InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Phoenix Blade: Time Lapse ❯ Closing the Net ( Chapter 80 )

Disclaimer: Don't own…don't sue. Tormenting them purely for my own sadistic pleasure. All characters and most situations owned by Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan Publishing, and VIZ is in the dog-pile somewhere, too.

 

A/N: Oil & gas deposits exist in the Niigata region of Japan, and the possibility of crude oil seeping up to the surface exists, thus providing Renkotsu with the fuel for his attack.

 

Warnings for blood, gore and death; the casualty lists are only going to increase.

 

Bouquets to Forthrightly, Nokomarie the Snake and Ranuel for their feedback on the chapter; they're truly worth their weight in golden plot!bunnies!

 

The Phoenix Blade: Time Lapse

Chapter 80: Closing the Net

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

Sengoku Jidai

Early evening, same day

 

“Inuyasha-sama… do you smell blood?”

 

“Keh. It's the explosion I'm worried about; that wolf's too stubborn to die,” the hanyou answered. “Tsu, you wait here with Kirara and Kurosei in case Sango and Miroku come back; Kohire, you're with us.” As the guardsman ran to his red tenbaryu, Inuyasha leapt up behind Kagome on Kumo's back. “Be careful; don't try to take on any of the Band by yourself,” he cautioned Tsu.

 

“No, my lord!” the blond guardsman answered, saluting, as they lifted off into the afternoon sky.

 

The tenbaryu raced towards the scent of battle; very soon a large cloud of dust came into view, hanging low over a debris-littered plain just outside the shield's limits. “Oh, no… this really doesn't look good,” Kagome murmured, shading her eyes to peer into the cloud.

 

“There's his two followers… shit, they're pretty beaten up, too.”

 

Kumo and Yoen landed a short distance away, and their riders quickly dismounted. Kagome stared around in dismay at the evidence of a massive explosion. A huge sawblade-wheel with chunks torn out of it protruded out of a crazily-leaning pile of armour plating. Not far away, a single propulsion tine had been driven deeply into the earth, one gear dangling from the snapped-off connecting rod. Something fell over with a metallic clatter; she jumped a little and hurried after Inuyasha and Kohire, who were slowly walking towards the kneeling wolf youkai. Ginta turned around when he caught a whiff of the newcomers' scents, and roughly scrubbed the tears from his eyes as he bowed.

 

“Kagome-sama… Koga is… is….” He broke off, ducking his head, while Hakkaku just sniffled helplessly. Inuyasha huffed in an irritated fashion and strode past the grieving pair to look down at the battered and scorched face of his rival. He stooped and began heaving pieces of metal and chunks of rock aside, unearthing the half-buried wolf prince.

 

“Wake up, ya miserable piece of shit. Ya gonna die on me now, before I've had a chance to kick your ass?” the hanyou asked, working with greater care than his tone might evidence.

 

“Go… fuck… yourself… mutt… face…” painfully gasped a gravel-rough voice, and Kagome dashed past Inuyasha to kneel at Koga's side. He cracked a blood-shot eye and attempted a cocky grin, but the missing teeth ruined the effect. Shaking her head, she smoothed his bangs away with gentle fingers.

 

“Looks like you took care of Ginkotsu,” she said, waving at the piles of scrap.

 

“Yeah… but has anyone seen that weirdo Renkotsu?” the wolf rasped. “He was in on it, too.”

 

While Inuyasha made a quick circuit of the battlefield with Kohire, both of them sniffing hard and dismantling the various piles to search underneath, Kagome gave Koga a drink from her canteen before asking, “How'd you manage to defeat Ginkotsu?”

 

“Stuffed a rock and some of Renkotsu's own armour into the muzzles,” he groaned, trying to sit up and failing badly.

 

“The freak either survived or was blasted back into the shield,” Inuyasha said in disgust, wiping off his hands on his hakama as he returned. “What about Ginkotsu's shard?”

 

“Dunno,” Koga sighed out, with obvious effort.

 

“We didn't see any hell wasps, either,” Hakkaku volunteered.

 

“Do you sense anything?” Inuyasha asked Kagome. When she shook her head, he brushed past her to shift more debris off Koga's body. Glaring at the two wounded lieutenants, he ordered, “Move outta the way; gotta get this idiot to cover.”

 

Bemused, Kagome stood up and guided the pair away from Koga and towards the tenbaryu, listening with half an ear as the hanyou finished unearthing the wolf prince while trading a constant stream of jibes. With Kohire lending a steadying hand, Inuyasha heaved Koga upright and then slung the injured demon across his shoulders.

 

In response to Kagome's startled look, Inuyasha just grunted and jerked his head. “Load those two onto Kumo and follow us. Tsu mentioned finding a cave in the one of the river gorges that we checked this morning; if it's close enough, we'll shelter there for the night.”

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

Moronic wolf… all my hard work with Ginkotsu for nothing… Renkotsu lay in a pool of blood on a rocky outcropping a fair distance inside the shield, cursing the wolf prince and his descendents down to the tenth generation. He made a half-hearted attempt to rise, but while the Jewel shard in his throat was doing its best to repair him, he was effectively paralyzed. With my luck, Bankotsu will saunter along about now, and take both this shard and Ginkotsu's to save himself a trip. Turning his head, he contemplated the shard winking from his frozen fingertips. The blast threw it right into my hand… almost like Ginkotsu was saying goodbye. I want to know how that damned wolf managed to plug both barrels so fast, and with what!

 

He lay there a while longer, considering his options, until he could finally move his uninjured arm. Regarding the shard with a thoughtful look, he was abruptly afflicted with a vision of a smirking Bankotsu, confident and powerful. Grinding his teeth, the fire-master rammed the shard into his wounded shoulder, then watched in amazement as his flesh rapidly reformed until he was whole and unblemished. Pulling a wry face, he sat up, then pushed himself to his feet. Amazing things, these Jewel shards; if I can acquire more, I'll be able to beat Bankotsu. Adjusting his shattered armour and torn kosode, a slow grin spread across his face. The wolf youkai must be injured severely… or dead… and if I can seize his shards, I'll be able to hold my own against anyone.

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

“What's this `prissy-sama' use for weapons, Jakotsu?”

 

“A sword and his claws,” the swordsman replied, brushing aside a low-hanging branch. “Now look, Suikotsu… are you gonna go all mushy on me?”

 

“Shut your trap,” the burly warrior snapped, fiercely glaring at Jakotsu's back as the swordsman forged through the undergrowth ahead of him. “That fucking doctor has been nothing but trouble. He tried to get the better of me for years when we were alive the first time, but I fought him down; do you have any idea of how difficult that was?”

 

“Poor baby,” Jakotsu cooed, hopping over a fallen log. “Just make sure he's locked up tight for this battle.”

 

The two revenants walked in silence for a little while longer, parallel to the edge of the shield, until Suikotsu growled, “I thought there was only supposed to be one of them?”

 

Jakotsu sized up the group milling around on the other side of the barrier; the guardsmen were watering their animals in a stream that flowed from out under the edge of the shield, while their tall leader waited on the far bank, his white robes vividly painted by the setting sun. “Are there any ugly dog demons? Hot damn!” He pulled his sword out of its sheath while ogling his oblivious targets, zeroing in on one handsome young officer with a particularly attractive dimpled smile. Licking his lips in anticipation, he waved Suikotsu onward with the command, “I'll handle this crowd; go take prissy-sama from the rear.” Bursting into giggles, he elbowed the other man in the ribs as he passed. “Get it? Take him from the rear?” At Suikotsu's blank look, Jakotsu sighed, “Oh, never mind… my humour is wasted on someone like you.”

 

“Someone normal, you mean,” Suikotsu muttered as he slid down the bank and prepared to ford the stream, holding his steel claws up over his head. Once on the other side, he tightened the thongs around his wrists and planned his approach, intending to stay within the protection of the shield until the very last moment. Suikotsu couldn't help but smirk at Jakotsu's disappointed cursing when the troops took to the air and split up into smaller patrols, obviously to continue a search pattern.

