InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Inuyasha, The Continuing Feudal Legend ❯ chapter two: Behold Destruction Wraith ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Series: Inuyasha, the Continuing Feudal Legend

Title: The Eternal Family Bonds

Chapter: II: Behold Destruction Wraith
By: Phalon & Buster

& nbsp; It had been a few days since Takara and Miroku conversed over her father's sword and what it meant to her. A few days since the last sighting of any activity from Naraku. Which led Takara to the conclusion that they must go out and look for him, much like her parents and her godparents did so many years before her. Only this time they were not looking for jewel shards of the Shikon no Tama, they were looking for her mother and father, Kagome and Inuyasha.

& nbsp; Currently, the small band, consisting of Takara, Inuyasha II, Tanaka, Mako, Sureiyaa, Miroku, Sango, Kirara, and Shippo were out abroad. Sango and Sureiyaa were marveling over the pain stakened cleaning and sharpening of everyone's weapons.

& nbsp; "I can never get over how well he does. His level of craftsmanship is second only to Lord Totosai," Sureiyaa said as she looked at her sword and also her newest weapon.

& nbsp; The weapon smith, a fine specimen of a hanyou by the way, for much of his life was a lone youkai hunter. He made all of his weapons and armor, using an alloy he made from metal and youkai bones, fangs and claws. He was young in appearance, looking to be about eighteen, with jet black hair and deep ruby red eyes. He seemed to be chiseled from high quality stone, and was often finding himself having to fend off the young girls of the village. But for a brief time after Naraku was confined, he traveled around, slaying for hire, but drifted to Miroku's village and became the weapon smith, and lived along side them ever since. He was not just a smith of his trade; he was a teacher, instructor, often doweling advice to those who needed it.

& nbsp; Today was such a day for giving advice, particularly Takara and her brothers. "Never be too stubborn. Accepting help is a greater sign of strength and resolve than carrying on by your self. If you ever need help, call out. I may be as old as your parents, but my strength has yet to waver." Though she understood why he was saying it, it still sounded preachy.

& nbsp; "Yeah, but he preaches too much," Takara muttered as her younger brother shifted around in her arms.

& nbsp; "But you do see his point," Miroku said, striding up to his goddaughter.

& nbsp; "I know you feel like no one else understands your plight, but understand, we are all family, and family is always there to help," Sango said as she walked up and took the younger Inuyasha for a while.

& nbsp; "Hakaimaru knows what he is talking about, and will drop everything to help a friend. He is a valued family friend, just as much as Shippo," Mako said, having heard many good preachings himself.

& nbsp; Takara nodded and accepted this. However her enlightenment did not last long, as Mako's hand suddenly wound up stroking Takara's backside. He was not quite fast enough to evade the open palm across his face, and received no comfort for it either. In fact he received a smack to the head, courtesy of Sureiyaa and his mother.

& nbsp; While Miroku, Shippo, and Junior laughed a bit at Mako's predicament, Takara turned a bit red, in shame and a little embarrassed. She liked him for his many qualities, but his antics often overshadowed them sometimes. But she put up with it, just like how she put up with Tanaka. Tanaka remained thoughtfully quiet, pondering several things. Like how it was his brother Junior who could purify evil and such, while his sister could wield the Tetseiga. He was repenting, though still sour about it. Family took precedence over personal dilemmas.

& nbsp; "Hwey, what's that swound?" Junior asked, his little ears twitching a bit.

& nbsp; Everyone else was a bit caught up with Mako's small bit of trouble, so the youngest party member's inquiry fell on deaf ears. Takara was fumbling with the large pinkish jewel around her neck, thinking intently about it and her younger brother. It seemed he possessed the same spiritual powers their mother had; perhaps he would be better suited for carrying this troublesome little jewel...

& nbsp; "Hey, Miroku," Takara said, soft and thoughtful. "Do you think Junior should carry the jewel? It seems he is suited for that kind of thing. It's not that I don't want it, it's just that.... it seems natural that way, don't you think?"

& nbsp; Miroku thought for a moment, true the little boy had the spiritual power and abilities his mother possessed, but was a small Inu hanyou ready to bear such a responsibility? He was not so sure, neither was the rest of the party, except Inuyasha.

