InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Phoenix Blade: Time Lapse ❯ The Crucible ( Chapter 81 )

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: This chapter contains some deviations from canon to fit with my own twisted universe; for instance, when Miroku's Vortex is sealed by Mount Hakurei's barrier, he discovers that his spiritual energy is nearly the equal of Kagome's when it is temporarily no longer required to restrain the curse. His descendent, Masa Kosaru, has already demonstrated the power of his inheritance in Ch. 32, `Winter Games'.

 

As always, many thanks to Ranuel and Suzanne TJ for their feedback. Nokomarie the Snake deserves special mention for consistently holding this author to a higher standard, and Forthright… for such a sweet little fluffster, sometimes you can be downright scary, woman!

 

Blood, torture, violence, sexual assault (about a third of the way through) and character death. The fic is rated `M' for reasons other than lemon content!

 

The Phoenix Blade: Time Lapse

Chapter 81: The Crucible

 

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

 

By the fifth fucking hell… this is much worse than I thought! Gotta keep going… Miroku and Sango might be in trouble! Inuyasha continued to power forward, even though his legs felt like lead weights and tremendous pressure bore down on him. Threatening energy crackled over his face and throat; he kept his vulnerable ears flattened into his hair and his hands inside his sleeves as he ignored his youki's pained wailing. At least I've reached the base of the mountain… “Shit!” With a sensation akin to hitting a brick wall, he was driven to his knees, his lungs on fire. I can't move! I've reached the limit that my demonic power can go… now what?

 

“What do we have here? A stray dog?” Renkotsu drawled as he emerged out of the mists. “The old monk's barrier must really be confusing your youkai senses, because I've been following you nearly from the moment you entered the shield.”

 

Inuyasha heaved himself to his feet by sheer force of will, but remained hunched as the overwhelming power bore down on him. “You again, you fucking freak. Ya couldn't have just drowned this morning and made it easy on us?”

 

“No such luck… for you.” Renkotsu cocked his head and studied the wavering hanyou. “The shield is on the verge of purifying your sorry ass, so I'll let bygones be bygones and put you out of your misery quickly.” Shouldering his new hand cannon, he let loose a blast at point-blank range. Inuyasha couldn't hope to dodge it, so threw himself backwards… deeper into the dangerous blue energy, which eagerly coiled around him, dragged him in and devoured him whole in a blinding explosion of blue flame. “Fairly spectacular ending to a miserable existence,” Renkotsu sneered, reloading and shouldering his weapon before following his prey.

 

On the other side of the impact crater, a red-clad body stirred. “F-fuck… I feel like Kumo landed on me…” Inuyasha blinked slowly several times before painfully working his arms and legs underneath his body. Pushing himself up onto all fours, he was plainly startled when he saw thick hanks of black hair where silver should be. “Fuck! It's broad daylight… fucking barrier!” he hissed, glaring at his clawless fingertips.

 

“I thought I'd finally managed to finish you off, dammit,” Renkotsu grumbled.

 

Inuyasha sprang to his feet and bared his teeth. “Tough luck, freak. Now that I've been purified, I'm feeling a whole lot better!”

 

“Without your demon power, you're no match for me! Die!” As the fire-master pulled the trigger, Inuyasha took off running.

 

I don't have any choice… I have to head for the mountain because my pack needs me. He was flung forward as another blast bit away the ground beneath his heels; rolling with the concussion, he kept going. Another explosion sent him veering blindly into a rocky canyon that he realized too late was a dead end. Fuck! Now what? Inuyasha ducked behind a boulder and pressed himself flat against the cliff face, trying to make himself as small a target as possible. In the lull, his attention was drawn by a faint hiss, and he sidled along the rocks until cool, damp air brushed over his face from a narrow cleft that appeared to lead into the mountain itself. Could I squeeze through that? If I get stuck, I'm really dead!

 

“Cornered like a rat,” Renkotsu smirked in satisfaction. “How fitting. The only thing that would make this even more enjoyable would be if you had Jewel shards. Bankotsu told me to leave you for him, but this opportunity is too good to pass up. Farewell, Inuyasha.” The cannon spat, blowing out an enormous chunk of mountainside and throwing rocky shrapnel far and wide. Renkotsu made a face and dug a sharp-edged piece of granite out of his chest. Flicking it aside as he waited for the dust to settle, he suddenly frowned. Where's the body? There should be pieces of flesh and shreds of his clothing all over the place… don't tell me that the miserable cur evaded me again! Storming forward, he let out a string of choice expletives when he found a rocky opening, just wide enough for a desperate hanyou to squeeze through. Caught on the rough edges as proof, several long black strands of hair fluttered in the outlet's breeze.

 

“What's wrong, Renkotsu? I could hear you swearing for way over there!”

