InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Darkness ❯ Echoes of the Past ( Chapter 8 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

 

Echoes of the Past

 

Kagome stood against the wall, watching the demons below fight with their psychic powers. The ring, by this point, was pretty much trashed.

There were explosions going off left and right while neither demon moved. It was actually pretty entertaining to watch, considering she could actually see the small, invisible creatures actually creating the explosions.

“Okay, enough of this!” the smaller of the two yelled.

Suddenly, all of the creatures around him blasted forward and his opponent was no more.

The announcer called his name and Kagome smirked. It was a good feeling to predict results and be right.

The next five matches went about the same, and by the end, Kagome was giddy with getting the end result right every single fight. Her senses were somehow increased tenfold, and she could sense the powers that the demons had, including the ones they were hiding.

“And that's the end of the third round! There will be an hour intermission before the fourth round starts with Team Urameshi and Team Tsuki!”

The stadium cleared out and Kagome walked to the ring, sighing.

“I do look forward to your other new abilities, Kagome,” Naraku's voice said from behind her.

“I doubt that. I'm saving a few special ones, just for you.”

“Oh? Like the powers you used to kill those filthy beasts that I beat before coming for you? I believe you said that was fifty percent of your power, right?”

“No. That was just letting loose. I didn't use any actual powers there.”

“Oh? I believe you used that dog's sword to bring their corpses back to life. That was an act worthy of my cruelty, I may add.”

“That wasn't a power, and you can rot in hell. I'm nothing like you, you bastard.”

“Ah, is that so? I wonder if your teammates would agree.”

“You can't use that as a threat, Naraku. Everybody important to me, you killed.”

“Oh, but that's simply not true. What about those children you take care of? Or that hybrid? Or the old hag, for that matter?”

“Genkai could kill you in a second, and who I'm attracted to is none of your concern. As for my children, I doubt you'll touch them, because we both know that your death will be an eternity of agony and suffering before it's over if you do,” she stated matter-of-factly.

“Ah, but you underestimate me, dear Kagome. With those little brats in my control, you'd hardly be able to do anything to me.”

Kagome turned around and vaguely noticed her teammates, as well as Naraku's, watching intently.

“Tell me, if you're so sure of yourself, Naraku, why you're using a puppet right now.”

The puppet's eyes widened as a claw separated its body and head before blue flames erupted along its entirety.

“So, you're his new spawn, huh?” he asked the surprised-looking team. Her eyes locked on the tallest one and fangs grew. “You, I've been very much hoping were here.”

“Oh?” he asked. “Miss me?”

“By a few inches, last time. I'll make sure I don't make that mistake again. That, you can count on.”

“You're less pure than I remember,” the tall, older Kanna stated, looking at her. “I wonder if you can still damage my mirror.”

“Want to find out?” she asked as a bow and arrow materialized in her outstretched hands.

The man in the cloak began laughing and she growled.

“Something funny?”

“You! It's hilarious! Naraku went on about how you were such a disgustingly pure miko, and yet look at you! It's so damn funny I might have to kill something.”

His small, slanted blue eyes locked on her and immediately, he was serious.

“I don't like that look,” he said in a deeper voice.

“If your master wants to fight before this tournament is over, all he has to do is say so,” she said to Kanna without taking her eyes off the tall man, Kurasa. “Make sure to tell him that. And I'm looking forward to ensuring that he's dead this time.”

The team collectively snarled, and Kagome smirked.

“Wow. Really? Not a single one of you hates him? Huh. I guess he got the mind control thing down after Juromaru, Kaguromaru, Hakudoshi, Akago, and Kagura, huh?”

The long list of treasonous incarnations made Kanna growl.

“You know, they were all supposed to be my charges. Who do you think got punished for every one of their betrayals?”

“I'd feel sympathy for you if you hadn't, on more than one occasion, tried to steal my soul. Now then, unless some of you want to die prematurely, get out of my sight.”

