanced out in a certain direction and took a few sniffs "Oh fuck, you've gotta be kidding me."
"What's the matter?"
"I'm picking the scent of Sesshomaru in that direction, along with a lot of blood. The blood of a lot of demons."
"You mean he's fighting someone out there?"
"The hell if I know what he does when he's on his own, probably brooding about Tessaiga or his own pride."
"So we're just going to ignore him them?"
"Do you wanna deal with him right now?"
"No."
"And I'm not in the mood to put up with him either, if we're gonna go get medicine for demon poison then let's just get it the fuck over with."
"Yeah you're probably right, besides for all we know Tatsu might be there right now waiting for us and wondering where we are."
"Or he's off picking a fight with some other demon."
"...Truth be told, with him it could be either one."
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And now for the answer to that question…
"Like I said, mind the body parts." Tatsu and Sesshomaru touched down in the nearby grassy field area, still covered in the blood and scattered body parts of various demons, and the former drew his sword from its sheath and dropped into a stance "I'd ask if you're ready for this, but I think that both of us know the answer to that by now."
"As you should." Sesshomaru touched the ground and drew Tokijin from his belt "You should know that I'm not feeling particularly magnanimous on this day. Do you not expect me to go easy on you or show mercy as I have in the past."
"You say that like actually supposed to surprise me. Just keep in mind that I don't plan to hold back against you either."
"I'd be insulted if you even entertained the thought. Now let us begin."
"You took the words right out of my mouth. Shall we?"
"Let us begin."" and so the battle began as the two of them began rushing across the grassy landscape, Tatsu's sword against the Tokijin, though they quickly broke off from their clash when Sesshomaru aimed his Tokijin and thrusted it at Tatsu' side.
Tatsu stopped the Tokijin from advancing using the blade of his own sword, and leapt back onto a nearby tree in order to gain some distance.
"Poison Shrapnel!" Sesshomaru's arms began glowing green and he fired off a rapid barrage of poisonous nails from his fingertips.
Tatsu blitzed across the grassy landscape and dodged every poisonous nail being hurled at him, leaving them to dissolve numerous trees in the process, and once he saw Sesshomaru blitz in front of him and bring down the blade of Tokijin he gripped his own sword and leapt into the air to meet his charge, their swords clashing once again, only for the blade of Tatsu's sword to begin to crack under the pressure 'He's about to go through the blade like a hot knife through butter. I wouldn't expect anything less from him.'
"Light Whip!" seeing Tatsu's sword beginning to crack, Sesshomaru summoned a whip made of green-colored demonic energy and bound Tatsu by the wrist with it, burning his forearm and using it to hurl him across the clearing.
Tatsu was quick to recover and dodge the next barrage of slashes from Tokijin, and he coated his body in a set of iron dragon scales, caught the blade and hurled it aside, taking Sesshomaru with it as a result "Using the Fang of the Divine Quake to cover myself in a set of iron dragon scales, they protect my body from attacks and increase my physical strength. It just goes to show what a little bit of creativity can do for you in a fight, case and point. Iron GAUNTLET!" " on that note, he blitzed over to Sesshomaru and dealt him a swift iron-enhanced knife-hand attack to the jaw that sent him hurtling further back into the forest.
Sesshomaru managed to stop himself before he hit the ground as he licked some of the blood that trailed down his lip "Creativity you say? The thought is rather intriguing if nothing else, and it appears to have its value."
"Like a wise man once said, all of the power in the world doesn't mean anything if you don't know how to use it. Another example. Salamander's BREATH!" he stuck out both arms and unleashed an enormous stream of flames.
'Such speed!' Sesshomaru only had time to act on instinct and propelled himself to the side to avoid the flames, though one of his legs ended up being scorched by the blast, burning through the pant leg of his kimono, though all this did to him was make him grit his teeth as he charged forward and brought down the blade of Tokijin.
Tatsu stopped the blade with both hands, being pushed back a short distance as he did so "Of course the raw power itself does have its advantages, but like I said, you gotta know how to use it properly, like this. Naruto, eat your heart out. CHIDORI!" he gripped his left arm with his right hand, a powerful surge of electricity sparking into life in his left hand, as he blitzed in front of Sesshomaru and struck him square in the chest, drawing blood and engulfing him in a swift explosion that sent him hurtling back towards the clearing, and then Tatsu blitzed after him for a follow up attack.