& nbsp; "Yay! I gwet to haft it! Gemme!" the little hanyou squealed, forgetting the buzzing sound coming quite close to them.

& nbsp; The group started laughing again, but was cut short with Shippo's brand of attention getting.

& nbsp; "Uh guys, I hate to break it up, but those are POISON INSECTS COMING THIS WAY!"

& nbsp; Everyone suddenly spun around to see the dark cloud of buzzing insects coming toward them. Takara drew out her father's sword from it's sheath, Mako made ready his swords, Sureiyaa her sword, Shippo his Foxfire, Miroku his staff, and Sango her Hiraikotsu. While Tanaka took out a pair of demon boned Sais. But when the swarm parted and revealed a curled up figure the insects were carrying, they were all surprised. What descended to the ground was a being unlike Naraku's previous incarnations or corrupted warriors. They did not know what it was exactly. When it was on the ground, the insects left, simply like that. The figure then stood up, almost six feet in height. He had black hair with red streaks running through it all, lightly tanned skin, with a body chiseled from the finest stone in the world. He wore ratty old blue jeans surprisingly, a tore up red shirt, and two pendants. One was gold and had a large smooth jewel in the center, surrounded by thirteen smaller ones. The other was black and greasy looking, its disgusting purple tent matching the bruises marking his body. His haunting eyes, irises of burning gold with a thin rim of blood red. They were hazy, as if the creature was not really at home so to speak.

& nbsp; For a moment, everyone looked at this man in awe, and then finally noticed his expression. One that was kin to seething hate. Takara was the first to snap out of her awe induced state, growling a bit.

& nbsp; "Who are you? One of Naraku's new minions? Well? Let hear it!" the hanyou girl shouted, ready for a fight.

& nbsp; "...Naraku..." was his sole reply, and it seemed that he was angered further by it.

& nbsp; The young man lifted off of the ground, and with a long, drawn out growl, his strength increased. A wind swirled around him, picking up small rocks and dust, a red fiery aura plainly visible around him. He set back down on the ground, and with a snarl, quickly cleared the distance between him and Takara. She tried to get the sword between them, but he maneuvered behind, and knocked her feet out from under her. Before he could strike again, a ward found its way from Miroku's hand to his back, burning him intensely as Shippo chucked a large ball of Foxfire at him. The young man was sent flying, tumbling to a stop, and stood back up, his sights set on Tanaka this time. Tanaka was able to block the man's attack, but was surprised at his sheer strength. He tried to defend himself but was pummeled with fast punches he could barely block, until Sango and Sureiyaa intervened, managing to cut him up a bit. From his few wounds orange blood started to seep out, and a clear scent in which to identify him by.

& nbsp; "He's a pure blooded youkai," Takara said, truly surprised. Not many could be this powerful.

& nbsp; "Yeah, he stinks of Naraku too," Tanaka added, as they regrouped to stare him down.

& nbsp; "He's a lot tougher than I thought," Miroku said, not looking away from the youkai for a second.

& nbsp; "I guess we'll just have to toast him then," Takara said, stepping forward with Tetseiga in hand.

& nbsp; Junior began cheering his big sister on as she got ready to toast a bad guy for good. As for everyone else, they all took cover. Sango, Sureiyaa, Tanaka, Inuyasha, and Kirara hid behind a rock outcropping, while Miroku, Mako, and Shippo stepped back to a rise in the terrain and peek over it. A wind picked up, circling Takara and the demon she was facing. She had a determined look; he had a blindly mad one. She held the sword out, pointing it at him. She could smell it, the point where she could unleash the power of the Tetseiga, and it was then she felt his power. It was for a brief moment, but she could feel his power, a burning hot sensation. He was preparing for his own finishing attack, and then she struck with an attack they all knew too well.

& nbsp; "WINDSCAR!!!!" Takara shouted, bringing the sword back and making a sweeping motion, sending forth five fires like claws ripping through the ground.

& nbsp; At the same time, the demon launched his attack, lunging forward, his fist a glowing ember. His attack met the brunt of hers, and for a moment, held his ground. But he was soon overcome, and with a howl of pain, disappeared in the aftermath of the attack. Junior cheered as everyone came out to congratulate Takara on the victory. The proud girl sheathed her weapon and beamed a smile to everyone else. Only Sureiyaa noticed something odd.