Their eyes widened as, on the last word, she let some of her youki flare and the bright sun above was choked out by the darkness around her. They quickly vanished and the power disappeared.

“Damn that felt good,” she sighed before lying down next to the ring.

“You're a fool to so easily threaten the enemy,” Hiei's voice said above her. She cracked one of her eyes open to stare at the apparition, who was sitting on the edge of the ring.

“A fool will always make foolish decisions, but when you have the ability to back your claims with proof, then it's not foolish,” Kagome countered wisely.

“Hn.”

“So, who wants to question me now?” she asked, feeling the other three staring at her.

“Why are you able to speak with that demon when you supposedly hate him?”

“Because I can try to figure out what his endgame is if I talk to him. He's an evil bastard, but he just loves to ramble on about his genius. I can probably figure out what he's planning if I can push the right buttons.”

“And you somehow know he's got a plan, right?” Yusuke asked suspiciously.

“You might not trust me. Hell, you probably shouldn't. But regardless of that, or maybe because of it, know that if you insinuate that I'm on his side, then I won't hesitate to hurt you.”

“Then how, exactly, do you know he has a plan?” Kurama asked before the detective said something stupid.

“He always has a plan. Even his random, chaotic attacks were part of some plan or another in the Feudal Era. And I don't doubt that he somehow knew I'd be here, which means he came here wanting to fight, which means he has a plan,” she concluded.

A soft pulse of white energy formed from Kagome's chest and her eyes widened. Suddenly, she sensed a familiar power source nearby. Without thinking, she jumped up and vanished. When she reached the jewel shard's location, she found a man draped in black standing in front of her.

“Who are you?” she asked.

The man lunged forward and swung at her with a claw. He quickly began chasing her with more ferocious swings each time he went to strike.

“Why do you have a jewel shard?”

The man continued to swing at her without making a comment.

“Don't mind if I just take it!”

Kagome ducked under his claw and reached into his cloak. Her fingers almost wrapped around the small crystal of power when he jumped back. And, as he jumped back, his cloak fell away.

“W… What?” she asked, staring at the man's golden eyes.

A cruel smile spread across his face and he lunged for her again.

“I really hate illusions!”

Kagome began to swing her own claw only to find her hand stopped itself an inch from his throat. He reached forward and gently petted her head, making her eyes widen.

“You're not him! Don't touch me!” she screamed as she grabbed his wrist. When he pulled back, she swung a claw at his red uniform. The part holding the last jewel shard fell to the ground and she quickly pulled it to her with the wind. The jewel shard fell into her hand and she smiled victoriously.

“I don't know how stupid you are, but bringing the only remaining jewel shard to me was a very bad idea. And on top of that, you smell like Naraku.”

She grabbed her sword and swung in one quick movement.

“Wind Scar!”

Youki exploded outward and the demon quickly erected a barrier around his Inuyasha illusion.

“What's wrong, Kagome? Aren't you happy to see me again?” he asked in Inuyasha's voice. “And to attack me with my own sword, too! Have you lost your mind, wench!?”

Kagome's eyes widened as the Tetsusaiga pulsed, apparently as angry as she was.

“You're not him! I watched him die! I have his soul inside of me! You're going to suffer!” she yelled before the sword flashed black. “Enjoy wherever the hell you end up, you bastard! Meidou Zangetsuha!”

She swung and the illusion vanished in the black hole that was formed.

“Now come out, you coward!”

Power filled the clearing and suddenly, out of the trees, every one of her friends stumbled out of the trees, making her eyes bleed red.

“Something the matter, Kagome?” Miroku asked, making her fangs lengthen.

“Listen up, you bastard,” she said to where she knew the illusionist was. “Make them go away and stop pissing me off and I promise I'll make your death quick. I may not be completely sane, but I know who's dead, and these illusions are making your life shorten rapidly.”

A small chuckle came from the air and she snarled.