Sesshomaru suddenly blitzed out of view at high speed, and in an instant he was behind Tatsu and stuck out the Tokijin as the blade began surging with demonic energy "I believe it's time for us to take this seriously."
"On that we can agree. Care to make the first move, or do you want me to?"
"I believe it matters little in the grand scheme of things."
"Fair enough." Tatsu gripped his own sword as the blade surged with electricity "Now let's get on with it."
"Agreed. Azure Dragon Wave!" Sesshomaru burst forward as he released a blue-colored blast of demonic energy from the blade of Tokijin.
"Thunderclap STRIKE!" Tatsu launched himself forward with a burst of flames coming from one leg and unleashed a blast of electricity from the blade of his sword, the two attacks colliding and resulting in a powerful explosion that sent both of them hurtling backwards, Tatsu himself being sent crashing through multiple trees before he managed to stop himself 'So to recap, I've got five Fangs and a variety of elemental powers at my disposal, not to mention years worth of training in martial arts and swordsmanship, and he's more or less matching me blow for blow without losing his cool. There's no doubt about it, he really is the most formidable opponent that I've ever fought, unless you count Shin that is. You know I shouldn't be surprised that you're matching me so easily, and yet here we are. No doubt about it, you're easily the strongest demon that I've ever faced, and definitely the strongest opponent I've fought in this world."
"And yet compared to the one who wields the other set of Fangs?"
"That's more… personal, for a number of reasons."
"You would be wise to refrain from including personal feelings in a battle between warriors, a battle such as this one for instance."
"I'll keep that in mind. In the meantime, what do you say we kick things up a notch?"
"I assume that would be a saying from your era?"
"Yeah, it means take it more seriously. I'll start off and show you what I mean. Thunder Current!" Tatsu slammed one hand into the ground and sent a current of electricity hurtling forward.
Sesshomaru quickly found himself being forced onto the evasive, blitzing across the clearing to avoid the electrical current "Azure Dragon Wave!" once he managed to gain a suitable distance from the current he brought down the blade of Tokijin and unleashed a burst of demonic energy, which proved to be powerful enough to disrupt the electrical current and result in another sizable explosion.
'Remember what Akira taught you, trust your instincts and read his Ki, figure out what he's going to do next.'
"You'd be wise not to let your guard down." Sesshomaru suddenly blitzed in front of Tatsu too fast for him to react and swiftly ripped through him with his poison claws, burning through the iron scales on one side of his torso and drawing a fair amount of blood from his flesh, sending him stumbling backwards a short distance as a result.
Tatsu managed to stop himself by creating an earth platform for him to rebound off of, and a quick flick of his hand summoned some ice to cover his new wound "You used the smoke as a cover to move in fast enough to get me before I could react. Nobody ever accused you of not fighting smart."
"As my father had once told me, power is only as effective as the intellect to use it properly in the heat of battle."
"Sounds like he knew his way around a fight."
"For as long as he was alive, it was my wish to defeat him in battle, a demon with supreme power unrivaled throughout the land. Yet he chose to give his life so long ago, and yet my own goal remains the same: to battle the most powerful beings alive."
"And do I count among them in your eyes?"
"If nothing else you are… intriguing."
"I can live with that. You have any reservations with making the next move?"
"I intend to make the first move regardless. Azure Dragon WAVE!" Sesshomaru held out the Tokijin as a large blast of demonic energy burst forth and took on the form of a dragon as it rose into the air, and it hurtled down towards Tatsu at full speed.
'Well he's got quality going for him, so why not try matching it with quantity. Lucky me too, I've been wanting to try this out. Sparking Spear Storm!" Tatsu's body surged with energy as he fired off an enormous barrage of iron spears coated in electricity at the Azure Dragon Wave, which proved to be enough to cancel it out and leave a few excess spears to hurtle towards the ground at high speed.
