InuYasha Fan Fiction / Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ In Pursuit of the Green Dragon ❯ Hero ( Chapter 31 )

Kasama Castle, 16th-century Japan

The dragon slowly lifted his head, looking around, purple eyes unfocused.

Frozen to the spot, the pilfered jewel fragment clutched tight in her fist, Kagome just stood and stared up at his scaly length as her thoughts ran in panicked circles. Awakawakeawakeohgodhe's looking right AT me!

Behind her, Kouga growled something under his breath. His arm hooked around her waist, and pulled her toward him. Suddenly off-balance, she stumbled, and then her feet left the ground entirely as he threw her over his shoulder with preternatural strength and began to run.

Pain shot through her from the long half-healed wound on her chest and stomach. She nearly dropped the long bow and grabbed at it frantically, trying to keep it from slipping away entirely.

A series of absurdly inappropriate thoughts darted through her brain, dizzied by a heady mix of terror and adrenaline. Mustn't drop the jewel. We left my sandals behind. Mustn't drop the jewel. Can't drop my bow. I guess Kouga-kun's legs healed up while we were waiting in that little room. My stomach hurts. Mustn't drop the jewel. When is Inuyasha coming?

As they dodged around piles of rubble, she heard Envy's enraged roar behind her. "You little bitch--where's MY JEWEL?"

Kouga swore again and she felt him pick up his pace, his shoulder jogging even more painfully against her torso.

They ran through a gateway, and found themselves in yet another courtyard, this one relatively intact.

Then Kouga came to a sudden halt, all but throwing Kagome from his shoulder.

"What--" she began to ask, staggering as her tabi-clad feet hit the ground with a jarring thump. The arrows in the heavy quiver slung across her back rattled loudly.

Then she saw the reason--an oni, nearly three times Kouga's height, massively muscled and with protruding fangs that looked like boar's tusks, stood blocking the only other exit. It was armed with a club that looked as if it had been crudely fashioned from a tree trunk.

This courtyard was quite small compared to the others, and contained no structures other than a lidded well.

Nowhere to hide this time.

Kagome threw a panicked look back the way they'd just come. No Envy--but she could hear him approaching, his path marked by the sound of falling rubble and the tinkle of roof tiles as they shattered.

"Give me the jewel, human, and maybe I won't eat you," the oni rumbled.

Kouga stepped forward, his hand on his sword. "That's my jewel and my woman, you ugly beast," he sneered.

Kagome took a deep breath, hastily stuffed the jewel fragment she held into the only safe place she could think of--her bra--and reached for an arrow.

"You're both wrong," she said, her voice squeaking a little. "It's my jewel, and you're in our way. Please move." She nocked the arrow and aimed, drawing the bow.

Kouga threw her a quick admiring glance, then turned his attention back to the oni. "You heard my woman. Move it, ugly."

The oni snarled, which transformed its expression from scary to downright horrifying, and stepped forward. It began to raise its club.

Kagome adjusted her aim, and concentrated. "Go!" she told the nocked arrow, half a prayer and half a defiant shout, and released it.

It struck the oni square between the eyes in a blaze of purification energy.

"Good shot, Kagome!" Kouga said exuberantly, as the arrow flared. The great bulk of the oni toppled slowly sideways. "Now, come on!"

"Thank you, Kouga-kun," Kagome said, breathlessly. She didn't add: I was actually aiming for its heart.

Good enough was good enough, she told herself, hastily slinging the bow securely over one shoulder, where it bumped awkwardly against the heavy quiver.

She let Kouga grab her hand and pull her along as they squeezed around the rapidly-disintegrating bulk of the purified oni, and went through the gate.

Another courtyard lay beyond, also undamaged. They were getting farther and farther away from main courtyard…and the gate leading to outside.

Behind them came the thud and crash of more walls coming down.

"He's gaining on us!" gasped Kagome. Even with Kouga towing her, she was having a hard time keeping up. Her sock-clad feet were bruised from the stones and debris, and a stitch was starting to burn in her side.