Suddenly, she heard something whipping through the air and she blocked the massive boomerang that was coming at her. A small burst of power warned her to what was coming next and she gasped.

“Damn!”

“Wind Tunnel!”

A massive vortex of air began to pull her and she snarled.

“You're not Miroku! How do you have his power!?”

The monk's illusion smirked and the pulling force of the wind increased. Just then, she heard a loud sound to her right and gasped as the massive boomerang flew into her side. She was flung into a tree and her vision slightly dimmed.

“Damn… it…”

A claw went around her throat and she stared up at the blurry image of Inuyasha, smiling cruelly down at her.

“What's the matter, Kagome? Not so tough without me around, are you?”

“Screw you,” she bit out.

“I would, but you look so much better,” he whispered, his mouth an inch from her ear.

Her eyes widened as she felt a claw reach down into her armor and grab her breast.

“You bastard! Let me go!”

He smirked as he began to pull the material covering her chest down.

“I'll fucking kill you!” she yelled.

“Oh, but I'm already dead, Kagome. And you certainly didn't help.”

He slightly dug into her soft flesh and she winced at the blood that came forth. That's when she remembered the Tetsusaiga, and she snarled furiously.

“Iron Reaver!”

She brought her hand down across his face and he jumped back with a yelp.

“Wind Tunnel!”

She reached down and lifted her blade as the vortex formed again.

“You twisted bastards should have just left well enough alone!” she snarled as she smashed her blade down into the ground, along with Inuyasha. “Wind Scar!”

The ground exploded and hit the Miroku illusion.

“That's enough!”

She jumped high into the air and snarled.

“MEIDOU ZANGETSUHA!” she yelled at the top of her lungs as she swung the sword in a complete arc over the enemies. A massive black hole formed and then, everything nearby was gone in a massive, sparking explosion of energy.

The entire forest was gone to wherever she'd thrown the enemies, and she smirked.

“Take that, you bastard,” she snarled before pulling her armor back on.

Suddenly, something formed next to her and wrapped around her throat. She looked to her side and glared at the small man choking her.

“Those were some of my best creations, you bitch.”

Kagome swung her blade and its motion was stopped as he put his other hand in front of it, completely cutting it off.

“You know, you probably should have brought your friends with you.”

“I don't have any friends,” she choked out.

“No? Well then, I guess my creations bothering you was just in my imagination. I wonder, though. What would your reaction be if I were one of your teammates doing this?”

His body suddenly shapeshifted and now, it was Kurama choking her. She smirked.

“Something funny?”

“Yeah. Kitsune are too intelligent to kill by choking someone to death. You'd have to do better than that.”

He frowned and suddenly, the body changed again. This time, it was Kuwabara choking her. Her smirk grew into a complete smile.

“He's too nice to kill someone this way. Not that you can kill me. This is amusing, though. Who's next?”

He growled and the body changed to that of Yusuke.

“There you go! Now him, I can believe would kill someone by choking them.”

“Shut up, you traitorous bitch!” he snarled in Yusuke voice.

“Oh, wow! You know, you can put on a pretty good freak show with talent like that,” Kagome said with an arrogant smirk. “Well, this is all amusing and all, but I think that I should probably get back to the ring.”

Yusuke's other hand went around her throat and Kagome's eyes widened as youki began to eat at her skin.

“I'll kill you!”

Kagome grabbed his forehead and suddenly, his body exploded with his own youki.

“What!?”

“Stupid demon. If it had been three years ago, I probably would've broken down crying, but it's hard to use those things against others when they no longer feel connections to people. Well, thanks for the jewel shard,” she said before swinging the Tetsusaiga. His body fell in half and she sighed.

She pulled the small orb out from under her armor and placed the newly acquired shard in the only spot remaining. A massive column of pink energy exploded upward from the jewel and wrapped around Kagome.

“I wonder how a demon like that got the jewel shard, though,” she sighed.

“Why, that's very simple. I gave it to him,” Naraku said behind her. His hand snaked forward and wrapped around the jewel. “How does it feel to be so easily fooled, koromiko?”