& nbsp; "Umm, Takara," she said, pointing behind her, "I don't think you got him."

& nbsp; Takara spun around, and was truly shocked to see the demon still in one piece. He was on the ground, on his back, seemingly unconscious. He seemed to be cut up bad, his shirt was almost totally gone, but the two pendants seemed untouched. The procession slowly walked toward him, and began to inspect the body for any clue as to what he was. Takara squatted down by his left, Sureiyaa kneeling to his right, and the others crowded around. His expression was one of pain, like he was suffering. His chest sported two fairly deep cuts, his orange blood seeping out of them and running off to his sides and pooling on his chest. The two pendants looked absolutely perfect, like they had never been disturbed. Takara reached out to inspect the black one, but when she touched it, she was shocked, rather painfully. Withdrawing her hand, she frowned and began contemplating this demon's demise. Sureiyaa reached for the other one and picked it up, and soon became entranced by it. It was soft blue and gold framing and backing. It glowed softly, almost soothing. She found herself looking at his face, and began to feel pity for the poor creature.

& nbsp; "He survived the Windscar. That means he's dangerous," Tanaka said, looking to his sister.

& nbsp; "Don't be too hasty, Tanaka," Sureiyaa said, standing up. "He may be only a puppet Naraku controls."

& nbsp; "Or he is one of Naraku's incarnations, rotten to the core," Mako said, looking down at the demon at their feet.

& nbsp; While Takara, Tanaka, and Mako tried to convince Sango, Miroku, and Shippo they needed to find a way to destroy the creature, Sureiyaa knelt down next to him again. She was sure she was right, something about him, about how he reacted. He let out a weak groan, one only she could hear over the debate. One of his eyes slowly crept open, and fell its gaze upon her. She was taken back by this; it was not the lifeless look of moments before, but like his soul was behind them. She felt his gaze pierce through her directly to her soul, and she felt her face grow rosy. From a moment where he threatened their lives, to know, it was as if, he were begging her. She then noticed he was actually quite handsome for a demon, his haunting eyes, defined build, aside from his injuries, he was physically perfect. She felt her face grow redder with this thought, was she actually becoming attracted to him? A moment ago he was out to kill them, but now that he was helpless, she could not help but feel pity, and now...

& nbsp; Sureiyaa was jolted from her trance when her brother asked her opinion on the matter at hand. She looked at him for a moment, then back to the demon.

& nbsp; "I...I don't know... I really don't."

& nbsp; Mako and Tanaka looked at her like she had grown a second head. They could not figure out why a demon slayer could not answer what they thought was a simple question. They then both exchanged a look then looked back to Sureiyaa, and shook their heads.

& nbsp; "Sis, you don't... you know..." Mako said, trying to be as delicate as possible.

& nbsp; He never got to finish his stammering, as his sister stood up with a familiar fury her mother would occasionally give her father. Mako wisely backed down, Tanaka contemplated pushing the issue when Miroku and Shippo interrupted.

& nbsp; "All of you! Get ready! I think Naraku wants him back," Miroku said as he hauled his children away from the stricken demon.

& nbsp; Sango still had Inuyasha, and Takara and Tanaka fell back as well. Shippo had long since retreated to Kirara, who now stood in her full demon form. The cloud of insects had returned, and this time deposited two figures. One was familiar, that being the wind sorceress Kagura. She landed near the demon and sneered at him. The other figure was new, a tall man with long black hair and deep brown eyes. He had a sword in hand and a nearly emotionless expression. He also looked at the fallen demon.

& nbsp; "I do not understand why Master Naraku is so adamant about getting this failure back," the man said, before his gaze shifted to Takara directly.

& nbsp; "It is not your place to argue, Akuma," Kagura said, evident that she loathed this man as much as she loathed Naraku. "Only do as you are told."