 

The fire-master just managed to not jump at the sound of Jakotsu's voice, but he was rather shrill all the same. “Killing rats, brother, but the biggest one escaped.”

 

“Rats? Aren't we supposed to be after dogs?”

 

“Never mind,” Renkotsu snapped, then abruptly softened his tone. “I understand Suikotsu is no longer with us.”

 

“As is Ginkotsu. I'm very sorry to hear of his destruction,” Jakotsu said, patting Renkotsu's arm.

 

“He was a good comrade. Say, Jakotsu… what happened to Suikotsu's shard?”

 

The swordsman arched a plucked eyebrow. “I gave it to our dear eldest brother, of course.”

 

Internally, Renkotsu sighed. Stupid, loyal Jakotsu… Bankotsu will undoubtedly inherit his shard, too… unless… A daring plan immediately took root, and he slyly said, “I have a problem that may interest you, Jakotsu.”

 

“Does it involve a handsome man?”

 

“Most definitely.”

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

Inuyasha felt his way along the dim tunnel, cursing his dulled eyesight as he stubbed his toe yet again on the uneven ground. At least my hearing is back to normal… for a human. This tunnel is really fucking deep… and really fucking dark. He heard the faint `swish' of metal slicing the air and instinctively dodged. Sparks flew as a bright silver blade gouged a narrow track in the rocky floor.

 

“Oh, I owe Renkotsu for this… big time!” trilled a falsetto voice, and then Jakotsu stepped close enough that Inuyasha could see the anticipatory glint in his eyes. “You make an absolutely exquisite human, Inu-chan… I'm going to really enjoy making you scream.”

 

“Of all the fucking freaks in this fucking mountain, I had to get stuck with you!”

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

“Uhhh… my head…” Sango groaned. Opening her eyes, she woozily tracked the triangular outline of a familiar weapon looming above her head. There was also weight pressing her into the hard wooden planking in a very intimate manner, one muscled thigh between hers. Slowly turning her head, she came face to face with her unconscious husband. “Miroku!” she whispered urgently. “Miroku!”

 

When he gave no response, she squirmed vigorously until she managed to slide out from under his dead weight, wincing as her ribs protested. An excited gibbering, an eager movement, caught her attention, and she recoiled from the drooling demonic horde hovering just a few feet away. What happened? I attacked Kagura… saw Kohaku… then Hiraikotsu took me out. Her glance fell on the monk's clenched fist and the loosened strand of prayer beads. Oh, no! He opened his Vortex, which means he sucked up some hell wasps! “Miroku! Please wake up!”

 

Shoving aside the Hiraikotsu and taking him by the shoulders, she turned him over. Shaking him desperately, Sango tried to rouse the unconscious monk, but his eyes remained closed as if in sleep. “My dear,” she choked, pausing to brush his hair away from his face. A tear trickled and dripped onto his cheek; his eyelashes flickered.

 

“S-sango…?”

 

“Miroku!” She threw her arms around him and hugged tightly, relieved at the reprieve and ignoring her own aches. “Come on… we have to move.”

 

“Forgive me, my love, but I can go no further,” he said regretfully, reaching up to stroke her damp cheek.

 

“We will go together, or not at all,” Sango declared.

 

He smiled up at his beloved wife, then noticed that her dark head was haloed by twinkling lights. Miroku immediately held up his hand, to see the welcome blue layer glowing on his palm. The cleansing light was very faint, however, as if proximity to evil decreased its effectiveness. “It appears that Saint Hakushin's influence begins again.” Cocking an eyebrow, he slowly sat up and pointed. “Look, Sango. The horde does not dare come any closer.” The slayer turned to see a long, fleshy limb tentatively probe the air just beyond their feet, and sparks fly as it was instantly scorched.

 

“The barrier is here, but not as potent,” she remarked, and he held out his hand to show her the sealing energy.

 

“Indeed; however, the miasmic venom has also been cleansed from my body, so it is strong enough. If the spiritual barrier begins again here, then we may be very close to locating the venerable one.” Sango stood up and offered Miroku her hand. As the monk straightened, he enveloped her in a heartfelt hug. “I am very glad that this was not the end,” he murmured. “My only consolation is that we would have entered the hell gates together.” Stepping back, he stooped to kiss her firmly, then offered her his arm. “Into the breach, my love… this tunnel beckons.”

 

After painfully hefting Hiraikotsu, Sango slipped her hand into his, and cast a final glance into the cavern, past the hovering demons. “I wonder where Kagura went?”

 

The couple hurried up the gradually-sloping tunnel, noting carved wooden supports spaced along the rough-hewn walls. It was dark, but not impenetrably so; every so often, pale-blue glowing orbs cast enough light to guide them on their way. “There's the opening, Miroku.”