The jewel began to glow purple and Kagome growled. Suddenly, a burst of power filled the air and before them stood a young woman, taking in their position with curiosity.

“Hello, Kagome,” she said softly.

“Umm… Hello, Midoriko…”

“So, the jewel is finally complete then?”

Kagome nodded and the miko looked at the two.

“Well, since there are two of you, each one of you gets a wish, I guess…”

Before Naraku could talk, Kagome smirked.

“I know it's a selfish wish, but I wish that he cannot wish for anything.”

Naraku's eyes widened along with Midoriko's.

“Really? You aren't going to wish for your friends to be brought back from the dead or for the jewel to be destroyed?”

“As long as the jewel doesn't cause any further harm, I don't really care if my soul is damned,” she said sincerely.

Midoriko's eyes closed and a small smile formed on her lips.

“Very well then. Your wish shall be granted. Because your wish was a selfless one, the jewel will be destroyed and Naraku cannot further use it for evil purposes.”

Kagome's eyes widened at that, making Midoriko smirk.

“Why the surprise? Your wish was that the jewel could not be used for evil. That's a selfless wish, and you were even willing to damn your soul in your thinking that it wasn't.”

The jewel flashed bright white and vanished from Kagome's hand while Naraku staggered back.

Midoriko stepped closer to Kagome and whispered while Naraku, who had no more reason to be there, turned and disappeared.

“Thank you for freeing me, Kagome. Though, I have to wonder if you'd planned that.”

“Hey, after fighting him so long, I picked up the art of being devious,” Kagome said with a shrug. “And it worked.”

“I suppose so. Well, I have to be going to the afterlife, now. Just, two things before I go. Everyone feels vengeance. Feeling it doesn't make you impure, as you seem to think. That being said, you shouldn't let it completely rule your life.”

“If Naraku's alive, I can't let anything else distract me,” Kagome sighed.

“It's true. Many connections can be distracting. But think about Inuyasha. Having a lack of a connection to him may have lead to the miserable end he received. Perhaps if either of you had moved on it, you could've been happy, at least for a little bit.”

“What are you saying?”

“I believe you know what I'm saying. And you shouldn't feel guilty for being attracted to another. Inuyasha was irreplaceable, but that doesn't mean you don't deserve another being for comfort and love.”

Kagome blushed and she looked down at the ground.

“It's not like I'm that attracted to him… It just kind of started in that cave…”

“Yes, well, that may be true as well. But my point remains, Kagome.”

“I'll keep that in consideration… So, what was the other thing you wanted to tell me?”

“Oh, right… While the jewel itself has been destroyed, the power in it would be impossible to get rid of.”

“Alright… So where did it go?”

“You, of course. Your power will be increased a thousandfold now.”

Kagome's eyes widened, and Midoriko smiled.

“You are its protector, of course. So it's only natural that the indestructible power of my soul would become part of you.”

Kagome looked at the ground and let her bangs cover her eyes.

“Midoriko, let me ask you something… I recently realized that I'm like Kikyo with all of the souls inside of me… How do I put my families' souls to rest?”

Midoriko reached forward and gently lifted Kagome's chin, making Kagome's teary eyes meet with her own.

“Their souls already are at rest. They were put to rest when they died.”

“Then how-”

“All of their powers, all of their knowledge, and all of their abilities were passed on to you as their souls would never be returning to this plane. They wanted to leave their closest friend, or love in Inuyasha's case, with their earthly possessions, including their families.”

Kagome's body shook and she suddenly embraced the ancient miko's soul.

“Thank you, Midoriko…”

“Now, I believe you should go. Your fight started.”

Kagome's eyes widened as she felt her teammates' power flaring. That's when she noticed that, judging by the daylight, that she'd been in the clearing for at least an hour.

Midoriko's form began to glow with a brilliant blue light and then, she was gone…

 

Everyone stepped up to the ring.

