DISCLAIMER: Inuyasha and all of the canon characters featured in this fanfic are the property of Takahashi Rumiko, Sunrise, Viz and all other respective copyright owners. I do not lay claim to these characters in any way, shape or form.
Chapter 17
"Fuck... "
Inuyasha's fists tightened. The girl gazed down at him as if he was no more than a bug. His instincts screamed at him to back away. No flames sprang to his fists. His muscles had turned to ice.
Leave her.
The voice rang deep in his head. It was enough to make his bones shudder. Was this really that Avatar girl? He forced his jaw to unclench.
"You. You're-"
Leave.
The word was sharp as a blade. Sharp enough to make him flinch. He steadied himself with a breath. Wisps of steam rose from his boots.
"Like hell I-"
"Inuyasha!"
Kagura hurtled into the cavern with Byakuya hot on her heels. They drew to an unsteady halt. The Avatar whirled on them with a glare.
Begone. This does not concern you.
The airbenders stared in shock. Even Byakuya couldn't find a retort. The others were still frozen. Tsubaki's face was pale as ice.
Inuyasha caught Kagura's eye. "She's-"
He didn't need to finish. Kagura whipped out her fan. She snapped it open and unleashed a squall.
"Take her down!"
He threw out an arc of flames. Byakuya fanned them with a swipe of his staff. They shot towards the Avatar with a roar.
She didn't even blink. She whirled her arms and spun the blasts into a vortex. She released it with a single breath. They were swatted away like flies.
"Shit!"
Kagura righted herself with a sweep of her fan. She caught Inuyasha and Byakuya with a cushion of air.
The Avatar didn't let them rest. She spread her arms wide. Water flowed along each of them. It formed into six tentacles, each tipped with a blade of ice. They were as sharp as her glare. Inuyasha leapt away just before she let them fly.
The airbenders scattered. They couldn't outrun them all. One blade tore through Kagura's fan. Another ripped into her shoulder. She dropped like a stunned bird. Byakuya snatched her from the air before she hit the water.
The Avatar launched another assault. Inuyasha rolled aside. Byakuya wasn't so lucky. A blade tore into his thigh. The glider veered downwards. Kagura forced out a breath to break their fall. They landed in a heap.
"Damn it!"
Inuyasha sprang forwards with both fists ablaze. He hurled a fire blast at the Avatar's face. She blocked it with a wall of water. The blast fizzled out like a wet firecracker. The wall slammed down as a wave. He hit the ground with a groan.
The three of them lay in a Avatar stared down at them with a face like marble. She made no move to attack.
"Shit... " Kagura breathed.
Inuyasha lifted his head with a wince. He shot Byakuya a hazy glare.
"Now what?"
"Time for plan B?"
"You have a plan B?"
Byakuya's shoulders twitched in a half-hearted shrug. "Do you?"
"Ugh... "
Kagura shook her head and reached into her robes for another fan. The Avatar held up her hand.
Enough.
Kagura's grip tightened. Her knuckles were bone white. "Damn you-"
There will be no more warnings.
Her voice was certain as death. Kagura set her jaw. Her fingers didn't so much as twitch. Not that he was about to make any moves. Against the Avatar state, they were no more than leaves in a gale.
The Avatar watched them with unblinking eyes. She still didn't make a move. Guess they weren't worth the effort. His shoulders relaxed a touch. They just might have a chance of getting out alive.
Some more than others. He gave Kanna a glance. She was still unconscious. The Avatar hovered over her like a storm about to break. Of course Kagura wouldn't leave her. Creepy she may be but leaving the kid to fend for herself didn't sit right with him. Hell, even that old hag deserved better. He drew in a breath.
"You want us to leave?" He pointed to Tsubaki. "Then leave off her."
Tsubaki must answer for her crimes.
"Inuyasha." Kagura whispered a warning.
He wasn't taking it. "The kid too?"
The Avatar paused for a moment. Uncertainty flickered across her face. She wiped it away with a frown.
She is a bloodbender.
"Still a kid."
There was another pause. The frown remained.
This does not concern you.
"Hey, you started it," he reminded her. "Thought the Avatar was supposed to be all about justice?"
And what of her victims? Do they not deserve justice?
She wrenched back Tsubaki's arms for emphasis. The panic in her eyes deepened.