 

He held his breath, watching to see what his target would do, but Sesshomaru remained stationary, apparently oblivious to his presence. Working his way up the bank, he skulked into position behind the taiyoukai, then raised his claws in signal to Jakotsu, the dying sun turning the steel brilliant red. The grumbling swordsman peevishly chopped at some vegetation, then began wading across the stream to close the range.

 

Sesshomaru scanned the area one final time before gathering his youki in preparation for flight. The stench of death and grave soil struck his nose at the same time as he was nearly taken off his feet by a powerful blow. Searing pain in his chest briefly blanked his senses, and then a second attack punched through his abdomen, cracking his armour and sending blood spraying.

 

Sesshomaru glanced down at the dripping steel claw tips protruding from his torso, and his fingertips glowed. As the claws began to twist, their owner obviously intent on disembowelling him, the taiyoukai simply reached behind him and sank his own claws into his assailant's body. Oddly enough, the expected screams of terror never came.

 

“Get out of the way, Suikotsu, or I'll cut you in half, too!” shrilled a falsetto voice; while he continued to pour corrosive poison into his as-yet unseen but now easily identified attacker, Sesshomaru examined the deceptively feminine swordsman who emerged out of the shield mid-stream, a curved blade resting across his shoulders.

 

“You both stink like that poisoner,” he commented in an off-hand manner, as if he had not just been perforated. Behind him, Suikotsu gave up trying to rip out the taiyoukai's liver and concentrated on escaping the liquefying grasp of those glowing green claws.

 

As soon as the sharpened tines left his body, Sesshomaru dug in even deeper. Tensing his muscles, he casually heaved his attacker over his shoulder and threw him at the painted swordsman in a single movement. Jakotsu dodged while sending his coiling blade straight at Sesshomaru.

 

Faster than the eye could see, Tokijin was in Sesshomaru's hand and he simply slashed through the ribbons of steel. “Allow me to return the favour,” the taiyoukai hissed, diving straight for Jakotsu. He only managed to claim a piece of the swordsman's kimono, as the Jewel shard's boost allowed Jakotsu to dodge in the nick of time.

 

Jakotsu scrambled through the water to put some distance between them while he organized his blade. Suikotsu staggered to his feet on the stream bank, his armour smoking and his flesh grotesquely melting; Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes.

 

“You will pay for the attack on my person,” he growled, striding across the water's surface towards the striped warrior, but a coil of steel settled around him. Slowly turning in mid-air, he deliberately allowed a few more loops to twist themselves around Tokijin's length, then used it to yank Jakotsu forward with enough momentum to swing the swordsman into Suikotsu, who couldn't avoid the collision. As both revenants tumbled down the slope back into the water in a flurry of curses, Sesshomaru prepared to end the confrontation.

 

“Get back inside the shield, Suikotsu,” Jakotsu hissed as he wiped his bangs out of his eyes. “You're a liability until the shard heals your body; I'll keep prissy-sama busy to cover your retreat.”

 

“Thank you kindly,” Suikotsu murmured in an altered tone; Jakotsu risked a glance.

 

“Shit. Not again… I'll catch up and make you bleed,” he snapped, glaring at the warrior's smooth, unmarked face and pleasant, if pained expression.

 

“No need of that, brother… I'm most definitely me,” Suikotsu answered as he regained his feet. “Just don't get killed by this miserable dog.” Raising his water-glistened claws, he deliberately gave one a long, lingering lick as if savouring the vanished taste of the taiyoukai's blood. Sesshomaru was abruptly wreathed in brilliant green light and he flew at the pair, Tokijin raised. As Jakotsu dove out of the way, Suikotsu smirked and slid sideways into the shield, disappearing without a trace as if underwater, his scent and presence were so thoroughly erased.

 

“Over here, fool!” Jakotsu shouted from further down the bank, sending his blade streaking towards Sesshomaru. Once again the taiyoukai was simply too fast and too powerful; Tokijin flashed and the swordsman was hard-pressed to retrieve all the connected plates of his weapon.

 

“There is only one fool here,” Sesshomaru murmured, advancing with sword raised; Jakotsu had the sense to rapidly retreat.

 

Quickly running through his options, none of which seemed likely to result in an extended lifespan now that the taiyoukai stood between him and the safety of the shield, Jakotsu considered the stream tumbling beside the battlefield. Crouching, ready to move, he lashed out with his sword.

 

“I grow tired of this,” Sesshomaru muttered, as Jakotsu's blade reached for him, its coils undulating like the creature for which it was named. He rose slightly into the air and carefully timed his response. Putting just the slightest angle on the swing, he caused Tokijin to warp the flexible steel blade in such a way that it sprang backwards at an even greater rate of speed.

 

Jakotsu gaped in horror as his own weapon rebounded towards him and desperately tried to regain control, but it was too fast. Flinging up his gauntleted arm, he managed to slightly deflect the strike, but the impact sent him staggering as snippets of black hair drifted down. His kimono fell apart in tatters of shredded silk, and he tripped over a trailing length as his opponent put away his sword and slowly advanced, his claws glowing green. Jakotsu took a deep breath and used the momentum of his fall to throw himself into the middle of the stream. Quickly tucking his hairpin into the front of his breastplate for safekeeping, the swordsman allowed the current to pull him into the concealing depths.

 

Sesshomaru glowered into the dark water, his nostrils flaring. His scent is masked by the water, and his sword lost among the river's shadows. No matter; he will wash up eventually.

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

Suikotsu hummed to himself as he swung along through the rustling dead grass, feeling stronger with every step. The Jewel shard in his throat throbbed in a parody of a pulse; he tapped out a complimentary rhythm on his damaged breastplate. I suppose one of those hell wasps would have told me if Jakotsu died. Oh well, until he catches up with me, I might as well enjoy myself…

 

Whistling cheerfully, he continued on his way while the sky darkened, until he was passing through a shattered village. Red embers still glowed among the ruins of the huts; a smile crossed his handsome face and he adjusted the neckline of his kosode. I wonder if the lovely priestess is still in residence?

 

Striding up the hill towards a familiar, down-at-the-heels pavilion, he became aware of the bustle of voices in and around the building. A young boy looked up from where he was fastening his sandal, and his eyes widened in fear. While his mouth worked, red bubbled up between his parted lips as blood poured out instead of a warning shout when steel claws tore out his throat.

 

Stepping over the twitching body, Suikotsu's anticipation grew as he neared his target. The pavilion was softly-lit in the twilight, with several villagers taking their ease on the torch-lit veranda, watching a young girl poke the coals in a fire pit. The steaming pot suspended over top of the flames smelled appetizingly of meat and vegetables; a second fire pit held the cooking rice. There was a moment of stunned silence when he moved into the flickering light.

 

“Suikotsu-sensei?” the girl asked uncertainly, scuttling around to the other side of the fire pit. The villagers moved fast, seizing torches and farming implements as the interloper came closer.

 

“What's this nonsense?” Suikotsu asked nonchalantly, ignoring the horrified reactions to the fresh blood dripping off his claws.

 

“Demon begone! Take thy foul carcass away from this place, and leave us be! Thou hast done enough damage, thou and those other vile fiends!”

 

Suikotsu sighed heavily and shrugged, still smiling but with an air of regret. “This is how you show your gratitude? I'm shocked, quite frankly.” He raised his claws so that they glinted in the torchlight. “You are frightfully rude, so allow me to remind you of your proper place… in hell!” Moving with inhuman speed, he slashed his way through the villagers, exulting in the screams of terror and the metallic taste of death. Once he had cleared the veranda, he leapt up the rickety stairs and tore through the screaming women and children still inside. Ahhh… Bankotsu was right! Most definitely better than the first time I was alive!