"Poison Shrapnel!" Sesshomaru unleashed a barrage of poisonous nails from his claws to cancel out the remaining spears, though one of them did manage to pierce his shoulder and draw a fair amount of blood from the wound 'So he chose to counter my Azure Dragon Wave with a series of multiple projectiles instead of a single powerful attack. Interesting, but it appeared to be effective. So what will your next move be?'
"Didn't you say it was a bad idea not to let your guard down in a fight?"
Sesshomaru whipped his head around to see Tatsu's sword coming at him, and he managed to duck just in time and began weaving around the series of strikes that followed, and those that he couldn't dodge he blocked using Tokijin, and once he found an opening he moved to deal a slash of his own.
"Fire Dragon ROAR!" Tatsu inhaled as he ducked underneath the slash from Tokijin, then burst upwards and released a powerful roar upon Sesshomaru, engulfing him in an enormous stream of flames at point-blank range, sending him hurtling backwards through several trees, giving Tatsu a brief moment to catch his breath 'Fuck, I forgot the problem with those breath attacks. Yeah they work like a charm on the opponents, but they hurt your throat like hell. I don't know how the hell people in anime do it. Go ahead and get back up, you know as well as I do that attack wasn't anywhere near enough to finish you off."
"As always, your powers of observation are well above the rest of your kind." Sesshomaru was quick to pick himself up as he tightened his grip on Tokijin "But I do have business to attend to elsewhere, so I believe the time has come for us to bring this battle to a close, and I know of the best way to do so."
"What do you have in mind?"
"To put in simple terms, your most powerful attack against mine. It will be not just a clash of demonic energy, but a battle of wills to see whose resolve is greater."
"Sounds pretty interesting. Alright I'm in, now let's do this." Tatsu placed his sword back in its sheath and dropped into a stance, golden-golored demonic energy surging wildly around his body as he cupped his hands in front of him "Iron Heart… Divine Quake… Great Glacier… Lotus Flame… Thunder Lily…"
"Behold and prepare yourself, for this is a demonstration of true power, combined with the will and resolve necessary to carry it out. Dragon STRIKE!" Sesshomaru summoned forth a massive burst of demonic energy that took on the form of a dragon, which he sent hurtling forth at blinding levels of speed.
"Yep, I was expecting something like that, so I guess I gotta fight fire with fire! When these forces of power unite, the true might of the Fangs of Ryuhogo shall be unleashed! Dragon CANNON!" Tatsu let out a primal roar as he unleashed a golden-colored wave of demonic energy that he sent hurtling forward, the two attacks colliding and unleashing an enormous storm of energy that ripped apart the clearing and the forest surrounding it.
'Father, I had once wished to defeat you, the demon known for having supreme power, and yet you died for the sake of a mortal woman and a half-demon such as Inuyasha no less. You were the one with ultimate power, the one that I was destined to defeat, but now that ambition will never come to fruition, and so now I seek nothing more than to do battle with the most powerful beings in existence.' Sesshomaru's gaze hardened as he unleashed another burst of demonic energy, increasing the power of the Dragon Strike and causing it to push the Dragon Cannon back slightly 'So the question remains, do you have the resolve to push forth and prove yourself to be one of those beings, or will you turn out to be little more than as pathetic as much of your kind has turned out to be?'
"Ryu… KEN!" Tatsu gritted his teeth as an azure aura exploded around his body and the Dragon Cannon roared into life once more, giving it enough of a boost in power to rip through the Dragon Strike and hurtle towards Sesshomaru, engulfing him in the explosion that followed the struggle. As a brief calm settled over the battlefield, Tatsu breathed a sigh of relief as the aura of his Ryuken subsided and he fell to one knee "Looks like… that took a lot more… out of me than… than I thought it would…"
"Which means that evidently, such an ability is of little use in battle."
Tatsu glanced up to see Sesshomaru slowly approaching him, his kimono shredded in numerous areas and blood pouring from multiple wounds, as well as numerous spots covered in burns, but he was still standing and holding the Tokijin in his remaining arm "And apparently it's nowhere near as effective as I would've liked."
"An ability that increases your demonic power for a single intense burst, but requires a great deal of strength to control and regulate to the extent necessary. When in a long-term battle facing off with an opponent on your level of power or higher, regulating the amount of energy you use is vital not just for victory, but for survival as well."