Kouga glanced down at her without breaking stride, his blue eyes serious. "I don't suppose you want to return my shards?"

Kagome shook her head. "I-I'm sorry," she panted, "But they've melded with rest of the jewel. And I don't want to break it again."

"Hn." He frowned, and Kagome wondered if he would try to take the jewel fragments away from her by force.

But no…he'd never…would he? Her thoughts tumbled against one another as she tried to force her tired legs to move faster.

Kouga just kept running tirelessly, pulling her along.

Another gateway, another unfamiliar courtyard, this one spread with muddy straw and smelling of horses and manure.

"Kouga-kun, we're heading the wrong way!"

He stopped, looked up at the sun and the many-storied bailey towering above them. "You're right. Shit."

He stepped close, and put his arm around her waist again.

"K-kouga--" Kagome began to protest, just as he said, "Time to find another way outta here!"

He sprang upward, carrying her with him, and landed on the roof of a wooden stable that leaned up against an inner wall. The uneasy whickering of horses floated upwards from inside the building. Another effortless leap, and they were balancing on the top of a wall.

Steadied by Kouga's arm, Kagome looked around the shattered maze of courtyards and outbuildings that surrounded the central bailey. Half the castle looked as if it had been hit by a bomb--many of the outbuildings lay in ruins, and the main courtyard was reduced to heaps of rubble.

Beyond the gates lay a large cleared slope of land. And parked in the middle of the clearing, looking utterly and absurdly out-of-place was--

"A car!" Kagome exclaimed. How did it get here? It had to mean her friends were nearby! "We've got to get over there--"

"Found you!" snarled Envy. His great, fanged dragon's head rose up over a nearby wall.

ooOoo

"You want me to…wait here and guard the automobile," Souta repeated, slowly, shameful relief warring with hurt pride.

Edward was drawing a transmutation circle on the back of Souta's left hand, the quick strokes of his fountain pen scratching lightly over Souta's skin.

"It's important," he insisted, but his gaze wouldn't quite meet Souta's.

"Important," repeated Souta again, ignoring the sensible voice in his head that was insisting that yes, it would be a very good idea to stay far, far away from anything that could cause the amount of damage recently inflicted on the nearby castle.

Especially since Souta was currently armed only with an inked alchemy pattern on the back of his hand, a tiny fragment of a mystical jewel, and, oh yes, a small device resembling a Bunsen burner striker that Edward had transmuted for him using Miroku's flint and steel.

"We'd be screwed if--" Edward's glance slid sideways, to where Inuyasha stood impatiently, "um, when, we find Kagome and the jewel but someone got here first and took our ride outta here."

He finished the circle, and reached for Souta's right hand to repeat the process.

"And so I am expected to wait here while a sixteen-year-old girl," he pointed at Sango with his chin, "and your little brother go and fight?" His voice rose with indignation at the last, and he fought to control himself.

"Look," Edward said, impatiently. "They're both trained for hand-to-hand combat. Sango's good--I sparred with her myself while Inuyasha was recovering. And Al--well, he usually wins against me, even when I'm going all-out."

The tip of his fountain pen dug into Souta's skin a little harder than Edward had perhaps intended, and Souta bit back a cry of pain. "Kagome's my niece, and I should--"

"Just do as you're told, Kagome's uncle," Inuyasha interrupted. "And stay with the fucking iron carriage. You know how to make it work, so if either of these two foreign bastards--" he jerked his head at Edward and Alphonse, "get themselves killed, you're going to have to get Kagome and the others outta here."

Edward's plan was surprisingly sensible: their group was to split up into teams of two to search the castle, armed with whistles that Alphonse had transmuted from wood. If anyone found Kagome, or encountered the dragon, they were to signal the others, and then either stand and fight or run like hell, depending on what the circumstances dictated.

Souta was the least experienced and weakest of the group, so he was going to stay behind.

Except no one had bothered to ask him what he wanted to do, he thought sulkily.

His voice of reason countered that Inuyasha and Edward were both right--Souta might not be skilled in fighting or alchemy, but he did know how to drive a car, a decidedly rare skill in the sixteenth century.