 

Soaked in blood and spattered in gobbets of flesh, he left the scene of carnage in search of any lives that he might have missed. Behind him, overturned oil lamps and dropped torches fed the flames as the building became a blazing inferno. Over the crackle of flames, terrified whimpers and frantic `shushes' led him into the tall grass behind the pavilion. “Well, well, well… what have we here? Some young rabbits, I'll wager,” he said cheerfully, standing over the huddle of terrified children.

 

“Suikotsu-sensei! Please!” sobbed a young girl he recognized.

 

“Don't cry, Chi-chan… you won't be orphaned ever again,” he mock-soothed, his tone a travesty of the gentle doctor's voice. “You'll see your parents very soon.” As he drew back his bloodied claws, their screams for mercy ringing in his ears, he was too absorbed in anticipation of destruction to notice the brilliant pink flash in the darkness, but he certainly couldn't miss the arrow quivering in his throat. “What…? Kikyo-sama?” he choked out as he toppled over backwards.

 

“It's all right now, children; he can't harm you any more,” Kikyo gasped as she propped herself up with her bow. Once she detected the tainted shard, she'd run a considerable distance from the opposite direction where her soul collectors had gathered in the dusk. The piteously-crying littlest ones burrowed into her robes, latching onto her hakama and trailing sleeves. She drew them away from Suikotsu's body and soothed each one, handing them off to the older children as they calmed, then made a point of hugging all of them. “Please stay back while I put an end to this evil,” she murmured. Chiyo and the boy who had gone senburi picking with the doctor only the day before and now wore a necklace of bruises, nodded and guided the other children deeper into the concealing grass.

 

Kikyo notched another arrow and slowly approached the fallen revenant, wondering if she should pin him to the ground just to make sure he was immobilized. As she drew level with his face, Suikotsu's eyes flickered, and he attempted a crooked smile. “Any apologies are inadequate for the horrors that my other self has committed,” he wheezed around the arrow tip lodged in his windpipe. “Please, Kikyo-sama… remove the tainted shard and allow me to die as I am now.”

 

Kikyo blinked in surprise and cautiously knelt at his side, keeping a wary eye on his claws. “You choose the grave?”

 

“I hope to atone for the crimes of my other self, and perhaps eventually achieve salvation,” he answered, shivering a little.

 

The miko bowed her head. “Suikotsu-sensei… be at peace,” she murmured as she slowly reached for his shard. Before she could grant his wish, however, she snatched back her fingers as a sharp-edged wind snaked towards her and slashed right though Suikotsu's neck, slicing her arrow in two. The revenant's flesh fell away, leaving behind a skeleton suddenly far too small for his armour.

 

Snatching up her bow, Kikyo rapidly notched another missile, but had to watch impotently as the strange blade whizzed back to its owner, a smirking swordsman that she recognized from the battle the day before, despite his current lack of clothing that revealed the thoroughly masculine scaled breastplate and loincloth. Jakotsu waved gaily and called, “Don't waste your arrow on little ol' me; I'm only here to collect a memento of my dear brother.” He bounced the shard in his palm and disappeared back into the shield. Kikyo gritted her teeth and loosed her bowstring anyways; a muffled, outraged shriek indicated her effort had been appreciated.

 

“Rest in peace, Suikotsu-sensei,” Kikyo said quietly, whispering a brief prayer for absolution as she stooped to brush her fingers over his skull.

 

“Kikyo-sama…?” asked a very small voice, and Chiyo crept out of the grass, her face even paler in the darkness. Kikyo knelt and opened her arms to the child; Chiyo crawled into her lap and clung to her robes, trembling violently. “Wh-what will become of us?” Slowly, the other children edged out of concealment and curled into her, seeking comfort as their world again became an uncertain, dangerous place. Behind them, the pavilion burned brightly against the night sky, the flames licking upward and sending sparks showering into the dead grass.

 

“Come, children; we must leave this place,” Kikyo urged, bringing them to their feet. She looked around the area and heaved a sigh. The village is destroyed, their protectors, their shelter and their food supplies are gone… but I can't just leave them… An approaching demonic aura of incredible size had her swinging her bow into position, a spitting pink arrow at the ready. “Stay behind me!” she ordered, drawing a bead on a ghostly white shape descending out of the stars.

 

“Where are the swordsman and the clawed warrior?” Sesshomaru demanded without preamble, scanning the vicinity while his nose wrinkled at the stench of death and grave soil clinging to the miko's form. His escort thumped to the ground behind him, their eyes widening at the sight of the arrow pointed at their lord's chest by an impudent… or possibly suicidal… Shinto priestess.

 

“Do you hunt the Seven?” she inquired, keeping her arrow flaring while inspecting this tall youkai emanating enough power to make her clay skin crawl.

 

“And Naraku as well,” he replied, noting her striking facial resemblance to his brother's mate, and suddenly put two and two together. “You are the priestess that sealed Inuyasha,” he stated flatly.

 

Kikyo flinched, which was all the answer he needed. “Who are you?” she asked.

 

“The Lord of the Western Lands,” he replied shortly, slightly disgruntled that she did not know of him, then added as an afterthought, “Inuyasha's elder half-brother.” From her startled reaction, he realized that she hadn't the faintest clue as to the hanyou's family connections. “Where are the Seven?” he repeated impatiently.

 

Kikyo extended her aura, but was surprised to detect absolutely no trace of evil intent in either the taiyoukai or his three companions, who wore distinctive dark grey leather uniforms and were mounted on odd horse-like creatures. Kagome was attired like them, and rode one of those… perhaps they are allies, if they also hunt Naraku? Lowering her bow, she stepped aside, drawing the children with her. “Suikotsu-sensei lies there,” she said, pointing at the skeletal remains. “His shard was seized by the swordsman, who then escaped into the shield around Mount Hakurei.”

 

The night wind shifted suddenly and filled their nostrils with acrid smoke tainted with the stench of burning flesh as the roof of the pavilion collapsed with a whoosh and a roar of flame. The inu-youkai did their best not to cough, their eyes streaming, while Sesshomaru imperturbably contemplated his next move. The muffled whimpers of the children huddled behind the priestess drew his interest; as he glanced their way, one little girl with great dark eyes captured his attention.

 

“Who are these children?” he demanded abruptly, as the memory of Rin's sunny smile suddenly made him keen for news of her health.

 

“Orphans,” Kikyo replied warily.

 

“They will find sanctuary in Inuyasha's village,” he declared.

 

“That is also my home,” she blurted out. “It is simply too far for them to walk alone!”

 

Sesshomaru jerked his head and Yumiko dismounted from her tenbaryu in response to his summons. She came forward to stand at her lord's elbow as he decreed, “My guardsmen will transport them; they will reach the village by nightfall tomorrow.” As Kikyo absorbed this incredible offer, he murmured to the captain, “Your men will reinforce the village's garrison, but you will return with a situation report.”

 

“Yes, my lord,” she replied, executing a bow.

 

Kikyo made up her mind quickly and turned to the nervous children. “You will be safe if you go with them; my sister Kaede-chan is the village miko,” she said, lightly stroking Chiyo's hair.

 

“Kikyo-sama, do you really trust these… demons?” whispered one of the boys nervously, worrying over gleaming weapons and inhuman eyes.

 

“Yes. They will not harm you,” she replied. Just then, the tall female youkai approached the group along with the two others, her long dark hair held back by a jaunty red tie and a kind expression on her beautiful face.

 

“I am Yumiko,” she introduced herself, bowing politely, “and these are my lieutenants, Shin and Rei. We will be pleased to escort you to Kaede-sama's village.”

 

The children sized up the gentle-eyed captain, and it was Chiyo who finally stepped forward to take Yumiko's clawed fingers in her own. The demoness smiled and very lightly squeezed the small hand, and then the other children came forward. They all paused and bowed to Kikyo; the two smallest hugged her tightly and didn't want to let go. Kikyo blessed both of them and handed one to Yumiko and the other to Chiyo, then the eight children were distributed among the three tenbaryu.