 

“Be prepared for anything. The aura of purity is astonishing, far beyond anything I've previously experienced, so we need not fear demonic attack. However, knowing Naraku, I would not be surprised if he managed to pull off a coup here as well.”

 

Exiting the tunnel, they found themselves in a hazy, softly-lit lofty space, with smooth wooden planking under foot and ornately decorated columns supporting a coffered ceiling. “Right or left?” Sango whispered, peering into the mist.

 

“Left… the spiritual power seems slightly stronger in that direction.”

 

They crept through the forest of columns until Sango exclaimed, “Look!” A canopied altar was almost obscured by the haze; tugging her after him, Miroku edged forward until the pile of figured gold and rich purple silk turned out to be the hooded robes swathing a shrivelled human mummy squatting on a gilded lotus blossom-shaped throne. On the offering table before the spectre lay a familiar double-ended dokko. “This must be the venerable one,” Sango whispered, eyeing the strand of prayer beads cradling in the desiccated hands.

 

“Who goes there?” demanded a sepulchral voice, and the slayer let out a startled squeak. With an audible grating sound, bloodshot eyes opened in the mummy's wizened face, and the pair found themselves raked by an unnerving yellow gaze.

 

“Saint Hakushin, I presume?” Miroku asked, not at all surprised to find a long-dead holy man observing his visitors with a sardonic expression… not after battling the equally-deceased members of the Band of Seven.

 

“Hai, monk; I am he,” replied the creature.

 

“Another reanimated corpse, courtesy of Naraku,” Sango muttered.

 

“Saint Hakushin, we have spoken to the new caretaker of your shrine on Hijiri Island, and have heard your devotion to humanity lauded. I cannot believe that you have chosen to side with such an accretion of evil as Naraku.”

 

“I am fully aware of Naraku's propensities,” the mummy wheezed. “However, it pleases me to lend him my assistance.”

 

“But… why?” the slayer protested. “He has harmed the very people that you used to protect!”

 

A rasping laugh interrupted. “Those people are the ones who prayed for my death. I owe them nothing.”

 

“Prayed for your death…? I don't understand.”

 

“When I lived, young one, I exerted myself to bring comfort to those in need. I founded a temple of healing at the foot of this very mountain and it gained renown as a place of peace. However, there came a time of great pestilence and famine, and the people turned to me for guidance. Inevitably, I myself became ill, and to assuage the fears of the people, I offered to become a living Buddha to continue my protection of them after my death.”

 

“A noble sacrifice indeed,” Miroku remarked.

 

“I was taken from my sickbed and sealed in my coffin. They buried me, leaving a hollow reed for both fresh air and a conduit for my spirit to ascend. I rang my own passing bell, growing steadily weaker by the hour, while the people outside offered prayers for my death… not my recovery, oh no… they wanted me to die.”

 

“You were dying anyways; were they not praying for your salvation?”

 

“Then why, young one, did I pass from this flesh but did not ascend? They wished for my death, with no thought of the sacrifices I had already made for them.”

 

Miroku frowned, trying to puzzle out the fault in the logic. “If you did not wish to help them, then why did you offer to become…?”

 

Hakushin interrupted, “I wandered in the darkness until a voice spoke. Naraku told me it was my right to hate those who had desired my death, to despise them. I listened, because he saved me from the darkness and gave me another purpose, another life.”

 

Sango brought up Hiraikotsu into a ready position, while Miroku sighed quietly. “I cannot judge you, because I have not walked in your sandals, but I also cannot allow this barrier to stand. Forgive me, venerable one, for the lack of respect I am about to demonstrate.” Raising his staff, the monk charged forward, but the mummy merely narrowed its eyes and concentrated. The very air came alive as crackling blue energy encased his target and stopped Miroku in his tracks.

 

Sango arrived in front of him, Hiraikotsu sizzling as it protected them against the aura's power. “We must break the shield, but how?” she asked. “Kagome's arrows would sure come in handy about now.”

 

Her husband tapped his gauntleted hand, thoroughly encased in smothering blue light. “Or my Vortex; Naraku has truly chosen his guardian with utmost care.”

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

Hampered by the low lighting and his human eyesight, Inuyasha desperately parried attacks that he could barely see using Tetsusaiga's sheathed blade, while simultaneously trying to pay attention to the tunnel layout. Each time Jakotsu swung, Inuyasha suffered multiple wounds that freely bled despite his fire-rat's presence.

 

He was distracted from contemplation of this unwelcome development by a deep voice that was husky with anticipation. “Oh, Inu-chan… do you know how often I've dreamed of toying with you like this? Of bathing in your sweet blood while impaling your body again and again as you scream my name?”

 

Inuyasha shuddered. “Keep your fucking sick fantasies to yourself, freak,” he snarled, retreating. The snaking blade licked him again, leaving a long slice down his sword arm and this time he scuttled down the tunnel, hoping to widen the distance between him and the thirsty weapon.