“Where the hell did that bitch go!?” Yusuke growled.

“Perhaps it would have been intelligent to have someone follow her,” Kurama sighed.

“Hn. Either way, we will be fighting without her for a while, it seems,” Hiei said, his Jagan taking in the fight the girl was in. He didn't know exactly who the people she was fighting were, but they seemed to be having a rather adverse affect on her.

“These guys seem pretty tough, but I don't think they're anything we can't beat,” Kuwabara said as he observed their opponents' energies.

“Yes, well they are in the fourth round, so it would be best not to be too incautious of them,” Kurama noted as he observed their opponents' cocky expressions.

“Does anyone else notice that they, too, are missing a member?” Hiei observed.

“Yes, that is rather troubling.”

“Don't worry, he's busy. We won't need him to beat you, anyway,” a small crocodile demon sneered.

“And what exactly is he `busy' doing?” Kurama asked.

“Oh, some hanyo gave him some jewel and told him to kill that little whore on your team.”

Hiei's eyes widened at that, and both Kurama and Yusuke noticed.

“A hanyo, you say?”

That's when he saw the kurohanyo from before in a massive crater next to Kagome. And in her hand was a massive, glowing orb.

“I believe your teammate has just expired.”

The crocodile demon smirked.

“I doubt that, Forbidden Child. That slut doesn't stand a chance against my brother.”

Hiei smirked at that.

“Your arrogance is rather amusing.”

`Perhaps you would like to fill us in, Hiei?' Kurama's voice said in his head.

“Hn.”

“Fighters, take your places!” the announcer yelled.

The crocodile demon stepped up onto the ring and Hiei smirked before he, too, stepped up.

“And now, the final match of the fourth round, Team Urameshi versus Team Tsuki! Hiei versus Ryusa, begin!” the announcer yelled.

The crocodile demon's long jaws opened as a swirling ball of youki formed within. He bit down and it shot outward, making Hiei jump out of the way.

“Fool,” Hiei sighed as he formed behind the demon and swung his blade. It hit his scaly hide and bounced backward.

“Fool. My skin's too tough for your wimpy little sword to beat.”

“Well then, I guess I'll just have to kill you other ways.”

The demon smirked as Hiei threw a fireball at him. It hit him and was nothing but smoke afterward.

It opened its mouth again and a massive ball of youki shot out at Hiei. Despite it being nearly point-blank, he easily dodged the attack.

Unfortunately, the attack continued, and spun mid-air to attack him again.

“Moonlight Oblivion!”

The ball shot at a speed almost too fast for Hiei to follow and smashed into his forehead. Suddenly, he was blind save for a few shadows here and there.

“Ha! That should teach you to be arrogant, you little bastard!”

A sharp, stabbing pain filled Hiei as the crocodile clamped down on his abdomen. Blood dripped to the ring as a loud chorus of cheers erupted throughout the stadium.

“Oh, wow! Ryusa has bitten Hiei! I wonder if that was a smart move,” the announcer yelled. Just then, Hiei grabbed both sides of the demon's head and smirked.

“Who is arrogant?”

The crocodile's eyes widened as the apparition's hand went down into his open jaw. Just as he began to clamp down, a massive fire shot outward and his body melted internally, falling to the ground as ashes.

“Umm… Winner Hiei!”

Hiei walked the way he remembered the edge of the ring was and jumped down, trying to clear his vision.

“Hiei, are you alright?” Yusuke's voice asked.

“Hn. I'm not too weak to fight, detective, if that's what you're asking.”

“That's not what he was saying, Hiei,” Kurama sighed exasperatedly.

Laughing filled the other side of the ring.

“You know, without our fourth and fifth members, this may be rather boring. What do you say we three fight you three?”

Suddenly, a massive power filled the air and Hiei's head whipped around.

“Who said I'm not here?” a feminine voice asked.

“What!? That's impossible! Tsukihaku should've beaten you!”