But it was still humiliating.

Souta reined in his pride and waited until Edward had finished inking the simple transmutation circle on his right hand. Then, very carefully as not to smear the still-wet ink on his skin, he reached into his waistcoat pocket and fished out his jewel shard.

"Here," he said, offering it to Edward. "You'll need this more than I will."

Edward's face reddened, and he suddenly become preoccupied in carefully screwing the cap back on to his fountain pen.

"You keep it," he said roughly. "I still haven't figured out how--I mean, I'll be sticking close to Al, and we can share his. We make a good team, you know." His odd golden eyes rose to meet Souta's at last. "And you've already learned more about alchemy than I thought you would--you might be able to use it to defend yourself if, uh, any youkai try to steal the car."

Souta gave him a small, respectful bow. "All right, sensei," he said, only half-teasing. "I'll try not to shame your teachings if I have to transmute something."

Ed grinned back at him. "Here's hoping that you get bored waiting for us. But if you have to fight, try not to wreck the car, okay?"

"Are you two gonna stand around and blab all day?" Inuyasha was all but bouncing on his bare, calloused heels. "There's something going on over there--I can hear it. If it wasn't for the dragon-stink cloaking this place, I'd already have found Kagome and kicked Envy's ass--"

"--by yourself. Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," Edward called back, clearly not intimidated by the hanyou's glare. He rose from his kneeling position and looked down at Souta. "Be careful with trying the fire alchemy. It's...tricky. I'd go with transmuting a shield or another kind of weapon, first."

Souta nodded. "Good luck, Edward. Find my niece...and the dragon. My brothers are waiting for my return," he said, with as much calm dignity as he could muster, given that his palms were sweaty and his mouth dry with nerves.

He watched the odd group depart, their steps squelching across the muddy clearing, and wondered if Kagome was even still alive.

ooOoo

By agreement, they split up after passing through the main gates. Alphonse and Edward followed the walls around to the left to begin their search, and Sango and the monk went to the right, disappearing around the corner of a half-demolished building.

Inuyasha lingered in the main courtyard, trying to catch some scent, some clue as to what happened here.

He heard the distant sounds of dull thudding, male shouts, and the faint neighing of frightened horses, and tried to pinpoint their location, but it was impossible, distorted as the sounds were by multiple echoes from the maze of courtyards and passages surrounding the castle's central tower.

Where the hell was Kagome? She's alive, he told himself, despite the presence of several human corpses flung like a child's toys. They had been guardsmen, by the looks of them, armed and armored. And now they were very, very dead. She's got to be alive, and around here somewhere.

And both his hearing and his sense of smell weren't going to be much help in this place.

Damn the pervasive blanketing stink! Even the scents of recent blood and death were drowned in the overwhelming musky stench of dragon.

And where the hell was that wimpy wolf? Kouga should have arrived here hours ago, and as much as it galled Inuyasha to admit this, the wolf would have never left without Kagome.

Maybe they'd already escaped. Maybe Inuyasha and his companions were wasting his time here, surrounded by death and destruction, while Kouga took Kagome back to his mountain den, and….

Trying to quash this unsettling train of thought, Inuyasha stalked through the courtyard cursing silently and kicking bits of trash out of the way.

Kagome wouldn't just leave without at least saying goodbye, he told himself. She wasn't that kind of person, and they were friends, if nothing else.

No help for it, then. He'd have to search every inch of this miserable heap of rubble, and hope that Kagome--and the dragon--were still around here somewhere.

He had nearly completed his search of the area when a scrap of bloodied fur half-hidden by a heap of rubble caught his eye. It looked familiar--like one of Kouga's shin-guards, actually.

Inuyasha stooped and lifted the piece of fur to his nose. A quick sniff confirmed that it was indeed Kouga's.

His heart sinking, Inuyasha began to examine the scattered corpses more carefully. The youkai bodies were rapidly turning to dust, but if Kouga was among them, at least his characteristic kilt and armor would remain behind.