 

Sandals scuffed on the rocky floor as Jakotsu pursued. “I can't wait to see you naked and glistening… it won't be long now. A few more cuts… like so… and you'll be wearing more blood than you're using.” As he spoke, the flexible sword avoided the Tetsusaiga and curled around Inuyasha's shoulders, the tip stabbing into his thigh while a wide, shallow cut coated his back with blood. The hanyou stifled a yell of pain and stumbled backwards; Jakotsu relentlessly followed, cleaning his blade with slow, satisfied strokes of his tongue. “Gods, you're delicious,” he purred. “The thought of you, on your knees before me, sobbing and begging for mercy… for that, it's worth ruining this new kimono, oh, yes.”

 

Inuyasha gave up trying to escape the range of the sword; instead, he charged towards Jakotsu, his blunted teeth bared in a ferocious snarl. “Shut up, freak!”

 

“You're so beautiful when you're angry!” The Jakotsutou bit three or four times, all over Inuyasha's body before a casual swipe sent the hanyou flying backwards into a heap. Tetsusaiga's hilt was greasy with his own blood as he slowly pushed himself upright. “Run some more, Inu-chan… I want you completely coated in your lovely blood…”

 

Unnoticed around a corner, Renkotsu sighed. How disappointing. I'd hoped Jakotsu would be at least wounded, so that I had a chance at the shard, but this is a massacre.

 

Inuyasha's eyesight began blurring. I've lost too much blood… I have only one shot left before… Gathering what strength he had, he watched a smirking Jakotsu stroll closer, casually swinging his red-stained blade.

 

“C'mon, Inu-chan… just give in and I promise to be gentle,” the swordsman crooned. The wounded hanyou stumbled away, backing up until he collided with the rock wall and began feeling his way along the uneven surface, leaning heavily on Tetsusaiga. “That's a good boy… the thrill of the chase always gets me hot and bothered, and I can imagine what your ass looks like before I peel you out of your clothes.”

 

Bile rose in Inuyasha's throat, but he dragged himself further down the tunnel. Surreptitiously flicking Tetsusaiga's blade-guard, he tripped and cursed, but the accidental clumsiness neatly concealed his movement as he drew his sword, his straining heart pounding in his ears.

 

Jakotsu's voice, louder this time as he closed the gap between them. “I'm growing impatient, Inu-chan, to feel you all wet and slippery… hey!” The hanyou had gritted his teeth, whipped around and swung. Unfortunately, Jakotsu easily avoided the blow aimed at his throat, although he lost a few more wisps from his bangs. “You were trying for my shard, weren't you? Naughty, naughty. I'll have to punish you for that.” The swordsman backhanded Inuyasha across the face, sending him spinning into the tunnel wall.

 

As he slumped to the ground, a bloodied trail following him down the rock, Jakotsu casually stepped on Tetsusaiga's blade and pinned it to the floor. When the hanyou feebly growled and tried to pull it free, the swordsman hammered him in the chest with the Jakotsutou's pommel. Cruel fingers fisted in his dark bangs and yanked upward; Inuyasha found himself entirely too close to Jakotsu's painted face as he leered, “Don't you dare faint, Inu-chan… I want you to remember every moment of this,” before leaning in and sweeping his tongue over the hanyou's cheek.

 

Inuyasha's mind briefly shut down before he tried to jerk away from Jakotsu's unwanted touch, but the swordsman merely tightened his grip as he continued planting wet kisses across Inuyasha's jaw. “Oh, Inu-chan… you were so cruel to make me wait so long for this,” Jakotsu moaned, dragging back his captive's head to nibble his way down the hanyou's exposed throat. A strangled noise briefly interrupted his descent, and Jakotsu chuckled in delight as Inuyasha tried to tuck in his chin. “Such a lovely sound; let me hear it again,” he breathed heatedly against his captive's skin.

 

Clinging to consciousness but unable to defend himself, the weakened hanyou's violet eyes first widened in shock as Jakotsu's chilly fingers worked their way into his robes, then hastily squeezed shut as the revenant began exploring increasingly intimate territory.  Inuyasha shivered helplessly as Jakotsu pushed the red-drenched layers of linen and fire-rat off his shoulders, then ran proprietary hands all over his bared skin. Pressed into the unyielding granite, the hanyou could do little more than turn his face away, his skin crawling, as the swordsman's hot, wet tongue slowly cleaned his bloodied chest. “Such a beautiful body… I can't wait to see the rest of you…” Biting his lip to stifle a curse, Inuyasha stubbornly refused to give any type of satisfaction as Jakotsu continued his assault by raking his teeth over the hanyou's nipples. However, when his crotch was firmly palmed and squeezed, he nearly screamed a protest.

