InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Displacement ❯ "You Are Welcome to Try" ( Chapter 9 )

Displacement

 

Chapter 9

 

“You Are Welcome to Try”

 

Inuyasha crossed his arms, impatient. Toga had called the procession to a halt around mid-day, and they had remained still while a human army on the horizon came closer. He was sure it was only a few minutes, maybe ten, but it was too long for him. A quick glance behind him confirmed what his ears picked up; the humans were pulling out iron and leather shields, taking out clothes to reveal the armor underneath. Yuka had whirled her hair into a bun, and Oinari had tied his robe tighter. Toga was as a statue and made not a single move.

 

Finally, the company of enemy soldiers halted. Most of them had large, bulky shields and spears and swords. It was a small army, only a hundred men or so. A few dozen were on horses. One of them rode forward and reared his horse a few feet in front of Toga, looking down at him.

 

“Identify yourselves!” he commanded. Toga looked up at him with a blank stare.

 

“By whose authority am I required to answer?” he replied. The rider glared.

 

“By the authority of Prince Liu Bang of Han, loyal servant to Lord Ying Zheng of Qin,” the rider snapped.

 

“Very well. I am Lord Toga of Japan, here on a expedition,” Toga said. “We desire not to fight or cause trouble. Let us pass and you will hear of us not again.” Inuyasha watched his father negotiate out of the corner of his eyes. The rider stared at Toga before lifting a hand. A soldier from the army stepped forward and held up a small box. The rider took it and opened it, withdrawing a small jade pendant.

 

“You will be allowed to pass, Lord Toga. If only you will indulge me,” the rider said, dangling the pendant in the air. “My son is a fool and bartered an entire bushel of millet for this mere trinket. I would like you to appraise it and see if you can determine more of its value than I could,” the rider finished, and Toga held out his hand. The rider smiled and tossed the pendant forward. Toga's hand moved to snatch it out of the air. As Inuyasha watched, the pendent flashed in his father's hand, and smoke began to curl up from his fist. Toga's eyes narrowed as he ground the jade to powder, the skin on his palm singed.

 

“That pendant, Lord Toga of the yaoguai, is but one sample of the holy powers the Han priestess possess,” the rider chuckled. Inuyasha began to growl as the army moved quickly to surround the small troupe. “We will give you a single chance to turn and return to Japan, or we shall cut you down now and leave but one of your men alive to tell tale of your defeat,” the rider threatened.

 

“You are welcome to try, and you shall receive the same courtesy from me when you fail,” Toga replied coolly. The rider let out a battle cry and reared his horse. Toga's hand whirled to his hip, and with a flash, the Tenseiga flashed through the air. The horse's head toppled to the ground as the rest of the body spasmed and the rider fell to the ground. Inuyasha stared in shock.

 

“The Tenseiga can cut?” he thought.

 

The signal was sent, and the army charged forward. Inuyasha spun and slashed, rending apart the armor of two soldiers and cleaving their spears in two. Another leapt over their bodies and he raised his sleeve to block his sword, being pushed back slightly. He found his back pressed up against something, and saw a stray tendril of red hair land on his shoulder.

 

“Now would be a good time to get over that killing humans crap,” Yuka snarled, slashing her sword and striking down a soldier. Inuyasha growled back in response and leapt, punching one soldier to the ground in mid-jump and kicking another as he landed. He spun around and stared at the battle. Oinari was…everywhere. A dozen or more copies of the kitsune littered the battlefield, sparring with the soldiers alongside Toga's men. Every now and then, one of the Oinaris vanished in a puff of smoke. But the kitsune's illusions were buying time and drawing attacks from the humans. Yuka was backflipping, leaping and perform all manner of acrobatics, effortlessly cutting down opponents.

 

But what surprised Inuyasha the most was his father. Toga was holding of what looked to be a dozen or more men by himself. In his right hand was the Tenseiga, and in the left was the untransformed Tetsusaiga, looking very much like the Tenseiga, a gleaming katana. If not for the youki bleeding off the Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha doubted he could tell the difference. Toga wielded the twin blades with the ease of a master swordsman, swinging and parrying attacks in the blink of an eye, then deflecting and counter-attacking. The blades flashed and waved in the air like liquid steel, but the look on Toga's face was one of absolute calm and confidence. The man was a slow-motion whirlwind of silver and white.

 

As Inuyasha watched, he realized that Toga's opponents were moving once stricken, and Toga's wrists flipped the swords milliseconds before they impacted to hit with the flat of the blade instead of the edge. He deflected a spear with Tetsusaiga and swung towards the soldier's face with the Tenseiga, twisting the blade and smacking him hard with the flat, sending him tumbling backwards with a cry but not seriously hurting him.

 

“He could wipe them out easily with one blast from the Tetsusaiga,” Inuyasha thought, turning back to his own battle. “So what is he doing?” Inuyasha ducked a blade and landed an uppercut, sending the man flying back to the ground. He continued to parry opposing blades and land his own blows. He spun and kicked a soldier away, sending him rolling on the ground in pain.