The arrogant wolf hadn't been a friend of his, not by a long shot, but Inuyasha found himself praying that Kouga hadn't been defeated and killed.

Because if he was dead, then what had happened to Kagome?

Another sound, this one a thudding crash like a collapsing wall, caught his attention.

Inuyasha began to run, trying vainly to figure out where the distant racket was coming from.

ooOoo

"Up ahead--the wall, Kouga-kun!" Kagome pointed at a breach in the castle's outer fortification.

He had given up trying to tow her along, and she was now riding piggy-back as he ran.

Even without the shards powering his legs, Kouga was every bit as fast as Inuyasha, and could make the same huge, effortless leaps over obstacles, but the ride was nowhere near as comfortable. For one thing, there was the armor, which bumped and bruised. And he was holding onto her legs much too tightly, his claws digging into the tender skin on the inside of her knees.

And he didn't smell right. Kagome missed the comforting feel of Inuyasha's fire-rat robes, his soft hair, and his scent.

She was being silly and ungrateful, she told herself, as Kouga raced for the exit. Kouga-kun had just saved her life several times in the last hour.

If it wasn't for him, she would have had no chance at all of outrunning their pursuer.

The dragon was drawing closer, using its great length to crawl up and over the walls separating the courtyards, heedless of what he crushed or toppled in his pursuit.

With a giant leap, Kouga sailed over the heap of broken stone that marked the gap in the outer walls.

He landed in the cleared ground outside the castle with a squelch and a spray of mud, skidded a little, trying to keep his balance with Kagome on his back, then found his stride again.

Behind them, Envy roared with triumph. Kagome heard the whoosh of his wingbeats, and realized that they had made a mistake leaving the castle. Out here, in the open, the dragon could take to the air and simply out-fly them.

Kouga must have come to the same realization, because she felt his pace increase. She clung to his shoulders for dear life, the bow and quiver bouncing against her back and shoulders, adding a whole new set of bruises to her already beaten body.

Then she saw Uncle Souta, standing by the car, apparently alone. Her heart sank.

Where are the others? Where is Inuyasha?

Souta caught sight of them, raised a whistle to his lips, and blew three sharp blasts. A pause, and he repeated the signal. And a third time, the bursts sounding rather desperate as they drew closer.

"Come on! Hurry!" he shouted, waving at them.

Kouga ran, his powerful strides throwing up large splashes of muddy water with each step.

Just as they neared the car, a familiar, hated voice said, "Why, if it isn't Kagome? I assume you've come for the same thing I have?"

It was Naraku, floating serenely in mid-air, deceptively handsome in flowing robes and trousers.

Several things happened at once.

Kouga came to a complete halt.

"Naraku, you bastard!" he shouted, dumping Kagome unceremoniously to her feet.

Naraku smirked down at him, his dark gaze lingering on Kouga's recently-wounded legs. "I see the dragon also robbed you of what was yours, wolf-prince."

Envy arrived at that moment. Kagome saw him hesitate momentarily as he caught sight of Naraku.

Then he went for Kouga, jaws wide and slavering, wings folded, his clawed forefeet throwing up clumps of grass and moist earth as he landed.

The wolf-prince dove and tried to roll out of the way. But Envy caught him in his jaws, and Kagome heard an unearthly screech of metal as the dragon's fangs skidded across Kouga's breastplate.

With a flick of his head, he sent Kouga flying across the clearing, and into a large tree.

"Usurping thief!" Naraku said, unleashing a blast of miasma at Envy.

The dragon gave a contemptuous chuckle, which quickly turned to hoarse paroxysms of coughing as the poisonous cloud surrounded him. The coughing fit distracted Envy long enough for Naraku to thrust a long bone spike into the dragon's side.

Envy screamed in surprise and rage as the weapon easily penetrated his scales. Apparently losing the jewel had weakened his defenses considerably.

And if that was true for Envy, then the same must also be true for Naraku, who had previously made himself nearly-invulnerable using his large fragment of the Jewel.