"Yeah… I'm starting to see that…" Tatsu coughed up some blood in front of him "I guess this means it's over."
"Yes, this battle has reached its conclusion." Sesshomaru held out the Tokijin… but then he promptly placed it back in his belt next to Tenseiga "And you have claimed victory."
"...Seriously, that's it? You're the one that's standing."
"With the strength your technique granted to you, it allowed your final attack to overcome my Dragon Strike. Such was all that I could ever expect my Tokijin to be capable of, and as such, you have earned the victory in this battle."
"Oh. Well that seems pretty anticlimactic." Tatsu slowly pulled himself to his feet as he spat out some more blood to the side "Not really satisfying either."
"Think of this what you will, but answer me one question first. What is it that drives you to fight as hard as you do?"
"Oh, we're getting philosophical now. Okay then. The short version, protecting Kagome is what I care about most."
"The human priestess. She acts as your source of strength?"
"Yep. A wise man once said that when a person has something they want to protect, that's when they become genuinely strong. She's living proof of that, at least in my eyes."
"Hm. I see. That is all I needed to know then." Sesshomaru turned around, but spoke again "Our initial agreement was that if you emerged victorious in this battle, I would provide you with the information you needed to find Naraku. The aforementioned Monkey God that Rin spoke of in her story, which you will never relay to the others as per our agreement, claimed to have sensed the demonic presence of Naraku headed in the direction of the Oxen Tiger, or in terms simple enough that even Inuyasha would be able to understand, in the direction of the Northeast."
"To the Northeast huh? I'll keep that in mind, and I can imagine Kagome and the others are gonna be happy about that. Inuyasha on the other hand, he'll be glad to hear about it, but he's gonna be mad that I got it from you."
"That is one other significant difference between us. Unlike you, his opinion means less than nothing to me."
"I figured as much. Speaking of which, what exactly do you get out of finding Naraku and trying to kill him?"
"To put it in simple terms, I have a score to settle with him. Now then, I have other business to attend to elsewhere, and I believe that you do as well."
"Yeah, that… that sounds about right." Tatsu turned around as well, though he did spare a quick glance back at Sesshomaru "I'm looking forward to the next time we go at it." and then he promptly disappeared from the scene via his Dragon Warp.
"...A prospect that I look forward to as well." on that note, Sesshomaru promptly walked away from the scene without another word.
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The sun was setting over the skies above Feudal Japan.
Kagome sat outside a small hut located next to an herbal garden, her expression one of worry as she gazed out into the distance 'Tatsu, what are you doing out there?'
"Are you alright Kagome?"
"Huh?" Kagome glanced back to see a large hulking humanoid figure standing a short distance behind her "Oh hey Jinenji, yeah I'm fine. I'm just thinking."
"My mother wanted me to tell you that she finished preparing dinner, and the others are all inside eating."
"Thanks, but I'm not really hungry right now." Kagome glanced back out into the distance "I'm really starting to get worried about Tatsu, he should've been here by now. I know he's strong and he can take care of himself, fighting and training are some of the things he loves after all, but I still can't help but worry."
"Something tells me that he's going to be okay, if he has someone like you watching over and looking out for him."
"You really think so?"
"I really do, and I'm quite certain that the strength you give him is greater than anything that I could ever have. You truly are special Kagome. When we first met, you placed a great warmth into my heart, as if you were the child of the Sun."
"Huh… you always know what to say don't you?"
"Well the big guy is pretty much just saying what any smart person would be thinking if they knew you."
Kagome glanced ahead at the sound of a new voice drawing her attention, and her eyes went wide at what she saw "Tatsu…"
Sure enough, Tatsu was limping his way onto the scene, his body covered in burns and a sizable number of wounds with blood pouring from them, as well as having his gi shredded, but he stood triumphant as he came to a stop in front of them "Hey… sorry I'm late… I got sidetracked while I was fighting for my life… you know how it is-" he was immediately pulled into a tight hug, causing him to let out a low groan of pain as he was gently lowered to the ground "You know, I'd be enjoying this a lot more if it didn't hurt like hell."
