InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Hanyou of the Future ❯ Game Plan ( Chapter 17 )

AN: Thank you to Isis Kitty for the beta!

 

Hanyou of the Future

 

Chapter Seventeen: Game Plan

 

“It itches!” Inuyasha complained, as he scratched at the stretchy black suit.

 

“Shut up, Inu-Kuro,” Kouga said in a sharp whisper and scowled at him. “Your big mouth is going to ruin the whole mission.”

 

“So what's the mission, wolf crap? I already know I'm going in by myself, so where are the rest of you going?” Inuyasha asked, ignoring Kouga's jab.

 

“Well, because you're such a newbie at this, we'll have you go in first and baby-sit your ass from the shadows. Now, hold out your arm.” Inuyasha prepared to snarl at him for the `baby-sit' remark but held out his arm anyway.

 

Kouga lifted up the black spandex on Inuyasha's suit sleeve and placed cool metal to his skin, and before Inuyasha could look, he felt a sharp pain in his forearm. “What the fuck?” he said after a surprised scream.

 

Kouga shot him a sly grin. “Sorry, dog turd, I had to put a tracker on you.”

 

Inuyasha glared at the metal gun in Kouga's hand. It had a suspicious needle on the end, and he couldn't believe he didn't see that before Kouga had struck him. “What the fuck is that? It stings like hell!”

 

“Aww, poor puppy. Look, you're new to this modern day youkai espionage, so Sesshoumaru wanted a tracker on you. Ginta and Hakkaku can't stay on your tail forever, so if we lose sight of you within that compound, this way we can find you again. We have no idea what tricks this Naru jerk has in store for us. For all we know, he's a rat bastard just like his previous incarnation,” Kouga explained. Inuyasha pouted as he rubbed his arm. Kouga seemed to find satisfaction in Inuyasha's pain.

 

“You'll survive. It hurts more than a human needle because some of them don't penetrate our skin. Besides, these ones are more effective,” Kouga said.

 

“Fine. Now explain to me the mission already. I'm sick of waiting around. I wanna go in and rescue the kid and the old man so Kagome and I can be done with this mess,” Inuyasha said impatiently.

 

“You really think it's going to be that simple?” A female voice rang out behind them. Inuyasha and the wolves turned around. Kouga's face lit up.

 

“Ayame! What are you doing here?” Kouga asked cheerfully, happy to see his mate.

 

“Sesshoumaru-san said I should come on the mission with you. I'm going with you guys and then veering off to shadow Kagome-san and Aki-san,” she replied. She smiled at Inuyasha as he looked her over. She definitely appeared different than her Feudal Era days. Her bright red hair was pulled back in a long thick ponytail, and she had abandoned the white furs for a more contemporary silver skin-tight suit. Her green eyes flashed at him and she cocked her head, and Inuyasha quickly looked away when she caught him staring at her.

 

“Anyway, he told me to give you these,” Ayame said, stepping forward toward Kouga and handing him a manila folder. “They're the blueprints for the refinery. Well, as much as our tech team could recover from the hack.”

 

Kouga pulled them out and studied them for a long moment. Inuyasha could hardly hold back his awe that Kouga was so much more methodical than his oblivious, stubborn Feudal Era self.

 

“Alright, looks like there's a lot of gray area. There are blocked off sections that could possibly be anything, whether Naru is squatting there or he's keeping the hostages. For all we know he could be holding weapons and bodies in there,” Kouga surmised. “But the areas that are more defined are probably not as interesting.”

 

“What if in this trap he's laying out for us, one of those defined areas really is special?” Ginta chimed in.

 

“We're gonna have to bring in a team of moles,” Ayame suggested. “We can't be too distracted if the four of us are looking for hostages and backing up the miko.”

 

“Wait a minute here; what do you mean by moles?” Inuyasha asked.

 

“Mole Youkai. They have a special ability where they can blend into the shadows without being seen. They can only do that for about a half a minute though. It's a defense mechanism that uses a mirage ability to ward off predators. We have technology that enhances that ability for a little bit longer,” Kouga said.

 

“The only problem with the moles is that they're incredibly dumb and not very good fighters,” Hakkaku added.

 

“We don't like to use them because if they get caught by any strong youkai enemy with average fighting skills, it becomes a suicide mission,” Ginta said mournfully.

 

Kouga and Ayame nodded and met Inuyasha's surprised face. “We need them though. This is a big mission. This Naru chump wants the Shikon Jewel, and he's been sniffing around Kagome and Inu-Kuro here long enough. He's now laid a trap and is making a move,” Kouga said.

 

Ayame sighed. “We've been after him even before Kagome went down into the well. Now that they are back with the completed Jewel, it's no wonder what he'll do to obtain it.”