 

“What will you do, miko?” Sesshomaru asked, readying himself to continue his hunt for the swordsman.

 

“I seek Naraku as well,” she replied, shouldering her bow. Gazing at the blazing pavilion, she added, “I cannot enter the shield, so must wait until either it is brought down or he emerges within range of my bow.”

 

Sesshomaru inspected the undead priestess, noting other similarities to his brother's mate in her carriage and demeanour, but while Kagome's eyes sparkled warmly, Kikyo's held a chilling coldness. “Two members of Inuyasha's pack have entered the shield,” he coolly offered, before rising into the air and disappearing into the dark sky.

 

Kikyo watched the pale taiyoukai's departure before making her way resolutely towards the pavilion to perform yet another absolution. I doubt that two humans will be enough to flush out Naraku, but I wish them well.

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

Just before dawn the next day…

 

“Damn… I feel like shit… and why do I reek like fucking dog?”

 

“Kagome-sama, the wolf has awakened,” growled an unfamiliar voice that was a little too close for comfort, and Koga's blue eyes snapped wide open.

 

“Who the fuck are you?” he demanded as his claws sought for the speaker's throat, but his hand was slapped away.

 

“Koga! Leave Kohire-kun alone!” came an angry feminine voice that he did recognize, and despite the threatening tone, he relaxed.

 

“Princess? Where the hell am I?”

 

The young woman, wearing a thick black cloak against the chill, rolled her eyes and held out a damp cloth. “Enjoying the hospitality of the House of the West,” she retorted, watching him mop his face and then rub his arms and chest with an expression of extreme distaste.

 

“Why do I stink like I've been hugging one of these mutts?” he growled. “Where the hell are Ginta and Hakkaku?”

 

“Inuyasha packed you because the boys were too injured,” Kagome replied, taking away the cloth and offering a self-heating ration packet. Sitting up with an effort, grumbling sullenly, Koga curled his lip at his lieutenants, who were huddled together on the other side of the cave and happily licking their fingers clean. Seeing a sulk coming on, Kagome opened her mouth to chivvy him into a better frame of mind, but she was forestalled by a dripping wet hanyou arriving in the mouth of the cave.

 

“So ya finally woke up, wolf-shit?” Inuyasha asked just before shaking vigorously and sending water droplets flying.

 

“Took the weirdo down with me, though,” Koga gloated. “Wasn't Ginkotsu the one you missed?”

 

The hanyou bristled, his hand going to his sword hilt, but Kagome quickly intervened. As she gave Inuyasha a ration packet, she growled, “Knock it off, Koga, or else,” baring her teeth at him like a true bitch… and surprisingly enough, the wolf prince shut up.

 

“Hurry up and eat; we gotta get back to our base camp before Sango and Miroku report. It's starting to snow, too,” Inuyasha said, virtually inhaling the contents of his packet while arching a dark eyebrow at the two contented wolf demons. Kohire pulled up the hood of his black fire-rat cloak and excused himself, intending to step outside the cave for a breath of non-wolf-tainted air under the guise of checking on Kumo and Yoen, but he came to a dead stop, sniffed deeply, and back-pedalled rapidly.

 

“Inuyasha-sama… gunpowder and grave soil!”

 

“Renkotsu! Fuck!” the hanyou snarled, tearing outside while Kagome grabbed her weapons and barrelled after him. She came up short at the sensation of tainted shards and the stink of something she certainly didn't expect to smell in the Sengoku Jidai in such quantities that it immediately gave her a headache. Fuel oil? Where'd he find that, and what's he done with it?

 

“He's acquired another shard, Inuyasha,” she warned, deploying her bow and trying to figure out where the acrid smell was originating. A moment after that, a thundering explosion off to the left rocked the ground, sending boulders thundering down the sides of the gorge into the turbulent river below.

 

“What the hell's he done?” Inuyasha snarled, but he had his answer soon enough when the water level at their feet began to rise. “He blocked the river; he's trying to flush us out!”

 

“Smoke you out, actually,” drawled a familiar voice from above their heads, “but either way works for me.” Renkotsu lit a long piece of fuse with a snap of his fingers and dropped it from his cliff-top position into the seething gorge.

 

“Fucking freak! What's he playing at? Ya can't light water on fire… oh, shit!” Inuyasha grabbed Kagome and pulled her backwards into the cave as a wall of flame erupted from the river's surface.

 

Over the crackle, they heard Renkotsu shout, “There's enough oil in the river to cook you alive, so what'll it be, you bastards? Death by smoke or fire?” His answer was an explosive warhead slamming into the cliff right below his feet and cutting away part of the rock face. As he staggered backwards, cursing, a second missile, this time glowing pink, skimmed his shoulder.

 

The hanyou dragged Kagome bodily back as she notched a third arrow, and bustled her towards the rear of the smoky cave. “You stay put, wench; don't take chances.” He gave Kohire and the wolves a very direct warning look. “I'm making all of you responsible for protecting her.”

 

“Stow it, mutt. The weirdo is after my shards, so I'll take him down,” Koga growled, struggling to his feet and swaying alarmingly before collapsing in an untidy heap.

 

“You can barely stand up, idiot, and if he gets your shards it'll be a bigger hassle for me to take them back,” Inuyasha snapped. He was so serious that Kagome swallowed her objection to being left behind and instead squeezed his hand. He restricted himself to brushing her cheek with the back of his fingers before spinning on his heels and racing towards the entrance. “Ya ready, freak?” he roared and launched upwards the moment he was clear of the cave mouth.

 

“Whoa… Inuyasha-sama's awesome!” Hakkaku breathed as he and Ginta scuttled out to watch. Tetsusaiga flashed as Inuyasha flew towards Renkotsu; unfortunately, he was completely exposed to the blast of the powerful hand canon that the fire-master suddenly triggered.

 

Kagome arrived in the entrance just in time to see her hanyou use his weapon to divert the cannon's missile. Inuyasha was flung violently backwards, but not killed outright; however, he was plummeting headfirst towards some jagged rocks with no way to stop his freefall. As she screamed his name, a red tenbaryu streaked into the pale sky, closely followed by a huge grey animal. Between the two of them, Yoen and Kumo managed to field the cursing hanyou and carry him back towards his opponent.

 

Kumo shrieked a warning as the cannon's muzzle again flashed; Inuyasha leapt off Yoen's back, the tenbaryu ducking away as the missile whistled through the airspace they had just occupied. “Got you now, freak!” he exulted, bringing Tetsusaiga down with intent, only to take a second shot that slammed him into the rock face on the opposite side of the fiery river. As Kumo and Yoen raced towards the hanyou, squealing fearfully, Renkotsu lowered his cannon and took careful aim at the horrified watchers. Hakkaku and Ginta hastily bundled Kagome back into the cave; fortunately, inspiration struck quickly.

 

“Everyone under our cloaks!” she shouted. “They're fire-proof, so we'll be okay!” Kohire hesitated as his eyes flickered between Kagome and the wolves. Grinning, she caught his glance, then shot a significant look at Koga. Kohire wrinkled his nose at her, but obediently threw the cloak over Koga and himself, while Kagome ducked under hers with the cheerful command, “Last one in is a toasted toad-imp!” When Ginta and Hakkaku joined her, she found herself sandwiched between the two wolves as the world exploded around them. If we survive this, Inuyasha's gonna have a fit over how I smell!

 

Renkotsu cast a glance at the embedded hanyou, who was unresponsive to the frantic revival efforts of the two creatures nuzzling his face and crooning, so he decided that the amount of blood trickling down the rocks below Inuyasha's body was a fairly clear indication that if not already dead, he soon would be. Once I have the wolf's shards, a wounded dog won't be of any concern. Picking his way down the cliff, he kept his hand cannon charged, just in case, as he edged across the top of the dam he'd created earlier. The flames from the burning oil licked at his hakama and made the sweat run into his eyes as he cursed his way up to the cave mouth.