 

Those unwelcome hands left him for a moment, although Jakotsu's mouth did not, and then his tormentor again seized a handful of the hanyou's hair as he rose to his feet. Inuyasha found himself looking straight at Jakotsu's naked erection, and found an energizing reservoir of enraged pride. Resolutely clamping his jaw closed, he glared up at the lasciviously smirking swordsman, who viciously twisted his hair, obviously with a mind to making him cry out… and thereby open his mouth. When Inuyasha refused to cooperate, snarling dire threats through his clenched teeth instead, the razor-sharp edge of the Jakotsutou came to rest against the side of his neck so that the slightest twitch would slice his jugular.

 

“Now, Inu-chan… you give me good head, or I'll take yours.”

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

Miroku thought rapidly as he assessed the sparking shield surrounding Hakushin's mummy. A dry, rattling laugh distracted him. “Does a mere novice monk think he has the ability to breach my holy barrier? Such hubris!” the wizened creature mocked.

 

“When spiritual energy is used to protect such evil, it ceases to be holy. You assist Naraku to please yourself, while I seek to destroy him to save my family and friends. Let us test our spiritual powers, based on the strength of our convictions, shall we?”

 

Sango grasped Miroku's arm. “Your Vortex is sealed; what can we do? I can try Hiraikotsu on the barrier, but…”

 

“Allow me to try again, and be ready to deploy it when I give the word.” Standing up, Miroku adjusted his robes and addressed the mummy. “I once believed that the sealing of my Vortex by your spiritual influence was a blessing; now I realize that it served Naraku's purposes as well.”

 

The mummy's eyes glittered in the diffused light. “A weapon bestowed upon you by a curse is more powerful than your feeble spiritual power… how pathetic.”

 

“I defeated your barrier once before,” Miroku said mildly enough, “as the presence of that dokko indicates.” When the mummy fell silent, the monk stared at him, hard. “You know my will is stronger than yours, because my motives are purer than yours!” he accused, and felt a surge of hope. Reaching into his clothing, he withdrew a handful of sutras. Quickly rifling through the pieces of thick paper, Miroku selected a half-dozen of the most potent and put the others away.

 

Sango swung Hiraikotsu up into throwing position, narrowly eyeing the mummy, when her husband abruptly glowed. Purple-tinted energy laced with brilliant blue sparks coiled around his tall, black-robed form. Miroku caught her wide-eyed look and smiled tightly. “It appears that once I am freed of the Vortex, I will have more than enough spiritual power.” He fanned the handful of sutras so that Sango could see the glowing kanji imbued with intense spiritual energy. “Be ready, my love. We may only have one chance.” Chanting the same accelerant spell that he'd used on Hijiri Island, Miroku poured as much power as he could into the sutras. Tightly gripping his staff, he flung the highly-charged papers at the shield.

 

The sutras struck the barrier's surface in more or less a straight line at the level of the carved lotus throne, and like a fuse had been lit, created enormous spitting arcs of energy that caused faintly glowing cracks to appear. Miroku dashed in, his staff raised, the circular head bright with blue-shot purple flames. Planting his feet, he took a mighty swing, and his staff cleaved a brilliant gash through the shield.

 

“Now, Sango!” he roared as he spun out of the way, and the giant boomerang blew past him, aiming for the narrow opportunity. Hiraikotsu blasted right through the crack in the shield and took the throne off its base, precipitously tilting the mummy towards its attackers. Miroku swung again, and the rings on his staff tangled in the strand of prayer beads draped over Hakushin's stiff fingers. With a wrench, Miroku freed his weapon, breaking the strand as Hiraikotsu slammed into the wooden lotus from behind and launched the mummy over their heads into the concealing mist.

 

There was a series of dull explosions, and then the wooden floor began to shaking violently. “The barrier's down!” Sango screamed, as the shrouding mist was abruptly swept away as if by a giant hand, revealing a vast expanse of the surrounding countryside from their vantage point.

 

“We are nearly at the top of the mountain,” Miroku observed, “and have a long trek to rejoin our companions.” Catching hold of her hand as she retrieved Hiraikotsu with the other, he pulled her back towards the tunnel entrance; she noticed that his grip was sweat-slicked.

 

“Miroku? Are you all right?”

 

“The Vortex takes quite a bit of spiritual energy to suppress, as it happens, and my powers were drained by my attack,” he admitted, looking distinctly pale as they pounded towards the square opening amidst falling timbers.

 

“You appear to have nearly as much spiritual power as Kagome; is that possible?” Sango asked uncertainly.

 

“I suppose that my powers developed as I matured, but their extent was masked by the need to restrain the Vortex; I've borne this curse since I was ten, after all,” Miroku grimly replied, pushing her ahead of him into the relative safety of the tunnel.