 

Inuyasha tried to understand their concern. He had no idea what these mole youkai were like, but they were trying hard not to use them. He did, at least, have some sympathy for them.

 

“Alright, we activate four mole squads. Have the squads flank one side of the compound each. Slowly, they should trickle inside and stay out of harm's way. Attach them with those new high quality camera visors the tech team just designed, and tell them to take as much intel of the inside as they can. The visors should forward the new maps back to us instantaneously. Ginta, Ayame, Hakkaku, and I will be wearing the cartographer arm bands and will move along while receiving data,” Kouga ordered. Everyone nodded when they knew their duties.

 

“And what about me?” Inuyasha asked while feeling left out. Kouga clamped a hand roughly over Inuyasha's shoulder.

 

“Don't worry, Inu-Kuro, you wanted to just rush in and bust them up, didn't you? Well, that's what you're going to do.”

 

Inuyasha's jaw dropped when he realized what the wolf demon meant.

 

--

 

“My brother is an asshole. I can't believe this is what he wants me to do,” Inuyasha grunted under his breath as he and the four wolves flanked the top of the neighboring compound of Naru's facility. Ayame turned back and shushed him with a hiss and a glare.

 

Kouga chuckled softly. “Don't worry. I think you'll fit well in the role of bait, dog breath.”

 

Inuyasha let out a low growl behind him.

 

“It's a pretty easy job considering the back up you'll get. So stop complaining,” Ayame chided him. Inuyasha shut up after that; for some reason, he couldn't muster the gusto to challenge Ayame.

 

She had Kouga wrapped around her finger, so that was saying something.

 

He harrumphed, and the two wolves behind him started bickering about something off topic. Ayame turned back with a glare, but they didn't catch it.

 

“All I'm saying is that I miss using a sword once in awhile,” Ginta said in a harsh whisper.

 

“Sword! Why would you want a sword when you can have a Blue Spirit Blaster XT 8000? It's state of the art youkai weaponry, designed by the northern white bat demon tribe in Africa. They make some seriously bad-ass shit over there,” Hakkaku defended.

 

“You two be quiet back there!” Ayame snarled just above a whisper. The wolf goons froze immediately from the reprimand. Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

 

“Not that argument again.” Kouga shook his head. Ayame glared at Kouga too. Apparently none of them were getting the whole `stealth' part of their mission.

 

“What the hell is that all about anyway?” Inuyasha whispered; his curiosity piqued from the general unease.

 

“You'll have to excuse them,” Ayame said with a hard breath. “They've been arguing like that since the Meiji Era. It's been tough since the Feudal Era. Things have changed so much.”

 

“Is that why everyone's acting so out of character?” Inuyasha said.

 

Kouga blew out an exasperated breath. “You would too if you were told you couldn't carry around a sword anymore. Stupid humans and their laws.”

 

“Ha! Not that we listen anyway!” Ginta said, and Hakkaku rewarded him with a light high-five.

 

Ayame's head snapped around with a murderous glare. “Seriously, don't make me come back there and strip you of your manhood, you bozos. Now quiet!”

 

Everyone froze with fear as Ayame glared pointedly at each of them and then turned back to surveying the compound. A circle of collective sighs blew out, but no one relaxed for a moment. Ayame may have had the looks of a divine princess, but she had the mean streak of a dragon youkai. Inuyasha, along with everyone else, promptly kept their lips sealed after that.

 

As Ayame and Kouga moved side-by-side along the rooftop of the adjacent building, they crouched down out of plain view, and Ayame stopped as Kouga and the others went on ahead. Inuyasha followed, but he threw a glance back to Ayame.

 

“This is where I break off. Aki-san and Kagome should be arriving soon. Inuyasha, Kouga's going to give you more instructions. You'll be going in before all of them, of course,” Ayame said with a wide grin. “Good luck!” Then, in a swift moment, she retreated to the shadows. Inuyasha could still sense her, but she was nowhere in sight.

 

“Hey, dog turd, up here,” Kouga ordered, gesturing him past the other two wolves.

 

Kouga pointed. “See that side of the building facing the harbor? There's a small fire escape exit on the end. It's possibly the only opening they would leave unmanned, but it's also the most likely to cause attention for a trap. You'll be entering that way.”

 

Inuyasha nodded. “And you guys?” There was a glint of mischief in Kouga's eyes.

 

“Don't worry about us. We'll be right behind you,” Kouga said with a toothy grin. The other two wolves put on smarmy smirks as well. Inuyasha inwardly groaned.

 

“Let's split up!” Kouga hissed, and all eyes were on Inuyasha as he moved on. The hanyou took a deep breath and then bounded into the shadows from ledge to ledge, until his feet planted on the ground in a non-descript corner. He glowered at the lonely doorway.

 

“Well, here goes nothing,” he said ruefully. He took a whiff of air, and he searched for a trail of the old man's scent. When he picked up a small sliver of his signature, he followed it and continued forward.