& nbsp; The two briefly exchanged glares, but then looked back to the band in front of them. Takara, Mako, Sureiyaa, and Tanaka took a step forward, ready for a fight. This amused the incarnations, and they both lunged forward, Kagura with her Dance of Blades, Akuma with his sword art. Kagura was faced with Mako and Tanaka, both of which she kept at sword's length, keeping them on their toes with her wind blades. Neither boy could get close to really do any damage. That was until Tanaka totally occupied Kagura's attention so Mako got behind her.

& nbsp; "Make one move. Make one move and you will find oblivion in my Wind tunnel," Mako threatened lowly.

& nbsp; Takara and Sureiyaa faired a bit better, managing to keep Akuma busy and not allowing him to get a chance to attack, only defend. And now, the poison insects, which had been hovering over head, descended upon the fallen demon, whisking him away. Kagura glowered and slipped away, hopping onto her feather and started to fly with the insects. Akuma was now infuriated, but also retreated; his last glimpse at Takara found his face twisted in utter contempt.

& nbsp; Takara sheathed her sword, muttering 'Next time' under her breath. She looked back to the others as they regrouped. Tanaka was a bit bruised from the beating he took from the nameless demon, but everyone was otherwise okay. It was decided that they should return to the village to rethink with new information weighing on their minds. So after passing Junior around to where he ended up with Sureiyaa, they started back to the village, each thinking in silence. But the seriousness shifted directions for Takara, as she felt a familiar hand caressing her rear. Her face turned red and her hand sailed across Mako's face, leaving a plainly visible handprint that burned quite a bit.

& nbsp; "Mako you pervert!" she thundered, quickening her pace as she marched toward the village.

& nbsp; Mako tenderly touched the side of his face, and hurried after the fleeing hanyou to try and apologize. Miroku and Sango exchanged looks and sighed.

& nbsp; "It's the only way he'll learn," they said in unison, causing Tanaka and Shippo to snicker a bit.

& nbsp; While everyone was consumed by Mako's little issue, Sureiyaa found herself looking over her shoulder. Not in fear of an ambush, but in the hope she would be able to catch a glimpse of the demon that had yet to be named. She began wondering who he was exactly, and why Kagura and Akuma showed up to collect him. She was jolted out of her trance when Junior began nibbling on her arm.

& nbsp; "What is it Inuyasha? Are your teeth bothering you?" the slayer girl asked, a bit embarrassed.

& nbsp; "What were ywou wooking for?" the little hanyou asked, looking up at her in wonder.

& nbsp; "Uh, nothing, nothing at all, Inuyasha. Just making sure no one was following us," she said hastily, hoping he would not press the issue.

& nbsp; Junior did not press the issue, as he felt the sudden compulsion to bite. And not just anyone. With a mischievous smile, he hopped out of Sureiyaa's arms and ran up through the group, up to Mako, and latched on to his leg. Before Mako could tear his attention from Takara, Inuyasha clamped down hard on the boy's leg, causing him to yell out, quite loudly. It took them all by surprise, Takara, Tanaka and Shippo covering their ears.

& nbsp; "My, our son has quite a set of lungs, doesn't he?" Miroku said, obviously ashamed of it and slightly amused.

~*~

& nbsp; Meanwhile, in a darker corner of the land, safe inside his castle, Naraku fumed over this distressing defeat. While his enemies laughed a bit at Mako's misfortune, Naraku glared at the injured form before him. His most powerful puppet, greater than any of his incarnations. But for some reason, this new weapon was really difficult to control; his powers were so radically different than those of his incarnations or himself. But he would not give up on this weapon. It was too powerful to let go, the power he possessed.

& nbsp; "No Des, I will not release you. I will have your power and have Takara, and then I will take my revenge upon those who have wronged me."

& nbsp; Naraku turned his gaze to Akuma and Kagura, glaring down at them. He had already lectured them on what it meant to follow his orders exactly. The next time they tried to fight Takara he threatened to reabsorb them, which was threat enough. For now, he retreated to the lower levels of his castle, descending low into what swiftly became his favorite portion of the castle. Because, huddling in the damp shadows, chained to the walls, clutching each other as they shiver weakly.

& nbsp; "Inuyasha and Kagome, so good to see you both in high spirits," the hanyou lord said before breaking into mad laughter.

Please Read & Review… We won't put up chapter three until we have at least ten comments concerning the fic.