 

The slayer turned to clasp his gauntleted hand between both of hers, her expression fierce. “You'll be free of it soon enough,” she promised. “This is our chance to defeat Naraku!”

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

“You're only prolonging our foreplay, Inu-chan… does that mean you're enjoying this as much as I am?” Jakotsu's eyes glazed over slightly as he slowly rubbed his erection against Inuyasha's face, leaving behind a glistening trail. “Just a lick or two; it's for your own comfort, you know, when I slide inside your tight little ass…” Utterly revolted, the hanyou was unable to do more than keep his eyes and his mouth tightly closed while mentally eviscerating Jakotsu in several ingenious and painful ways as his life ebbed away.

 

The swordsman was thoroughly enjoying Inuyasha's faltering defiance as he planned their next position, until a skittering, shrieking noise became loud enough to distract him. Temporarily releasing his prey, Jakotsu backed up far enough to peer around the curve of the tunnel and frowned at the writhing mass of demons squirming towards him from out of the mountain's bowels. In the brief reprieve, Inuyasha gripped Tetsusaiga's hilt, but found he was too weak to lift the weapon as darkness leached into his vision. “Well, darling Inu-chan, it looks like our tryst is about to be interrupted, more's the pity,” Jakotsu pouted, adjusting his clothing and turning back to his victim… just as an audible pulse emanated from the hanyou's crumpled form.

 

Black bled away into gleaming silver and burning gold flashed. “Ya shoulda killed me when you had the chance, you sick bastard,” Inuyasha snarled, rising into a feral crouch as the Tetsusaiga blossomed in his hand.

 

Jakotsu skipped backwards, a please smile curving his painted lips. “Oh, goody!” he trilled, his voice briefly returning to its usual chirpy tone, then deepening again, “I was hoping for those ears as a souvenir.” Ducking slightly as the faster demons slithered overhead, he continued, “I've enjoyed our little fling, Inu-chan, but now it's time to say goodbye,” as he whirled his flexible blade and wrapped it around Inuyasha's bloodied body. “One tug is all it takes; my only regret is that I didn't get into your hakama while you were still alive, Inu-chan!” As he yanked on the hilt, the Tetsusaiga's aura exploded.

 

“In your perverted little dreams, freak! Wind Scar!”

 

Jakotsu didn't stand a chance; the sparkling red flames clawed him to pieces before tearing at the walls and ceiling of the tunnel and burying his dismembered body in the rubble. Flesh fell away from bones, until only the upper half of his torso and his head remained intact.

 

Inuyasha straightened, grimacing with distaste as he pulled his bloodied clothing back into place and wiped his face on his sleeve. Ugh… have to somehow get rid of the freak's stink before I find the others! I'm gonna have nightmares about this for fucking centuries! Glancing upwards at the steady stream of squealing and howling demonic trash, he paused in the act of sheathing Tetsusaiga when a very familiar stench struck his newly-sensitive nose. “Naraku!” Without sparing a glance at his fallen foe or a thought for retrieving his shard, Inuyasha sprinted down the tunnel, batting low-flying demons out of his path as he followed the scent deeper into the mountain. I don't know how Miroku and Sango did it, but that was in the fucking nick of time!

 

Behind him, what was left of Jakotsu sighed lightly among the blood-spattered rocks. Doesn't finish anything he starts, the puppy-eared brat. Ah well, can't really complain, even if I didn't get laid after all… He restlessly moved his head, his glassy eyes listlessly scanning the jagged ceiling as the occasional demon writhed by. Rubble crunched; he dragged his dull gaze up to regard Renkotsu.

 

“I can't believe that you're still alive,” the fire-master marvelled in a low voice, crouching beside the tattered remains of his comrade.

 

“Not for long, although I suppose the shard could keep my head going indefinitely,” Jakotsu wheezed, smiling crookedly. “Not much fun, though.”

 

“Then you won't mind if I help myself to this?” Renkotsu asked lightly, his fingers hovering over the swordsman's throat.

 

“Give it to Bankotsu…”

 

The fire-master brutally yanked out the shard and watched as Jakotsu turned to dust and bone. He stood up, polishing the sliver before folding it into his fist. “Over my dead body; sorry, Jakotsu, but I need the power more than Bankotsu does.” Turning on his heel, he shoved the tiny piece of Shikon Jewel into the base of his throat and headed off into the darkness. I think this is as good a time as any for me to make my exit; the battle will be heating up any time now and I can escape in the confusion.

 

As he was lost to the shadows, a glittering body ruffled its multiple wings free of dust and buzzed over to Jakotsu's gleaming skull. It hooked its forelegs into the elegant porcelain-trimmed pin and pulled it free of the once-glossy twist of hair. Wobbling a little under the weight, the hell wasp took off after Renkotsu, but veered off and up, heading for a distant crack at the end of a long, crooked air shaft.