A strange warmth suddenly rested on Hiei's forehead and he growled.

“Oh, stop being so dramatic and let me heal it.”

Power filled him the second he relaxed and his vision quickly returned from all three of his eyes.

“There you go,” she said with a smile. It vanished the second she looked at their opponents.

“So, which one of you was working with Naraku?”

All three stared at her blankly and she smirked.

“Alright then. I'll tell you what.”

She quickly turned to the four and whispered a question, which had all of them staring wide-eyed at her.

Reluctantly, all of them nodded and she turned back with a smirk.

“Alright, so my teammates don't have a problem. I'll fight all three of you simultaneously. If you win, then you win the match. But if you lose, we do.”

They stared at her like she was the most terrifying thing they'd ever seen.

“Umm… That's alright. You killed our boss. We're out.”

They spun and began running when suddenly, their bodies were ripped apart.

There was a shocked silence as a tall man dressed in a white suit walked out of the tunnel they'd been running toward.

“Excuse me, mademoiselle. It seems my… friends are too scared of you. But I, for one, would be more than happy to fight you.”

The power coming from his body made Kagome nervous.

“So, the same rules apply. We'll fight, and whoever wins will win the match. Deal?”

Kagome eyed him warily and a devilish smirk formed as he stepped up to the stage.

“Something the matter?”

“Something up, Kagome?” Yusuke asked.

“There's something off about his energy,” she whispered.

“If you'd like, I could allow your whole team to come up and help you if I make you nervous,” he said in a mocking tone.

“Do you believe that fighting him will be a problem?” Kurama asked.

“No… But he can summon something, and whatever it is, there's a lot of power behind it. I can probably fight him alone, but there's another power that I somehow can't read…”

“So?” Yusuke asked obliviously.

“I've been able to read every demon's power today throughout every fight. But for some reason, I can't figure out what his power is…”

“And this is a problem?” Kurama asked curiously.

“I don't like fighting blind. Too many situations where that lead to bad results came up…”

“Something the matter?” the man asked, obviously enjoying their conversation. “Really, I have no problem with you bringing someone up to help you.”

“Oh, I know you don't,” Kagome bit out.

“Team Urameshi, pick your fighter,” the announcer sighed.

“His power is rather troubling,” Hiei said as he eyed the man on the ring. “I'll help you fight.”

With a nod, Kagome and Hiei jumped up to the ring.

“Oh? So you need someone's help?”

“You have help, so why not?” Kagome said, making his smirk wider.

“The final fight of the final match in the fourth round! Tsukiryuhaku versus Kagome and Hiei! Fight!”

The man, Tsukiryuhaku, smiled darkly. He slowly lifted his arms to either side of him and a dark, purple energy shot up around him.

“You know, that fool you killed was my brother.”

“And?” Kagome bit out.

“Oh, nothing. Just making conversation. You should know that the one that talked Naraku into giving him the shard was me. That hanyo and I go back several centuries.”

Kagome's eyes bled red at that.

“I see… You should know that he failed in his plan.”

“Did he? Oh, that's too bad. And what of the jewel?” he asked as the torrent of power around him increased.

“It's gone.”

“Well then, you really have no point in this world anymore, do you?”

Suddenly, Tsukiryuhaku clapped his hands together and the energy around him exploded. The ring suddenly disintegrated and a large, shadowy creature formed. Both Kagome and Hiei stared at the forming dragon with wide eyes.

“You know, one of my ancestors was a dragon that bitch miko sealed with her,” the man said darkly.

“Sorry about that, but it's got nothing to do with me,” she said as she lifted her fan.

“Oh no? I thought you were the Shikon no Tama's guardian miko,” he said, making her body stiffen. The entire audience began to fill with whispers and rage-filled yells.

“A miko!? Why the hell is a miko here!?”

“Kill her!”

Kagome eyed the man's cocky grin and sighed.

“Okay, you're good. So, what's the plan here? To make it so I can't sleep on this island?”