 

Despite the widened opening, Renkotsu's eyes took a few moments to adjust to the darkness at the back of the smoke-filled cave. Slowly, indistinct shapes took form, followed by pale faces and tumbled hair. The canine youkai and the priestess lay in a sprawling heap, finally silent in the grip of death. “Almost too easy,” he muttered, striding forward with his eyes locked on the wolf prince's legs while his hand rummaged for the sharp knife he kept for crafting his bombs. Hope I don't have to deflesh both limbs to find his shards.

 

Laying aside his weapon, Renkotsu crouched and reached for the ties holding Koga's fur greaves in place. He was completely open and totally unprepared when the `dead' wolf viciously kicked him in the face, sending him flying half-way across the cave.

 

“Fuckin' idiot,” Koga sneered, shoving the cannon behind him and well out of reach. “We youkai don't die as easy as you'd like.”

 

“He has shards in his throat and in the left side of his chest,” Kagome said urgently, holding the thick black fur of her cloak tightly over her nose and mouth in an attempt to filter out the smoke and heat as the demons around her took up defensive positions.

 

Koga rolled up into a crouch, his blue eyes unnervingly sharp. “Using your buddy's shard, eh? Not that it'll do you any good,” he grunted.

 

Renkotsu reached behind his back and produced a fistful of long, easily recognizable cylinders, each with a fuse protruding from the end. “Don't count me out yet… I'll take all of you with me!”

 

“Why are you in such a hurry to die, Renkotsu?” Kagome asked, mentally calculating her chances of getting off a point-blank shot before the fire-master lit the fuses. Beside her, Kohire quietly fisted his hand in the back of her cloak, ready to throw her backwards and use himself as a shield.

 

“I can't go back,” the fire-master snarled. “I've disobeyed orders and I'll be killed for it. I need those shards, Koga… or we'll all die.” Snapping his fingers, a tongue of flame curled around the fuses and brought them to spluttering life. There was a split-second of shocked disbelief inside the cave, immediately broken by a ferocious roar from outside.

 

“Kick that stupid freak this way!”

 

As Renkotsu half-turned to meet the new threat, Koga lunged forward and landed a vicious kick to the small of Renkotsu's back, snapping the fire-master's head back. A second hard kick accompanied by a punch to the skull sent the revenant staggering towards the cave opening and a familiar red-clad figure. Inuyasha grabbed Renkotsu by the scruff of the neck and threw him outside while attempting to knock loose his grasp on the flaring dynamite.

 

Renkotsu's head spun, but he doggedly hung onto the dynamite… until he realized that the hanyou meant to toss him into the flaming river. Flailing wildly, he grabbed a handful of Inuyasha's sleeve. “You're coming with me, hanyou, because without you, your pathetic little friends don't stand a chance!”

 

The fiery river reflected in Inuyasha's eyes, turning them scarlet red, but Renkotsu had a brief moment to wonder why the irises appeared brilliant blue, not golden, before they were plummeting towards the raging inferno. He felt elongated claws punch into his arm right through the lacquered gauntlet as a fang grazed the side of his face. “What's it gonna be, freak? Your arm or your miserable half-life?” growled a barely human voice in his ear, and true fear streaked through his veins.

 

KA-BOOM!

 

The explosion rocked the cave, raining earth and rock down on the occupants. Kohire thoroughly flattened Kagome as he spun her away from the opening and threw himself over her. Flaming oil slopped briefly up over the lip of the cave entrance and sizzled towards them, but Ginta and Hakkaku bravely risked severe burns as they buried the menacing rivulets in loose dirt. Choking on the smoke, Kohire grabbed the packs in one hand, Kagome's arm in the other, and hustled her out of the cave one step ahead of the wolves.

 

“The dam's been blown!” Hakkaku yelled, pointing with a dirt-blackened claw. Kagome frantically looked up and down the gorge as the snow began to sift down now that it wasn't being vaporized by the flames, searching for any sign of red and silver; her heart was pounding in her chest, so she knew her hanyou lived… but where?

 

A distant, high-pitched scream caught their attention at the same time as Kohire shouted, “There! The tenbaryu have found him!” Sure enough, Kumo and Yoen could be dimly seen through the pall of smoke and snow, hovering over a spot a fair distance downriver; Yoen sheered away and flew towards them, his agitated cries echoing off the canyon walls.

 

“Kagome, if something's happened to the mutt, you know that you have a home with my new pack,” Koga said hurriedly in a low voice, baring his newly emerged fangs at Kohire when the much taller guardsman whirled on him, snarling viciously.

 

“Kagome-sama is the alpha female of the Western Lands, wolf. She has no need of your grubby little den!”

 

As the wolf and the dog squared off, Kagome let out an impatient snort and kicked Koga in the shins hard enough to break a bone in anyone else. “Don't be such an idiot, wolfling; as if Ayame would be thrilled with my presence on a permanent basis,” she retorted tartly as she accepted Kohire's boost up onto Yoen's back. The tenbaryu barely waited for her to be properly seated before taking off back down the gorge to where Kumo was assisting a bedraggled figure out onto a rocky ledge.

 

“Inuyasha!” she called, hanging off Yoen's saddle and waving. The hanyou was too busy shaking water out of his ears to respond; when she jumped down onto the rocks beside him and caught hold of his arm, he nearly pitched her into the river.

 

Catching himself, and her, in time, he set her carefully on her feet before shouting a little louder than necessary over the roar of the water, “Don't sneak up on me like that!” before going back to flicking his ears.

 

Taken slightly aback, Kagome watched him mutter and shake his head a few more times before venturing, “Inuyasha?” When he didn't respond, she cautiously reached out to touch his hand. This time he looked at her, so she asked, “Where's Renkotsu?” The hanyou stared blankly at her with red-rimmed golden eyes; she repeated the question. His attention focussed on her lips, and then his ears drooped.

 

“I can't hear you,” he whispered. “This roaring noise… I thought it was the sound of the river…” Raking his claws through his wet hair, Inuyasha looked around distractedly, his nose twitching nervously. Kagome stepped up and clasped his restless hands, bringing his attention back to her. “Thank the gods you're all right, though. That's all that matters,” he muttered roughly and pulled her into his arms. Kagome tilted her head so that he could snuffle deeply inside the collar of her tunic and hopefully find some measure of calm from her scent. That hope was dashed when he growled agitatedly, his fangs prickling her neck as his aura rose. “I know why you still smell like that poison-freak, and I can figure out why Kohire's scent is all over you, but why do you stink like those lousy wolves?”

 

Since he would be unable to hear her reply anyways, Kagome simply kissed his throat and hugged him tightly. When his growling tapered off to a low rumble, she rose up on tip-toe to nuzzle his cheek, but he quickly turned his head and kissed her forcefully instead. Kagome just went with it, allowing him to dominate the kiss until he gentled the contact, inviting her into his mouth in return. When breathing became a necessity, Inuyasha regretfully broke off the warm caress with a series of tiny kisses across her cheek. Flickering his ears hopefully, he grimaced. “Still can't hear anything; let's get back to Tsu and Kirara. Guess we have to take those wolf-turds with us, huh?”

 

Kagome nodded, more than a little pink-cheeked from Inuyasha's attentions. He smiled fondly down at her and brushed the snow from her hair before squeezing her until she `oofed', then handed her up onto Kumo's back. The tenbaryu twittered in relief, nibbling Inuyasha's shoulder, and the hanyou gave the stallion's leathery muzzle a rub before swinging behind the young woman. Koga was already half-way up the side of the gorge, leaping precariously from rock to rock, while Ginta and Hakkaku followed with Kohire on Yoen. The two wolf demons waved madly, sporting wide grins.

 

“No running for them today,” Kagome commented, urging Kumo up out of the gorge and in the direction of their camp, hopefully to receive some news of Sango and Miroku's endeavours.