 

When the fire-master emerged from the tunnel into the swirling light snow, the first thing he saw was Bankotsu, apparently taking his ease on a boulder, Banryu propped against his back. Aw, shit. So much for escaping. Bankotsu has four shards in his body, plus the extra ones in his weapon, while I have three. If I can strike before he uses Banryu, we'll be almost even. I can do this!

 

“Everything all right, Renkotsu?” Bankotsu called, his tone strangely subdued as the fire-master approached.

 

“Yes, things went well,” Renkotsu replied, with a touch of smugness.

 

Bankotsu nodded, a pensive look on his face. As soon as Renkotsu came into range, he threw himself at the fire-master and drove him to the ground. With one hand and one knee pinning Renkotsu's arms while he sat on his chest, Bankotsu savagely dug his fingers into Renkotsu's throat and yanked out the two shards. “Fucking traitor,” he hissed. “Where's the other one? I'll tear you apart if I have to, and I'll enjoy every minute of it, you fucking bastard… but I suggest you save me the effort and yourself the pain.”

 

“Why kill me?” the fire-master choked around the blood welling in his throat. “You need me against Inuyasha…”

 

“Need you? A traitorous scumbag like you as my second? I'd rather have that stupid dog, because he'd never stab his ally in the back!” Bankotsu snarled, then ripped off Renkotsu's forearm at the elbow joint with a horrible grinding noise. He tossed away the bones, the finger joints clattering and rolling, then reached into his breastplate and produced a feminine hair pin. “You killed my precious Jakotsu for his shard, motherfucker, and now I'm gonna kill you.”

 

“You're collecting shards, too,” Renkotsu gasped out, as Bankotsu's weight on his chest began to have an effect. “You're the same as me!”

 

Bankotsu drove the prongs of the hair pin deep into Renkotsu's left eye. While the fire-master screamed in shock, he tore away the rest of the truncated limb from the shoulder joint. “The difference between you and me, Renkotsu, is that I didn't betray my brothers… not the first time we lived, not now. I could've taken all the shards Naraku gave me and used them myself, but I didn't.” Crushing the chalky bone in his fist, he let the fragments drop from his fingers like skeletal snowflakes as he took hold of Renkotsu's bloodied throat. “Enjoy the seventh hell.” Bankotsu clawed a great handful of flesh, fabric and lacquered steel from Renkotsu's chest, then contemplated the grinning skull with the hairpin protruding from its empty eye socket.

 

Sighing heavily, he retrieved the pin and polished it carefully before tucking it into his armour with a tender pat. Heaving himself to his feet, he kicked Renkotsu's skull and sent it spinning across the snow-softened ground. Jingling the shards inside his fist, he turned, shouldered Banryu, and strode off towards the mountain, whistling tunelessly. Behind him, the snow was already sifting over Renkotsu's remains.

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

Kikyo paused in her lonely patrol as the barrier seemed to flicker, the field of protection briefly distorting and then noticeably thinning. Shading her eyes against the light snow, she peered upwards at the mountain just in time to spot a sphere shoot out from a point just below the summit and plunge to earth. Striking the rocky ground, it bounced and rolled until it rocked gently at the edge of the shield. Frowning, Kikyo contemplated the pure aura of the softly glowing orb as she made her way towards it, and was astonished to see a wizened human mummy swathed in rich gold and purple robes, just before a familiar aura emanating from the mountain brought her head up. Naraku! So the mountain is his lair! Turning her attention back to the sphere and its occupant, Kikyo knelt as she closely inspected the mummy, recoiling when the sunken eye sockets split open, revealing a yellowed, blood-shot glare.

 

“First a novice monk, and now a Shinto priestess… probably an abbot next,” muttered the mummy, and Kikyo's eyebrow twitched as she folded her hands into her sleeves.

 

“Are you the master of Mount Hakurei's shield?” she asked.

 

The mummy gifted her with a scornful look. “Hai.”

 

“Why would a virtuous man such as Saint Hakushin choose to protect Naraku?”

 

“Too inquisitive, the lot of you,” the mummy grumbled. “Suffice to say, my soul was lost in the darkness until Naraku led me to the light.” He paused, then spoke again. “The great irony is, of course, that I, who saved so many lost souls, died as a lost soul myself… until I was saved by a demon. It is very amusing, in a twisted sort of way.”

 

Kikyo thoughtfully regarded the mummy. “Did Naraku truly save you? I wonder, because you are tremendously sorrowful.”

 

The dried-up former human sighed. “You see quite clearly, don't you? At the moment of my death, I discovered that I was a coward, and feared to die. Doubt entered my heart just as it ceased to beat.”

 

Thereby allowing Naraku into your soul… I think I now understand. Aloud, Kikyo said, “Is there anyone who does not experience doubt or fear?”