"Inuyasha." Byakuya's voice was deadly serious for once.
He set his teeth. This was no time to back down. "You call this justice?"
Compared to what they suffered? This is mercy.
"Mercy," he scoffed. "Spare me."
The Avatar's eyes narrowed. She gave him a single nod.
Very well.
A wind began to stir. The air grew cold. His muscles tensed. Kagura readied her fan. Byakuya reached for his staff. No going back now.
"Stop!"
A new voice echoed through the cavern, hoarse but firm. It was followed by a familiar scent. The old hag from the shrine. The others were right behind her: the lanky girl, the little brat that damn monk too. Shit. They should never have left them alone.
The newcomers drew to a halt at the cavern's entrance. They froze as fast as Tsubaki. The hag was the first to find her voice.
"... Kikyou?"
The Avatar's gaze shot towards her. Her brows furrowed. She stared down at her in confusion.
Kikyou, huh? That would explain more than a few things. He peered closer. Her face was the same, all right. But everything else...
The hag stared back. Her eye was bright and pleading. "Kikyou, please."
"Kikyou?" The old man got to his feet. He gaped at her, as if the recognition was just sinking in. "Kikyou. Is it really you?"
She made no reply. Her gaze was still confused.
"She's had enough, Avatar." The monk's voice was slow and steady. His grip trembled on his staff.
"He speaks true," the other female master agreed. "She's no more threat to us."
The hag managed a nod. "Please."
The Avatar's stare hardened. She twisted Tsubaki's arms. A hiss escaped her frozen mouth.
The old woman's mouth quivered. A tear rolled down her cheek. "Please, Sister... "
The Avatar's stare grew hard as ice. She turned away. She raised her hands and drew Tsubaki's arms into a lock.
Tsubaki's shoulders were wrenched from their sockets. She couldn't even scream. The Avatar didn't flinch. She drew her hands closer together. Tsubaki made a choked sound. Inuyasha's breath caught in his throat.
"Shit! You - you'll kill her!"
The Avatar didn't reply. Her face was still as a pond. She circled her hands. Tsubaki's neck twisted with a gut-wrenching creak. Her eyes grew as round as the moon.
"Avatar!"
The monk's voice was desperate. The waterbenders' were even more pathetic. Her sister was too shocked to even speak. Inuyasha clenched his fists and raised his voice.
"Damn it, Kagome!"
Her name echoed through the cavern. The Avatar turned on him in shock. Her eyes grew wide. Her breath caught. The wind stilled. The light winked out like a lantern. Tsubaki dropped like a broken doll.
The girl's eyes fell shut. She keeled backwards and plummeted towards the ground.
"Avatar!"
The younger master rushed to break her fall. Inuyasha sprang ahead of her. He snatched the Avatar's body from her grasp.
"You!"
She flung a water whip after him. He shot clear of the water and landed on a rock. She circled the water for another strike. He flared up a fist. His other hand kept hold of the Avatar. A thin mist of dirt lay in the air.
"Don't even-"
"Let her go." The waterbender's voice betrayed only a hint of panic.
"Or else?"
She fixed him with a stare. A loose rain of dirt and pebbles trickled from the ceiling above her. The water didn't even tremble. Her mouth was tight. A bead of sweat ran down her brow.
"You won't do yourself any favours."
He snorted. "Like you're going to?"
Her retort was cut off by a thin screech. Her eyes snapped towards the cavern's roof. A faint crack was beginning to form.
"Move."
She didn't wait for him to argue. She sent up an iceberg spike to bolster the roof. Another crack formed next to it. The ceiling shuddered. The other masters hurried to help her.
The pebbles were joined by stones. Pillars of ice shot up all around him. He held his ground. There was nowhere to run, after all.
Rocks were beginning to fall. The waterbenders strained to hold things up. The monk kept the boulders away from them with blasts of air. Kagura and Byakuya pitched in as best they could. There was no talk of the mission now. If the ceiling gave way they'd need all the help they could get.
It wasn't enough. A jagged hole gaped open. Dark spirits flooded through it.
"Run!"
"Run where?" the brat yelled back.
He had a point. The spirits were packed thick enough to blot out the light. They'd overrun the place in seconds. He threw up a flame. He wasn't going down without a fight.
"Protect the Avatar!"