 

“Eh?”

 

Looking back over her shoulder at a frowning Inuyasha, she sighed and reached up to very gently rub one of the velvety triangles. It's gonna be a very long day, I can tell…

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

Renkotsu plodded through the shallows much farther downriver, where the resulting flood from the burst dam had thrown him, ignoring the snow that dusted his armour. His headcloth was missing, burned away by the flaming oil; he felt the back of his shaven head for the telltale blisters of a severe burn that was already healing. Now what do I do? Koga's shards are out of reach, and Bankotsu probably knows about Ginkotsu's death by now… do I run for it? Take these shards and just go…?

 

“Ho, Ren-kun! There you are!” hailed an unwanted voice, and Renkotsu straightened to face his fate, suddenly feeling very, very tired.

 

“Greetings, big brother,” he replied calmly enough, squinting into the wintry dawn; a single snowflake tickled lightly down his cheek.

 

“Ginkotsu's gone, eh? Tough luck, after all that work you put into him,” Bankotsu said with a regretful air. “Suikotsu bought it, too. Pretty crappy night for the Band of Seven all round; we're down to the Terrible Trio.” He laughed at his own joke while Renkotsu blinked, not sure how to interpret Bankotsu's jocular mood.

 

“I am sorry to hear of Suikotsu's death; he was a valuable fighter,” the fire-master finally said, and was taken by surprise when Bankotsu slung his arm around his shoulders and gave an affectionate squeeze.

 

“So'm I; now, Ren-kun, are you ready to tackle these pesky youkai again? Since there's only two of us until Jakotsu turns up again… the bugs are looking for him… I need you to keep Inuyasha occupied.” Playfully punching Renkotsu in the arm, he continued waggishly, “Don't you go poaching my puppy-chan, though; I'm looking forward to a rematch with him. See ya!” With that, Bankotsu shouldered Banryu and strolled off, whistling tunelessly, leaving a thoroughly bewildered fire-master in his wake.

 

Renkotsu stared after his leader and his rival, his thoughts whirling, until they finally settled on one inescapable truth. He knows I have Ginkotsu's shard, but I'm still of use to him, so he won't kill me for disobeying him… just yet.

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

“Well, this is quite the predicament.”

 

“Something… or someone… certainly wishes to prevent unwanted visitors to the holy mountain,” Miroku mused, staring across the huge gap in the stone staircase they had been ascending since dawn's earliest light. The rock-girt opening of a tunnel beckoned from just beyond the destroyed access. Another snowflake landed in Sango's dark hair; he admired it until it melted into the silky locks.

 

“Not insurmountable, though,” the slayer said cheerfully. “Stand back!” She took aim with Hiraikotsu and tossed it unerringly across the gap; the giant boomerang thunked deeply into the solid rock halfway across. Extracting a long, thinly braided rope equipped with an iron claw from under her shoulder guard, she whirled it over her head and flung it up onto the remaining ledge. It caught; she tested it with her weight by leaning back, then taking a running jump off the edge. Miroku held his breath, clinging to his staff with both hands as he watched the woman he loved leap blithely out into space, the cloak fluttering behind her like a pair of black wings.

 

Sango touched down briefly on Hiraikotsu before launching upward, using the rope to help her walk up the sheer wall until she gained the safety of the ledge. “Nothing to it, Miroku!” she called back, tossing him the weighted end of the rope. “Better use two hands, though; tie your staff to the rope.”

 

“You make it look so easy, my love,” the monk jocularly replied. He not only secured his staff to the rope, he also tucked up his robes and tied back his sleeves. Gauging the distance of thin air he had to cross, his palms started to sweat, but he plastered on a brave smile and sang out, “Coming through!”

 

Ever afterward, he wasn't exactly sure how he'd managed to accomplish the crossing; he assumed his brain had shut down through sheer terror and his reflexes took over. All he knew was that he landed safely on the ledge and scrabbled along until his back was safely up against the rocky wall of the tunnel before he let go of the rope. His wife smiled brightly but didn't comment on his pallor as she used the iron claw to retrieve Hiraikotsu. By the time she'd stowed the rope and shouldered her weapon, Miroku had set himself to rights both mentally and physically, and was peering into the depths of the downward-sloping tunnel.

 

“It is as Kagome-sama conjectured; this will undoubtedly lead us to the central conduit.”

 

“Do you sense anything?” Sango asked hopefully.

 

He was about to answer in the negative, when he detected a faint, but immediately recognizable demonic aura. Staring down the tunnel, straining his senses, his eyes widened as a faint purple hue briefly glowed on the rocky walls. “Yes… our enemy is definitely here, and wishes to lure us deeper into the mountain,” he murmured, moving a little further down the tunnel and watched as the crackling blue barrier suppressing his Vortex slowly faded away with every step he took.

 

“Should we go back and report?”

 

“The second reason why we ventured here was for the purpose of bringing down the shield,” Miroku replied. “We must make the attempt to find Saint Hakushin's mummy or we will face Naraku on his own terms… again.”

 

“Let's go; Inuyasha will have worn a trench in the rock from his pacing by now.”

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

Kagura sat on the railing circling the precipitous drop-off deep inside the mountain, kicking her feet petulantly while twirling her fan, a thunderous pout marring her pretty face. Boring, boring, boring. Completely, utterly and ruthlessly boring. I'll bet he's trying to drive me insane by keeping me cooped up in here… and he's half-way there. She glanced longingly upward, at the pale, irregular circle of wintry sky visible far, far above. I will be free one day… free of him… even death is preferable to this miserable existence at Naraku's whim… The wind witch shifted her seat to take better advantage of the faint cross-drafts provided by stray breezes finding their way down the sloping vents to this central keep and mentally updated her list of grievances against the dark hanyou. She seriously contemplated using her wind blades to send chips of the rocky walls raining down on her master just to break the monotony, despite the severe punishment she'd experienced at his hands the last time, when she caught a glimpse of white out of the corner of her eye.

 

“Kanna… lucky brat. You have no demonic aura at all, so you can come and go as you please,” Kagura muttered. Dropping to the wooden planking, she rolled her shoulders and adjusted her feathered coiffure before strolling over to the pale girl. “What's going on outside? Any news of that Bankotsu chap? He was awfully good-looking, for a mortal…”

 

“They have entered the mountain,” Kanna whispered in that dry-leaf voice, showing Kagura the image in her mirror.

 

The wind witch stooped to peer into the polished surface, then sighed heavily. “I was hoping for someone taller and prettier, but I suppose beggars can't be choosers,” she said, flicking her fan partially open as she stalked away to hang over the railing. “Yoo-hoo! Fresh meat is on its way!” she called, beckoning. In response to her summons, there was an undulating movement in the depths, and then an up welling of writhing flesh until the central cavern was filled with seething, drooling, squealing demonic creatures. The white-haired child drifted away, her expression as blank as ever as she pressed the mirror to her chest.

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

“A-choo! Dammit, I'm freezing!” Jakotsu complained out loud to the world at large, rubbing his bare arms in the morning chill. His wet hair slapped down his back, adding to his discomfort and his bad mood. “I'm gonna catch a cold, and who wants to die at the hands of a drippy-nosed, puffy-eyed, booger-sneezing, horribly unattractive swordsman?” Grumbling and cursing his lousy fate, Jakotsu almost missed the sound of jingling harness announcing another early-morning traveller braving the grey winter dawn.

 

A few minutes later, the merchant's head was rolling in the bloodied ruts of the track and Jakotsu, his mood immeasurably improved by a little mayhem to start his day, was happily rummaging through the trunks. Under some miscellaneous yardage and a boxful of fancy hair ornaments, he finally struck pay dirt. “Ooh, look at this!” he exclaimed, shaking out a gleaming pale yellow silk kimono embroidered with bamboo stalks and leaves in spring green. Holding it up in the light, admiring it from all sides, he pursed his lips. “Doesn't hide the blood stains very well, but this shade does incredible things for my complexion!”