 

The small door made a low whine as Inuyasha finally slipped inside.

 

--

 

Just as expected, when Inuyasha dashed inside the stark light of the open door, he didn't even have a second to check his peripherals before being attacked. Quickly, he dodged the fast noise zooming past his right, which sounded like a loud blast from a modern day weapon. He ducked and jumped back on his heels, and he scented the air, laced with youki and ash. Behind him there was a charcoal stain on the wall. An instinctive growl rumbled out of his throat. His new opponent chuckled in front of him.

 

“Kitsune,” Inuyasha sneered, as he came face to face with a towering lithe fox demon with long black hair and gray eyes. Just like a small fox demon he used to know, he had an air of arrogance and mischief in his smile. The sparkle in his eyes meant unpredictable trouble. Inuyasha grunted but felt a swell of pride.

 

`I can take him,' Inuyasha thought after sizing him up. `His weapon means nothing.'

 

“Well, well, just on time. You must be the infamous hanyou from the Feudal Era I've been briefed about. I'm Hiyato, full-blooded kitsune youkai of the Hokkaido Clan.” He paused, and Inuyasha circled him like prey. There was no way he would be on the offensive with this weak guy. He was the one attacking their compound, after all. The battle was in his hands.

 

“I don't care what your name is. I came for the old man and the kid. Where's your bastard boss got them stashed?” Inuyasha said, flexing his claws and popping his knuckles. The youki in his blood itched for an impending fight.

 

Hiyato chuckled lightly, and his smirk couldn't have appeared any more arrogant. Why was this guy so confident?

 

“You are sure of yourself, aren't you? Admirable for a Neanderthal. Let me guess,” he said, pausing as he rested his large blaster weapon on his shoulder. “You're not at all intimidated by this Sealing Blaster, are you?”

 

Inuyasha sniffed; he was tired and irritated at how much modern youkai relied on their contemporary toys. “You've got to be kidding me! I can rip that stupid piece of scrap metal with one swipe of my claws.” Inuyasha smirked and readied his stance to pounce.

 

The fox demon seemed amused, but he sighed in exasperation. “Alright, it's your funeral, dog boy,” he said, and he took aim.

 

Both men exuded complete confidence, but while Hiyato began firing and Inuyasha began dodging, only one had learned his lesson. A few blasts missed Inuyasha by centimeters, and Hiyato moved around well with the large gun, pulling back into several spots to take better aim. The opposite wall was littered with large ash marks from the gun, and though Inuyasha didn't know how much the electric fire coming from the gun would hurt him, he figured it wouldn't sting much more than lightning.

 

But lightning could still hurt, so he was mindful to avoid the fire anyway.

 

His opponent charged, forcing Inuyasha into a corner. The hanyou looked away for an out, but the small hallway was too narrow, as if it used to be a closet. Blocking him in, Inuyasha could only jump to avoid the blasts as Hiyato charged at him. Soon Inuyasha wouldn't have a chance to dodge at all.

 

The air of victory was apparent in Hiyato's eyes, and Inuyasha pulled back and readied to bulldoze both Hiyato and his gun. `So what if it burns a little? As long as I can get a claw in his eye before I go down from the shock, at least I'll have gotten a piece of him,' Inuyasha thought inwardly, planning his final strategy. He only hoped that while he'd definitely be incapacitated, the stupid tracker Kouga put in his arm would warn them and they'd give him some back up.

 

He thought of Kouga's reliability in the past and inwardly groaned.

 

“Say cheese!” Hiyato's snide words broke Inuyasha from his thoughts, and finally he was caught off guard. He had enough of a bounce into the air to build momentum toward him, but the blast was so strong against his chest that it sent him backward instead. Gracefully, Hiyato had stepped out of the way as Inuyasha crumpled to the ground.

 

Inuyasha felt hot, searing pain as he fell onto his stomach. The shock from the blast coursed through him, like a million knives were stabbing every vein in his body. The sharp scream that erupted from Inuyasha's throat drowned out the chuckling of his opponent.

 

His vision blurred but he could see his hands shaking in front of him. His eyes widened, and he fought to stay conscious. He watched as his claws began to dull into weak human hands.

 

`What the …' Suddenly, he felt his most natural and sharpest senses become numb and weak. The strong acrid smell of ash in the air began to fade from his nostrils. The injury from the blast felt agonizing, as if his natural healing ability was waning.

 

“Hurts like a bitch, doesn't it?” Hiyato said. Inuyasha could no longer sense the sharpness of sound, just like when he was human during the New Moon. “That was just a low setting shot too. You should thank me for my generosity.” Hiyato kicked Inuyasha in the stomach, which only intensified the pain.