The fragment that was currently resting against Kagome's heart, tucked securely inside her miko's blouse.

It's now or never, thought Kagome, unslinging her bow and grabbing for an arrow out of her quiver.

Her spiritual powers might not work against Envy, but Naraku was a whole different matter.

She nocked, aimed, and drew.

"GO!" she shouted, putting all of her will into the arrow, as it arched up, up, up...and struck Naraku in the torso as he twisted away at the last minute.

The lower half of his body exploded in a fiery flare of purification energy, and he screamed.

Dense clouds of miasma billowed, surrounding and concealing his wounds.

Envy, still coughing, and his scales shiny with dark blood around the spear embedded in his side, reached Naraku with a single beat of his wings.

His jaws snapped, and Naraku's left arm disappeared below the elbow in a spray of dark matter and a gruesome crunch.

Naraku abruptly levitated upwards, one tattered silk sleeve hanging empty.

"Another time," he snarled down at them. "I will recover the Jewel. Count on it!"

Then he was gone, streaking towards the shelter of the trees like a dark comet, miasma trailing his wake.

Kagome sent another arrow his way, but it fell short as Naraku sped away.

"Why, thank you for your help, little girl," Envy said, turning his attention back to her. "For that, I'll kill you quickly, instead of dismembering you slowly, like I'd planned."

ooOoo

"KAGOME!" Souta heard Inuyasha's shout, and saw the red-clad figure leap to the top of the castle walls.

He must have heard the signal, Souta thought. All the gods be thanked!

Souta saw Envy's ugly head draw back, jaws widening, as Kagome reached for another arrow.

Her bowstring twanged, and the dragon screamed, an arrow sprouting from its eye. Envy lunged forward, and Kagome ducked with a scream.

His jaws closed over her quiver and pulled, jerking her up, dangling her like a puppet a foot off the ground.

Horrified, Souta watched her struggle. He felt rooted to the spot, his stomach filled with a giant icy lump of sheer terror. He was dizzy with panic and conflicting desires to flee and to fight. I have to save Kagome! But how?

Then the strap of Kagome's quiver broke, sending arrows tumbling over the wet ground, and she fell to the ground. She scrabbled frantically away on all fours, her red hakama and white blouse now thickly coated with mud, and dove around the other side of the car.

Transmute a weapon, Edward had advised. But what kind of weapon could he possibly wield, to repel a monstrously large creature like a dragon?

Even fire alchemy wouldn't do much more than annoy it, thought Souta.

And Inuyasha was still too far away.

At least Envy was still ignoring him for now, in favor of playing cat and mouse with Kagome.

Souta's eye fell upon the expanse of churned mud and puddles before him, and inspiration struck.

Water was composed of hydrogen and oxygen. Electrolysis of water was a simple method of producing hydrogen.

And hydrogen gas was highly flammable and would burn at concentrations of 4% or more in air.

He could do it!

Souta threw himself to his knees and placed one of his transmutation circle-marked hands carefully over the nearest puddle of water. His other hand closed around the pulsing shard of the jewel in his pocket.

He concentrated, willing its energies into the act of decomposition.

Blue energy crackled all around him, and the ground in Souta's immediate vicinity instantly dried up into bare, cracked earth.

Equations flowed past in his mind's eye, as he estimated the amounts of gas yielded per liter of water, calculated gas ratios and how rapidly the hydrogen gas, being lighter than air, would rise. He needed to ensure that Envy was completely enveloped for his plan to work...

Now. He pulled out the improvised flint-and-steel striker, and clicked it.

The world disappeared in a mighty roar of flame, and a wave of heat so intense that it felt like an icy blast of wind.

 

Canon and Historical Notes

oni - an ogre or evil giant youkai

sensei - respectful term for a teacher

A discussion with feanorian on LiveJournal sparked the idea of what might happen if an alchemist ever tried splitting an atom. I decided to pull back from that idea a bit, but I wanted to give credit where credit was due for inspiration.

As always, thanks to Ginny, aka kokoronagomu, for beta-reading!