"Give me a minute and I'll fix that. Rin. Pyo. Toh. Sha. Kai. Jin. Retsu. Zai. Zen." Kagome went through a series of hand seals and gently placed her hands on Tatsu's back, white energy glowing along her arms and flowing into him "What the heck happened? You look like you just came out of a war zone."
"I more or less did actually. What started out as me heading out on my morning workout devolved into god only knows how many demons ambushing me and trying to kill me so they can get to you."
"So it's the usual for us in this world?"
"Pretty much yeah. On the plus side though, I did manage to figure out where Naraku's heading now."
"You did? How?"
"Well I ran into Sesshomaru and his group after that, and it turns out they already figured out where Naraku was heading, though how he did I promised him I'd never tell anyone. Anyway he wanted to see how much power I had with five Fangs, so we fought and I managed to scrape by with a win, barely anyway, and he told me that Naraku was spotted heading in the direction of the Oxen Tiger."
"The Oxen Tiger? Isn't that to the Northeast."
"Yep, but the general direction was pretty much all he gave me. But at least we have something now right?"
"Yeah that's true." Kagome let out a sigh of relief as she finished her work and took her hands off Tatsu's back, allowing him to stand up, to which she promptly spun him around and planted a kiss on his lips, then shot him her typical bright and warm smile "I've gone all day without doing that, you owe me."
"Fair enough, but can I get something to eat before we go any further? Seriously, I haven't eaten a single thing all day."
"I get the feeling I should've seen that coming. Come on inside, I'm told Jinenji and his mom have dinner ready, and you can break the good news to the others."
"Lead the way." Tatsu let Kagome grab him by the arm and lead him inside, though as he did his thoughts started drifting to other areas 'I barely managed to scrape by with a win today in my fight with Sesshomaru, and even then it was because he stuck to his own code. But at the same time, it just means that I have to work harder and keep getting even stronger. Now that we know where Naraku's heading, it's only a matter of time before we confront him again, and I'm gonna have to be ready when that happens. Plus there's the fact that Shin is still running around on the loose in my world searching for the other Fangs. For all I know, he might have already found them by now.'
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Meanwhile, 500 years in the future…
"Kuroga stand back, cover your eyes!"
Kuroga couldn't stop himself from recoiling as he braced himself for when the snake demon would pounce on him… but it never came, so then he opened his eyes and glanced over to find what had saved him "Oh."
As it turns out, Shin had stabbed the snake demon through the back of its skull at the last second using his katana, causing it to turn to stone and shatter into pieces, before he placed his sword back in its sheath and pulled something out of the rubble that used to be the snake demon "Are you alright?"
"Given the current circumstances, I'd say I'm about as far from alright as I can get. On the one hand, I feel like I should thank you for saving me from that thing. On the other hand, you were the one that dragged me into to this hellhole to begin with."
"I've already made clear to you my reasons for needing you by my side."
"I've already made clear my reasons for having you by my side, your knowledge is critical in my mission. But as of right now, even that doesn't matter at the moment. Feast your eyes on what I now hold in my possession: the Fang of the Lost Serpent." he held up a purple-colored flame in his hand, which he promptly attached to his necklace alongside the other five Fangs "I now have six Fangs in my possession, leaving only four left to claim. And then the time will come for the Guardian to change this world."
A/N:
For those of you who have been reading this fic all the way through, you know that this isn't the first time I've had Tatsu fight against Sesshomaru. This is a rematch between the two of them that I've been looking forward to for a long time now, and now that they're both far stronger than they were the last time they had an all out battle. This time it's five Fangs of Ryuhogo against the power of Sesshomaru wielding the Tokijin, and it is glorious.
Unfortunately, while that's going on, other forces are making their own moves in the Modern Era, seeing how Shin (with Kuroga's begrudging assistance) has managed to get his hands on the sixth Fang, which means he's even more powerful now than he was before. The next conflict with him will come soon, and Tatsu and the rest of his group will have to be ready.
Oh, and for those of you who didn't catch it, that story Rin was telling Tatsu was actually a nod to episode 88, the Three Sprites of the Monkey God. That essentially means that in this story, it was Sesshomaru's group that went through the events of that episode. Truth be told I was brainstorming about this chapter, then that idea sort of popped into my head, I thought it was funny and I decided to go with it, and so I did.