 

Inuyasha groaned and looked up at the fox demon's smug face. He was fiddling with the setting on his gun and continued to taunt him.

 

“Since you're in more of a position to listen to me without interruption, I'll tell you about this sweet baby,” he said, indicating the blaster. Inuyasha was furious, and normally he wouldn't care about his opponent's weapon for too long. This time, however, he was curious. He almost wished Kouga would have told him more about modern day weaponry.

 

“This is a Sealing Blaster, and it was designed by weaker youkai in Europe who banded together to create technology and defend themselves from their larger and stronger youkai rivals. Their guns were such a success they became a superpower in weaponry among the youkai underground. Now the weaker youkai weren't considered so weak,” he said, and it was apparent the fox demon's history was linked to that weapon. Maybe one of his clans had been apart of the effort. Inuyasha groaned and felt stupid for being outwitted by a piece of magic metal.

 

“The lowest setting will eventually wear off in about fifteen minutes.” He paused, and Inuyasha watched him make adjustments with the gun through his hazed eyes. “However, at the highest setting, the energy blast could strip a full youkai of his entire demon DNA. He would crumble to dust,” he said with a laugh. His eyes sparked. “I've seen it; it's really fucking cool.” Inuyasha became worried after that. His opponent definitely didn't indicate in their initial meeting how bloodthirsty he was.

 

Hiyato scratched his head with the point of the gun lazily. “I don't know what it'll do to a hanyou though. I imagine it'll turn you human, and when your natural immune system tries to locate the missing demon DNA, you'll probably just expire after an internal war of biological degradation.” He pointed the gun at Inuyasha's head. He sighed hopefully. “We'll just have to see, won't we?”

 

Inuyasha made a motion to move, but he couldn't. It wasn't just the severe pain; Hiyato was right. There was a war waging within his body between demon and human blood, clamoring for solidarity and cohesion. He felt like he was being split in two. His hands shook as he reached unsuccessfully for Hiyato's ankle, but the ruthless bastard just kicked his palm aside.

 

“Now, now, we all know what to do when an animal is too pathetic to live?” Inuyasha would never forget the horrid smirk that appeared the fox demon's face. “We put the poor animal out of its misery.”

 

The gun made a whirr sound as the power heated up inside of it, getting louder as it became ready for fire.

 

Inuyasha shut his eyes and cursed Kouga for always being stupid and slow. His last thought was of the way Kagome's scent smelled wrapped around him this morning.

 

Then, he heard a loud buzz and crash. The pain was dulling in his body, and immediately, he opened his eyes, grateful he was still alive.

 

“You totally give fox demons a bad name, do you know that?” a female voice said above him. Inuyasha looked up, yet he was still too weak to get to his feet. His eyes widened when he saw who his rescuers were.

 

“Kagome?” he said in a ragged breath. He was so happy he to see her he couldn't even express it in words. He saw her mother smiling jubilantly to Kagome's left.

 

“It's good we got here in time,” she said softly, but Inuyasha was too preoccupied looking at their style of dress. He felt surprised; they weren't wearing the typical miko garb, but it was similar in origin.

 

He couldn't tear his eyes away from Kagome. She looked like a warrior, with svelte dark red hakuma-inspired bottoms and a slim matching kimono top made of silk that tucked neatly underneath her chest shield, which was made of a material he couldn't identify. It was neither metal, nor was it plastic like some of Kagome's things. It looked solid and protective.

 

Movement beside them interrupted their reunion. Hiyato was on his butt, rubbing his head and looking mournfully at his empty burnt hands. He gave the two priestesses an accusatory glare. “You bitches! You destroyed my blaster!” He leapt to his feet and came after him. Aki nonchalantly aimed her crossbow at him and gave the enemy a look that Inuyasha had never seen on her lovely face.

 

“Your pathetic Sealing Blaster is no match for miko magic, the real origin of sealing a demon, a concept from which your kind had borrowed to make such a weapon,” Aki said in her melodious voice with an edge of poison. “This crossbow epitomizes the miko sealing and purification process. At its medium setting, a full demon does not turn to ash. Oh no, he ceases to exist.”

 

Hiyato stepped back, and Inuyasha watched Aki's face and then shifted his gaze to Kagome, who seemed to take some awe-struck pride in her mother.

 

“Okay, don't shoot,” cried the demon. Once he had been a confident killer, and now he was shaking as if he was going to piss himself. Inuyasha grinned, feeling their side get the upper hand.

 

Aki moved toward Hiyato and backed him up against the wall. Kagome joined at her side, and the fox was positively mortified at being targeted by two high-powered priestesses. He gave a wilted look to Kagome and then back to Aki. “I'll tell you where the old man and kid are; just… just get that thing away from me.”

 

Their new prisoner seemed to know all about the danger of miko weaponry and promptly submitted to them.

 

 

TBC…