He shot the waterbender a frown. Was she serious? She sure had a hell of a Pai Sho face. It wasn't like the spirits were going to give them time to argue either. He punched one away with a scowl.
The flames passed straight through it. Of fucking course. His fist flared brighter. Best give them something to think about. He gathered his chi and leapt into the air. He brought his fist down in a burst of flame.
The spirits scattered. That bought him a couple of seconds. He set down the girl. She gave a soft groan. Shit.
She blinked her eyes open. The light was gone. His relief was short lived. She stared at him as though he'd turned into a platypus bear.
"What's-"
"Stay down."
She blinked again. "W-why?"
"Why?"
He whirled on another spirit with a punch. It dodged him with a hiss.
"Keh - just stay there, idiot!"
"Get back!"
The younger master sped past him. She swept away the spirits with a water whip. The older two followed her example.
"Stay back, everyone!"
The brat scurried off to help the wounded. The lanky girl pushed past him with a gasp.
"Meriwa!" She rushed to her fallen friend's side.
The masters formed a semi-circle before them. They raised a grove of glowing tendrils. Some of the spirits veered away. The others were caught in the snares.
"Keep them busy!" The old man ordered him.
"Keh." He didn't have time for comebacks. He swiped a spirit away.
The Avatar watched in a daze. She made no move to help. Maybe she'd taken another knock to the head. Just what he needed. He drove back another spirit with a snarl.
The masters kept up their shaky defence. More spirits poured through the hole. Tsubaki had a lot to answer for. He shot her a glare. Still out cold. Fucking fantastic. He threw his anger into another jet of flame.
"Hold them!"
There was real panic in the young master's voice now. The brat tugged at the girl's arm.
"Go. I'll help Meriwa."
She didn't hear him. Her eyes were still fixed on the other girl.
"Meriwa! Meriwa, wake up."
An unearthly screech drew his attention back to the fight. He dodged a lunging spirit. Couldn't turn his back on the damn things for a moment. The sooner they took them out-
"Hold-"
One of the spirits tore its way free with a scream.
The old woman hurled a water whip after it. It might as well have been a streamer. The spirit shot clear of her grasp and headed straight for the nearest root.
"No!"
Three others burst through the gap. She snagged one of them. The others flitted away like smoke.
A few more slipped through the breach. He hurled a volley of punches at them. They didn't even scatter. They swept over his head and made for the root. They swarmed over the tree like ants.
"Stop them!"
Bit late for that. The earth gave a shudder. His stomach lurched.
"Damn... "
The ground heaved again. The waterbenders turned on the tree in horror. More spirits flocked overhead. The Avatar sat and gaped at it all.
The girl and the brat were still crouched beside the Oasis. None of their patients stirred. The girl was still clutching her friend in her arms.
The kid tugged at her arm again. "Come on. We need to get out of here!"
She stayed put. "Come on, Meriwa."
The Avatar was still staring. Her eyes were a distant haze. She managed a single word.
"No... "
There was a sickening crack. A jagged tear appeared in the root. The spirits ripped at it eagerly. The tremors grew with the wound.
"Get her out of here!" the old man commanded.
Inuyasha snatched up the Avatar before the masters could make it to her side. He wasn't leaving empty handed. Their protests were stopped by another crack.
Tendrils of darkness spilled from the wound. They curled around the root and began to take form. It was all he could to do keep his feet. His stomach tightened as recognition dawned in his eyes.
"Shit."
The boy tried to yank the girl to her feet. She didn't budge.
"Run, Tapeesa!"
She didn't run. She didn't even look at him. All she could see was the girl in her arms.
"Meriwa, please... "
"Run!"
The spirit came crashing down with a screech. The old woman threw up a shield of ice. The other masters swept the kids and the wounded aside. The shield shattered like a bubble.
The spirit threw back her head with a laugh. She raised her talons to the roof.
"At last!"
Her eyes roamed the cavern. They settled on the Avatar. She broke into a feral grin.
"Ah, there you are."
He didn't wait for her attack. He lashed out with a burst of flame. She shook her head with another laugh.
"You again? You're only delaying the inevitable."
She whipped back her arms. Her talons stretched across the ceiling. Shit. There was no dodging them all.
Her grin widened as she took aim. "No escape this time, Kikyou."