 

He'd barely finished shrugging into the garment and tying it to his satisfaction when he was cheerfully hailed. “Ho, Ja-chan! Another new outfit? You're quite the clothes horse!”

 

“Good morning, Bankotsu! Do you like it?” the swordsman asked, holding his arms wide to show off the voluminous sleeves and pirouetting.

 

“Very nice. I've been looking all over for you; I heard that we lost both Suikotsu and Ginkotsu last night.”

 

“Not Ginkotsu, too! Renkotsu must be heartbroken, after all that work he put into him…”

 

“I saw him this morning already; he's coping quite well.”

 

Jakotsu paused in the act of twisting up his hair to fish inside his breastplate. “For you, dear brother… a remembrance of Suikotsu,” he mumbled around the hairpin in his mouth as he handed over the tiny sliver of darkly glowing stone.

 

Bankotsu stared in disbelief at the shard winking in his palm, then startled Jakotsu by dropping Banryu and throwing his arms around the swordsman in a bear hug. Jakotsu, completely unused to such enthusiastic expressions of appreciation from his usually composed leader, held perfectly still even though his hair unravelled over his shoulders and his prized hairpin fell to the ground.

 

“Um… Bankotsu…?” he finally ventured, when the embrace showed no signs of ending any time soon. “You did tell us to hand over any shards that we acquired…”

 

“You're the best little brother I could ever have hoped for,” Bankotsu declared as he released Jakotsu, his eyes suspiciously bright. “You're the only one I really trust, even if you are kinda loopy.”

 

“Really? Awww, thanks big brother!” Jakotsu gleamed, blushing fetchingly. Bankotsu stooped and scooped up the hair ornament, carefully polishing it on his sleeve before handing it to the swordsman, who blushed some more as he pinned up his coiffure.

 

“Head back towards the mountain; the bugs tell me that a couple of visitors have entered the shield, so it looks like today might be very entertaining.”

 

“What are you going to do, big brother?”

 

“I'm keeping an eye on someone… take care, Ja-chan, and don't stop to talk to any strange demons!”

 

“Can I chop them up into little pieces if I can't talk to them?”

 

“Well, sure… have fun!”

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

Miroku led the way as he and Sango scrambled down the eerily-lit rocky tunnel boring deep into the mountain's flank. “The demonic aura is growing stronger!” he shouted.

 

“Do you think Kagome is right, that Naraku will be underground?” Sango huffed as she kept pace, Hiraikotsu banging against her hip with every stride.

 

“We must find the venerable one's mummy. Once the barrier is down, we will be able to determine Naraku's exact position through Jewel shards.”

 

“The tunnel ends just ahead,” Sango warned, then made a face while fumbling for her mask. “Now that's an evil aura!”

 

They burst out onto a wooden-planked walkway circling a vast, dimly-lit central cavern that stretched upwards to a distant patch of open sky, and vanished downwards into fathomless depths. Edging cautiously forward over the decking, the couple peered over the railing into the void and recoiled as a grotesquely-writhing mass of low-level demons came screaming out of the darkness. Among them flickered the hated jewel-toned insects; Miroku ground his teeth and produced a handful of sutras from within his robes. The Hiraikotsu whizzed through the bulk of the creatures, and he was pleased to note that despite being taken by surprise, Sango's reflexes were as deadly as ever. Murmuring several potent blessings, he sent the sutras flying into the remnants of the horde and dissolved the first wave of their assailants into ash.

 

“I'm truly impressed, monk; I had no idea you possessed such formidable balls, to walk in here without your demonic protectors,” drawled a long-unheard voice, and they snapped their attention to a spot high on the opposite side of the vast space.

 

“Kagura!” hissed the slayer, and the demoness' ruby eyes sparkled with malice as she mockingly bowed.

 

“I should thank you for showing up; my pets and I were growing frightfully bored, you know.”

 

“If you are here, accompanied by such trash, then Naraku is most definitely in residence,” Miroku said grimly, his eyes darting around the towering space. But where? Up or down? Most likely down, if Kagome-sama is right, so what are our options? An arching wooden staircase rose to join the platform that they stood upon to the level above; partway along the rock wall, another tunnel entrance beckoned. However, unlike the conduit they had just exited, this one had the look of unnatural forces at work. The opening was roughly hewn into a square, and there were hints of a decorative lintel carved into the rock.

 

“Shall we dance?” Kagura coquetted, gesturing with her fan, and a fresh wave of gibbering creatures flung themselves at the couple. Again Hiraikotsu spun, again the sutras sizzled, and again the creatures withdrew to regroup.

 

“This way, Sango!” Miroku called and took off running towards the gracefully curved stairs. Sango wielded Hiraikotsu like an oversized sword and took out an opportunistic eel-like demon that thought to attack the monk from behind as she ran after her fleet-footed husband. “Hurry!” he urged, suddenly sure that the square-mouthed tunnel held the object of their search.

 

Kagura smirked and slashed downwards with her fan. “Certainly, by all means… hurry to your deaths!” A huge wind blade sliced right through the width of the staircase, stranding Sango on the lower side. The slayer teetered for a moment on the edge of the precipice, but caught her balance in time.

 

“Go on ahead, Miroku! I'll keep Kagura busy!” Sango shouted, her dark eyes snapping over the face mask.

 

“Not without you!” he instantly retorted, gauging the distance across the gap.

 

“Go!” she ordered, and threw Hiraikotsu in a deadly arc. The huge boomerang whirled through the shrieking demons and headed unerringly towards an astonished Kagura.

 

“Cheeky wench! Of all the nerve!” the wind witch exclaimed, flicking her half-open fan to redirect the boomerang's flight.

 

“Dammit!” Sango snarled, tracking the weapon's flight path and anticipating its landing. As the Hiraikotsu spun upwards, her eye was caught by a faint movement very high up in the towering space. Squinting, she could just make out a familiar green-trimmed black uniform and then it was as if the figure stood under a spotlight, he was so clearly visible. “Kohaku!”

 

As Miroku turned to follow the direction of Sango's frozen gaze, Kagura rolled her eyes. “Honestly, you two are almost not worth the effort…” She twitched her fan, and the Hiraikotsu's trajectory obediently altered.

 

The monk noticed the fan's movement and shouted a warning to the oblivious slayer, who was still staring up at the unmoving figure of her lost brother. “Sango! Incoming!”

 

The slayer started, saw the boomerang heading straight for her, and managed to throw herself to the side so that it only struck her a glancing blow instead of a crushing direct hit. However, the impact was enough to send her flying down the stairs and then bounce, hard, off the wooden platform below. She didn't make a sound, just went limp, the Hiraikotsu clattering noisily to the decking as it skidded to a stop next to her body.

 

“Sango!” Miroku leapt across the gaping hole and took the remaining stairs two at a time. Ignoring the imminent danger of exposing his back to Kagura, he dropped to his knees and quickly checked his wife; he was relieved to find her still breathing and nothing apparently broken. Bending to kiss her forehead and gently smooth the tangled hair away from her face, he used the lull to delve deep into his robes and fumble for the container of `anti-hell wasp' medication Kagome made sure he carried at all times.

 

“Aw, you're just so sweet, I think I might retch,” Kagura cooed from her perch on the other side of the cavern. “You should have listened to her, you know, and gone on ahead, but I suppose you prefer to die together.” Miroku shoved the small container back into concealment, trying not to gag on the antihistamines as he swallowed them without water, then abruptly stood. Loosening the prayer beads binding his Vortex, he spun around to face Kagura, who snorted most indelicately. “Oh, please… if you suck in any of the hell wasps, you're a dead man…”

 

“I do not fear death, witch,” the monk hissed dangerously. “I would lay down my life for my love a hundred times over, if I had that many lives to give.”