“Oh, of course not. After we're done, you'll be dead. But a loud, obnoxious audience is a very good distraction.”

The dragon wrapped around the man's body and he smirked as black eyes glared at its two enemies.

“Okay, this is bad, Hiei. You take the dragon and I'll take its master,” she whispered.

“Agreed,” he said as his sword was pulled from its sheath.

“Oh, shall we get started then?”

The dragon uncoiled itself from the man and launched through the air toward Kagome and Hiei. The two immediately separated and Kagome charged at the dragon's master.

“So, you're a dragon? Then let me show you a special little attack made for you. Dance of the Dragon!” she yelled as she swung her fan. The youki blasted outward and massive spirals of blade-like wind swung at him.

“Oh, that was rather rude,” he said as he landed a few feet away from her.

“You think so? Then I guess I'll have to try harder to make it rather painful!”

She lunged forward, swinging a claw at his throat.

There was an explosion of power behind them and she was distracted by the sight of Hiei wrapped in the jaws of the massive, purple dragon.

“Shouldn't worry about him,” a voice said next to her. Her eyes widened as a claw caught the side of her face. She smashed face-first into the ring and bounced high into the air with blood falling from her busted lips.

She quickly swung her fan and a large draft caught her body, stopping her momentum. Using the wall of air, she kicked off and flew down toward the ring.

As she passed the dragon, she hit it with a burst of purifying energy. With a pained roar, its jaws separated and Hiei jumped away.

“Onna, you should worry more about yourself,” he sighed before landing. “Sword of the Darkness Flame!”

His sword became engulfed in black energy and he launched forward. When the dragon met his sword, another surge of power formed and the dragon vanished in a light violet explosion.

Without having to worry about that, Kagome turned and faced her opponent again.

“Oh, so sure of yourselves,” he sighed. “Let me introduce you to my army,” he said before swinging his hand in an overhead arc. Several massive columns of his energy rose from the ground and transformed into even bigger dragons.

Hiei grabbed the wraps on his arm and smirked.

“Don't make me laugh, fool.”

The wraps fell from his skin and youki flared around his entire being. The dragons around Tsukiryuhaku launched forward and black flames engulfed Hiei's arm.

“Dragon of the Darkness Flame!”

The massive, black dragon from before launched through the air from around Hiei's arm and the purple dragons began to battle it.

“It's one dragon sided with a foolish half-breed against an army of dragons under a dragon! Your pathetic creature will lose,” the demon sneered as the purple dragons began to push Hiei's creature back.

“What!?” Hiei barked, his eyes narrowed in hate.

Kagome walked slowly to Hiei and put her hand in the dragon's flames. Suddenly, an incredible burst of golden energy entered the black power stream and the Dragon roared. Suddenly, the other dragons in its path were gone in one large chomp.

“No!”

The Dragon continued toward Tsukiryuhaku, who snarled.

“Don't trifle with me, you measly shadow of a beast!”

He swung his hand out and suddenly, the dragon's massive form exploded like broken glass.

Tsukiryuhaku's dark, black eyes glared at the two while Hiei gaped at where his creature had previously been.

“I'll kill you!”

Tsukiryuhaku's body exploded in a black energy as dark as a moonless night. Suddenly, the white suit around him was in ruins as his muscles tripled in size. His short, blond hair grew to be shoulder-length and midnight black. A long, curved horn grew from his forehead as two long, slender, gargoyle-like wings formed.

A forked, snake-like tongue left his mouth as his legs grew to be twice as long as before, making him enormous.

“I'm going to devour you for my ancestor,” he snarled as his long wings beat against the ground, lifting him into the air.

“Hiei, get back,” Kagome whispered. He stared at her like he was insane, but didn't miss the hard edge to her voice.

He quickly jumped to the edge of the ring as youki built around her.