"Hold her!"
A tendril wrapped around one of her arms. She gave it an irritated glance. Her gaze moved to the youngest master.
"You-"
"More!"
The other masters turned their water whips on the spirit. They pinned her arms with a dozen tendrils. She hissed in fury.
"You dare-"
"Calm her," the young master commanded. A warm glow began to spread down her tendrils.
The spirit tore and strained at her bonds. They held fast. Her eyes bulged as the glow crept towards her. She reared back and raised her tail.
"Fools!" She slammed it down.
The humans were knocked flat. Even the airbenders couldn't escape the blow. Inuyasha slammed to the ground, still clutching the Avatar.
"Ugh... "
He raised his head. The spirit loomed over them with a grin. The Avatar lay unmoving beneath him. He cursed and shook her. She lay still. The spirit bore down like a tsunami.
"Move!"
The young master shot between them. The spirit's talons tore into her shoulder. She was skewered like a fish.
"Master Hitomiko!"
The spirit threw back her head with a roar. The monk sent a blade of air slashing towards her face. It shot straight through her. She didn't even blink. She bared her fangs and sank them into the waterbender's neck.
"No!"
The monk's cry echoed through the cavern. The spirits roared and screeched in triumph. Inuyasha's ears drew flat in agony. His eyes squeezed shut. Damn them. Damn them all.
They stayed shut until the uproar dimmed. He squinted one open. The spirit was already fading into the waterbender's body. She lay still, without so much as a scratch upon her neck. The others watched in a stupor. No, no, no. They needed to-
"Run!"
It was no use. The master's eyes flared open. They were red as slaughter.
"Mast-" the lanky girl began.
"Leave her!" the old man yelled.
"But-"
"Leave her." His voice was heavy with despair. "She's already dead."
"But... "
"... Master?" The Avatar stirred in Inuyasha's arms. She blinked. There was a flicker of blue light.
"Shit... " He tried to roll away.
She caught at his arm. "Master?"
"I ain't-"
"Kikyou." The spirit's voice emerged from the dead woman's throat. Her eyes settled on the Avatar. Talons sprang to her fingers.
He set his jaw. Flames rose to his free hand. He pushed the girl down with the other.
"Don't-"
Master!
The Avatar jolted awake. Her eyes snapped open, wide and blue.
"Shit!"
"We need to go!"
Kagura pointed to the ceiling. The hole was still wide open. The spirits had stopped pouring in. Some of them were even clamouring to get out.
He gave the Avatar a wary glance. She lay staring up at him. No way. He wasn't leaving empty handed.
"Now, Inuyasha!" Kagura snatched up Kanna. She drove away a spirit with another swipe of her fan. "They won't listen to us."
Byakuya shouldered Tsubaki with a wince. His staff creaked under the strain. He tapped it on the ground. "You heard her."
"Go where?" It wasn't like they could just run from this.
"Oh you - just go! Now!"
The Avatar lifted her legs and slammed down her feet. A shockwave rippled through the cavern. The waterbenders rushed to bolster the roof. Inuyasha cursed and grabbed at her shoulders.
"Stay down."
Master.
That wasn't Kikyou's voice. Of course, it wasn't quite hers either. Not that she'd be any more likely to listen. Damn it. He shook her shoulders.
"She's gone! We need to-"
The Avatar gathered her breath. She released it as a massive blast. They were both thrown into the air. All he could do was hang on.
"Avatar!" the monk called out to her from the middle of the chaos.
She didn't hear him. She circled her hands and gathered water from the Oasis. The water began to glow. The Oasis responded in turn. The dark spirits dropped from the root like burned leeches.
The spirit retracted her talons. She drew back with a hiss as the wind rose around her. The routed spirits sped towards her. They spun around her like a whirlpool and carried her into the air.
"Inuyasha!"
He didn't let go. The Avatar continued her ascent. The wind rose around them in a vortex. Her eyes were fixed firmly on the fleeing spirits. The humans might as well have been ants. He clung tighter as his vision began to blur.
"Avatar!"
She was well past listening. She drove them both upwards without so much as a look back. The humans' faces were lost in a haze of wind and water. Their screams faded away as they cleared the tunnel. There was no going back now. His eyes slipped closed as she carried them into the night.
Constructive criticism is very welcome!
I update once a month.