 

“That's enough!”

 

Toga's voice came sharp and clear over the clashes of metal, and Inuyasha turned. The army had more than half their number dead, and what was left looked severely wounded. Toga picked up the nearest survivor and held him to eye level.

 

“You will return to your prince and tell him you failed to defeat us,” he commanded. The soldier nodded, and Toga dropped him, looking to the side as the rest of the soldiers weakly began to retreat, to the confusion of Toga's allies.

 

“My lord, what are we doing?” Yuka hissed. “We should finish them while we have a chance!” A few of the straggling soldiers look at her fearfully, but Toga didn't even turn an eye.

 

“Death is not the only way to defeat an enemy, Yuka. These men have lost the battle and their honor,” he explained. “There is no point is slaying an opponent that has already lost.”

 

“They will acquire reinforcements and come for us again!” Yuka protested.

 

“Then we shall defeat them again!” Toga snarled, glaring at her. Yuka stepped back and bowed.

 

“Forgive me, my lord,” she whispered. “It is not my place to question you.”

 

“I value a fighter who wonders on the morality of their orders, Yuka,” Toga replied. “But curiosity over orders and outright defiance are not the same. Do not confuse them in the future.” Yuka nodded. “Now, Oinari, Asuka, see to the wounded. Everyone else, repack your weapons. We shall continue onward in a hour.” Everyone began to see to Toga's orders as Inuyasha walked up to his father.

 

“You could have killed them all in one blast from the Tetsusaiga,” Inuyasha accused.

 

“Yes, I could have,” Toga nodded. “The kaze-no-kizu would have easily slain their forces.”

 

“Then why didn't you use it?” Inuyasha asked. Toga stared at him blankly.

 

“You have much to learn about the nature of being a taiyoukai, Inuyasha. Temperance is the key to a good rule. The same blade that cuts down your foes should also be able to turn them aside. The same hand that grants your enemies death must be able to grant them mercy.”

 

“What the hell are you talking about?” Inuyasha muttered, not entirely getting the point.

 

“Why must I kill them so easily? They have trained hard to become soldiers, and they serve their master loyally,” Toga explained. “They deserved to die in honorable combat, not in a wave of youki with no defense. Their master will be distraught, but his men were dispatched in battle, and that is all any warrior desires when death comes for them. I would rather die fighting a battle I cannot win than lying on a bed coughing.”

 

Inuyasha's face suddenly fell, and Toga frowned. The boy looked like he had been physically struck in the chest.

 

“Yeah, and you will too,” Inuyasha thought, staring at his father. “You'll almost die killing Ryokotsusei, and you'll limp to my mother's side just in time to name me before Takemaru kills you. What was going through you're mind when you challenged either of them? Did you expect to die sealing Ryokotsusei, or did you expect to win? Either way, the wounds the dragon inflicted on you ended up weakening you enough for Takemaru to finish you off when you attacked the castle…”

 

“What's wrong?” Toga asked. Inuyasha shook his head.

 

“It's nothing,” Inuyasha replied. “Shouldn't we get packing?” Toga narrowed his eyes. The boy's scent had changed inexplicably, tinged with sadness and guilt. What could he possible have said to spark such a change?

 

“Are you ok?” Toga sniffed, and nodded as Oinari approached him from behind.

 

“I am fine Oinari. If something was amiss I would inform you if I felt the need to,” Toga said gruffly.

 

“With all due respect my lord, if anyone, I am a master of deceptions,” Oinari replied. Toga turned his head, and Oinari followed his gaze to the red-clad hanyou wandering the camp.

 

“Then perhaps you could decipher his deceptions for me,” Toga muttered, nodding his head towards Inuyasha. Oinari raised a thick eyebrow.

 

“You believe he is lying to you about something?” he asked. Toga sucked in a breath.

 

“I am many things, Oinari. But one thing I am not is a fool,” he explained. “Inuyasha claims to be from a time long after ours, wields a sword in the image of my Tetsusaiga, and is the son of an inu-youkai taiyoukai.” Toga tapped his chin and narrowed his eyes. “I believe in dualism and moderation, Oinari. But not coincidence.”

 

I apologize if I got the facts on the Inu-no-Taisho's death incorrect. As I have read, Ryukotsusei mortally wounded him, and he rushed to Takemaru's castle in time to revive Izayoi and name Inuyasha and give Izayoi the fire-rat cloak. And he was last seen battling Takemaru. This is all taken from the third film, which I've read about but haven't seen directly. So if anyone can clarify this for me one way or the other, or if the manga gives an alternate version of his death, please let me know.

Also, this chapter is slightly shorter than previous chapters, but I wanted it out before Christmas. And so, in the words of Krusty the Klown:

Have a merry Christmas, happy Chanukah, kwazy Kwanza, a tip-top Tet, and a solemn, dignified Ramadan.

Happy holidays everyone!