“Your ancestor is one of the reasons I'm damned,” she said as a massive spray of fire and youki launched from the dragon's mouth. She dragged the Tetsusaiga from its sheath as the attack advanced. Youki began to wrap around her and she glared at the dragon with dark, scarlet eyes.

“I'm looking forward to killing Naraku. I really am,” she sighed as the energy got closer. “I've already released Midoriko from the jewel's evil, and now I'm going to finish what I started with Naraku before,” she snarled as the energy sped up its path toward her.

“This is for Midoriko, and my friends, and everyone that suffered because of that jewel,” she snarled. The spray reached her and she swung the large blade into the youki. “BACKLASH WAVE!”

A massive explosion of youki wrapped around the dragon's fire and shot upward in a spiral along with a massive surge of yellow energy.

The dragon released a loud, echoing scream as its own youki slowly tore him apart.

As the dragon fell to the ground, Kagome slowly walked toward it with the sword raised high over her head.

As soon as she was looming over him, a burst of purple energy shot up and she found herself in the jaws of no less than ten purple dragons.

“Don't make me laugh!”

She snarled and in one sweep of the blade, the dragons were no longer there, though the bloody wounds and pain remained.

“Now then, I'm going to give Naraku a little show of what I plan on doing to him,” she snarled before lifting the dragon by his throat. Green energy poured forth from her claw and slowly, the scaly flesh under her grip began to melt.

“Die!”

She threw him into the air and as he fell down, she swung her blade. It cleaved him in half and both parts of the dragon returned to his humanoid form, though his black eyes were now completely and utterly dim and lifeless.

“And that's only a little show,” she spat before turning around and jumping off of the stage, though she'd been almost the entire way to their opponents' side. As she landed, she looked up at the crowd. “And any of you weaklings that want to try to kill me, think about that,” she said while gesturing to the corpse with her massive sword. She then sheathed it and walked past her gaping teammates.

Hiei finally regained his posture and left the arena as the dragon's body erupted into blue flames.

“I'm… not really sure what just happened… but I think it's safe to say Team Urameshi moves on to the semi-finals,” the announcer said quietly. The oppressing silence in the audience was so strong that not a single demon made a sound as the team left.

“Kagome, what the fuck was that!?” Yusuke barked, though he didn't expect an answer anymore. So, he was surprised.

“It's called the Backlash Wave. It takes my enemy's youki and uses it against them,” she sighed.

“Quite the technique… This is one of your powers you've been hiding?”

“Not hiding. I just wasn't angry enough to use it.”

“I understand that he was our enemy, but what exactly did he do to anger you? He barely said a thing,” Kurama observed.

“And what was with that power boost you gave to Hiei's dragon?” Kuwabara asked. “That was one hell of a spike in energy.”

“He told me that his ancestor was one of the three demons that killed Midoriko. That made him the descendent to a demon that caused me a lot of agony over the years, and that made him someone I could never forgive.”

“Midoriko?”

“The miko that formed the Shikon no Tama with her soul as a way to seal the demons she was fighting.”

“That dragon called you its `guardian.' What was he talking about?”

“I was born with the jewel inside of me. If you want to know anything else, ask your boss. I don't care anymore,” Kagome said as she staggered into the woods. That's when the demons noticed the strong smell of blood trailing her.

“Oi! What the hell happened to you!?”

“Nothing important,” she said before her presence vanished…

 

A/N:

Okay, let me start by saying that I had a FANTASTIC time writing this chapter. I wanted to make a descendent of one of Midoriko's enemies, and I think I pulled that off well. Of course, that is my opinion, and I'd love to hear what others have to say about it.

Their opponent's name actually means something, for those who don't know. Tsuki means moon, ryu means dragon, and haku means spirit. So, his name, in kanji, would be Moon-dragon-spirit. Tada! The name fits, doesn't it?

Also, for anyone that doesn't understand, the Team Tsuki members were ripped apart by Tsukiryuhaku's massive youki.

So, tell me what you think of the plot so far! Tell me anything on your mind about my story. I hope you've enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it!