 

Kagura's red eyes narrowed thoughtfully for a moment, but then she elegantly shrugged and negligently waved her fan. “Very well, then. Waste your life on this fodder instead of Naraku; it's your decision.” Another wave of squirming, fanged death charged in, only to disappear into the howling winds of the Vortex. Several hell wasps deliberately flung themselves into the void; Miroku staggered as their venom entered his system, but he grimly kept sweeping his arm from side to side until all the demons within reach were gone. Sweating heavily, he looked up to see another horde hovering just below Kagura, but the demons seemed highly reluctant to come any closer.

 

“It seems that even you lowly creatures value your lives to a certain extent. Good; keep that in mind,” he panted, laying a single strand of beads across his palm for ease of deployment, then stooped to catch hold of the Hiraikotsu's carrying strap. Dragging it up the stairs, he used it to bridge the yawning gap and wedged it in place with a shattered piece of wood. The medicine is helping, but I can't take in much more… Staggering a little, he used his staff for balance as he heaved the unconscious slayer up over his shoulder, then moved towards the makeshift bridge. Aiming his gauntleted fist at the hovering demons, he edged across Hiraikotsu, trying to ignore the seemingly bottomless chasm separated from his feet by a thin, curved piece of demonic bone.

 

The demons hissed and cackled and clacked their fangs, watching him with eager eyes for a misstep that would leave him open to their avid hunger. Miroku gratefully stepped off the boomerang and onto the high side of the wooden staircase. Moving as fast as he could with Sango's dead weight as a counterbalance, he dragged Hiraikotsu up against his back. Gathering his strength, he heaved himself and his load up the staircase, his Vortex at the ready. He'd barely gained the top stair when the horde attacked; spinning around, adrenaline pumping, he unleashed the void. At least half of their pursuers vanished, along with several more hell wasps; this time, the surge of poison nearly drove him to his knees.

 

Kagura tapped her fan against her ruby lips, considering. The fool's done for… have to admire his perseverance, though. She watched the monk steady himself with his staff, then determinedly stumble along the wooden platform. He could have sucked me in with that last attack if only he'd aimed a little higher. You're heading in the wrong direction, monk, if it's Naraku you want. Lazily flicking her fan, she encouraged the demonic host to press home its attack; the creatures moved slowly, fearful of the weapon concealed inside the monk's palm. Miroku continued to shamble forward, leaning heavily on his staff, his vision swimming as the venom took a stronger hold.

 

Just a little further… if I can make it into that tunnel, I think we'll be all right… ungh! The sensation of compressed evil snaking towards his back sent him hurrying forward, heedless of his footing. A plank, set slightly proud of its fellows, caught the toe of his sandal; coupled with the extra weight he carried, it was too much for his balance.

 

With a strangled cry, Miroku crashed to the decking, unable to cushion either himself or Sango. I've reached… my limit. Forgive me… Sango… He pulled himself up slightly and pressed a fervent kiss to her cheek, then slumped lifelessly to the platform, protecting her with his body and the Hiraikotsu. Above them, the writhing horde shifted restlessly, gathering itself for a strike.

 

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“They're taking far too long,” Kagome murmured, shading her eyes and peering up at Mount Hakurei's distant peak.

 

“The longer they remain inside the shield, the more likely it is that they've come to harm, my lady,” Tsu murmured. “I hate this feeling of helplessness when the pack is in danger.”

 

“That's why I'm going in to check on them.”

 

Both watchers turned to face a scowling hanyou with a particularly stubborn set to his jaw, one that Kagome knew all too well. “Inuyasha-sama? Your hearing is back to normal?” Tsu queried, puzzled because only a few minutes before, the hanyou had ignored his offer of tea.

 

When Inuyasha didn't respond, the guardsman and the miko shared a long-suffering look before she stormed over and bellowed in his ear, “Forgetting something, Inuyasha? The shield rejected you pretty forcefully yesterday; you'll be purified for sure if you try that again!”

 

“Only half of me can be purified,” he shrugged, pulling away. “None of these pure-breds can risk it, so who else can go?”

 

“I can,” she glared. “I'll leave my sword behind and just use my arrows; the shield's spiritual energy gives them an incredible payload.”

 

“No. Arrows won't save you from any of those freaks. If they came across you, alone…”

 

“But its okay for you to go in alone? I don't think so!”

 

“Stop shouting in my fucking ear, wench; I can hear you just fine!” the hanyou snarled furiously. “Miroku and Sango might need my help now, so quit wasting time!” His hand shot out and gripped her wrist as he gave her a hard look. “You are staying here; that's an order. If ten full-blooded youkai can't protect you, then I don't know who can, short of my brother.” When she appeared likely to protest, he gave her a little shake. “Don't argue with me, Kagome. Tsu… it's up to you and Kohire to keep her out of the shield.”

 

Kagome broke free, her silver eyes practically shooting sparks. “You really can be an asshole sometimes, you know that?” she seethed, backing up until she stood beside a patently-uncomfortable Tsu.

 

“It's for your own good,” Inuyasha insisted. She refused to back down, matching him glare for glare, their auras rising, until the guardsman let out a low whimper of discomfort.

 

“Fine,” Kagome growled defiantly, dropping her eyes but not in the least bit submissive. “Go ahead and get fried; just remember that Sesshomaru can't reach you with Tenseiga.”

 

“Get moving already, mutt,” called a raspy voice, and Koga swaggered over to join the tense tableau. He took up a position behind the young woman and casually rested his hand on her shoulder, calmly ignoring the stereo growls from the guardsman and the hanyou. “The princess is in good hands until you get back… I give you my word.”

 

Inuyasha's ears twitched. “Just keep your hands to yourself, wolf, and I won't have to hurt you.” He coolly met Kagome's angry gaze then turned without another word and flung himself at the barrier. There was a brilliant flash, a sharp howl, and then a veritable lightning storm shot blue fireballs all over the immediate vicinity; Koga grabbed Kagome around the waist and yanked her back out of range. Tsu's hair was singed as he provided cover, and then all the spectators squinted against the raging light show.

 

“Is Inuyasha-sama… all right?” Hakkaku queried, shooting a worried glance at Kagome.

 

“He's doubled over, but he's moving deeper into the shield,” Kohire answered from his vantage point some fifteen feet off the ground on Yoen's back. Kirara gave a small mew and leapt onto Kagome's shoulder. Rubbing her head against the girl's cheek, she sought to comfort her, but Kagome was having none of it. She remained rigid, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, and glaring in the general direction Inuyasha had taken.

 

Seeing the neko attempting to soothe the young woman tugged at Koga's memory. “Hey, princess… who was the mutt including when he said `ten full-blooded youkai'?”

 

“One neko, two dogs, three wolves and four tenbaryu, I suppose,” she replied, then dumped Kirara into Tsu's arms before stalking over to Kumo. Swinging up into the saddle, she declared, “He didn't say anything about staying on the ground, so we're going up for a look.” Without giving any time for objection, she put her heels into the tenbaryu's sleek flanks, and they shot up into the air.

 

“Hey, you! Go after her, just to make sure she doesn't do something stupid,” Koga yelled up at Kohire, and when the guardsman didn't immediately obey, the wolf prince bared his fangs and let loose a threatening growl. Behind Koga, Tsu hastily nodded, and Kohire sent the red stallion racing after Kumo.

 

They caught up with the grey tenbaryu in short order; Kagome was cursing quietly and luridly as they circled one area of the shield. She acknowledged Kohire's presence with a curt wave, so he dared to bring Yoen alongside. “The mist is too thick; can't see a damn thing,” she complained; Kohire noticed that her knuckles were white where she gripped the reins.

 

“Please, my lady, this anger does us no good,” he pleaded. “All we can do is trust in Inuyasha-sama.”

 

“The problem, Kohire-kun, is that I don't trust Naraku. One third of the weapon that is supposed to destroy him is now separated from the other two, and I have no doubt that this situation is somehow going to bite us in the ass.”

 

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