 

“I tried to live without doubt or fear… to be holier than anyone else… when I was alive,” he admitted. “I felt I needed to set an example for the people.”

 

Recognition flared within Kikyo, and she bowed her head. “I, too, held myself to a higher standard when I was alive… tried to achieve a perfection that was impossible for a mere human… and was also unsuccessful.”

 

“So you are dead as well?” he asked. She nodded, and the mummy seemed to shrivel even further inside his rich robes. “I failed to attain Buddha-hood because of my stubborn attachment to life. At the ultimate moment, I feared death too much to let go and give up all earthly attachments.”

 

“To resist death is nothing to be ashamed of,” Kikyo murmured. They sat in uncomfortable silence for a long moment before she requested, “Please, venerable one… lower this shield.”

 

“Why would I do that?” he asked with some asperity. She smiled gently and a bit wistfully, and he acquiesced. “Your methods are gentler than that monk's; very well, let us see what you can do.” The glowing sphere melted away, and the barrier around the mountain retracted several dozen feet, leaving Hakushin's mummy outside the leading edge. “Now, priestess, do you think you can save this cursed soul?”

 

Kikyo moved closer, right up to his knees, and looked carefully into his eyes. “I do not assume that I can save your soul; I merely wish to know why you are so sad? There is no hatred or resentment within you.”

 

The mummy shivered as she laid aside her bow and gently embraced him. “I was weak,” he whispered into her shoulder. “I wanted to become a living Buddha, but I was afraid of death.”

 

“No wonder you were saddened… to find out that you were only human,” Kikyo soothed. He nodded, the barest movement, the regret and sorrow flowing out of him in palpable waves. The undead miko rested her cheek against his weathered skull and hugged him. “You have done enough here… you may rest now.”

 

“May I?” he asked in a small voice, a touch of anxiety entering his tone.

 

“Yes, of course; your work here is completed,” she replied.

 

“Thank you,” came a whispering sigh, as soft as the snowflakes wafting around them. With a sound very much like the single chime of a temple bell, the mummy dissolved into several spheres of light. The globes circled Kikyo once as the empty robes collapsed to the ground, then shot off into the wintry sky like brilliant meteors.

 

I pray to achieve the same acceptance of my shortcomings before I meet my fate. As Kikyo rose to her feet and retrieved her bow, a tremendous rumble shook the earth, and she stumbled as the shield completely disintegrated and easily recognizable demonic trash began pouring out. She scanned the area for immediate threat, and began heading determinedly towards the mountain. Today is the day, Naraku… you shall not escape from this place!

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

“Careful, Sango! The ceiling is cracking!”

 

“Keep going and quit looking up, or you're going to fall!” the slayer retorted sharply, dodging a large jagged piece of granite just before it shattered against the tunnel's floor. She stayed at Miroku's heels as they pelted downward, his billowing black robes rather bat-like in the dim light. The mountain shook under their feet as they burst out into the cavernous central shaft with its wooden planking and railings guarding the fathomless drop-off. The rumblings died away; they cautiously tip-toed to the edge and peered over. A new sound and motion took over, a deep, rhythmic pulse that echoed through their bodies like the beat of a taiko drum.

 

“Miroku? What is that?” Sango asked, pointing at a tiny spot of light far below.

 

“I believe it is our foe,” he growled, his jaw tense. “I suspect that Kagome-sama is truly correct, and this is Mount Hiei all over again.” Far, far below, a pale face briefly gleamed against the inky darkness, the arrogant smirk easily apparent even from that distance. As they squinted, a crescent of silver streaked towards them, but oddly enough, it seemed to be moving more slowly than usual.

 

“Gawking is dangerous to your health,” came a caustic voice.

 

“Kagura! Naraku isn't at full strength yet, is he?” Miroku shouted across the cavern.

 

“I haven't the faintest idea of what you're talking abut,” the wind witch said airily, although her red eyes were keen. “Naraku doesn't confide in me; doesn't trust me for some reason. What do you mean?”

 

“Naraku was nearly destroyed by Inuyasha's Red Tetsusaiga, and hid inside Mount Hakurei while he rebuilt his body into an even stronger form… just like he did inside Mount Hiei last spring.”

 

“Sorry, monk, but that's before my time. Why don't you drop in to check out your theory?” she slyly suggested, as she snapped open her fan and sent two distinct sets of wind blades streaking across the space. The couple flailed wildly as the wooden platform was chopped away from its supports and they slid off its tilting surface to swiftly disappear into the darkness. “Feh. Well, you'll finally find what you seek… although you probably won't survive the experience.” Kagura tucked her fan into her sleeve and propped her chin on her fist as she stared moodily around the cavern.

 

Sango flinched as her bruised ribs protested while she draped herself over Hiraikotsu and counterbalanced Miroku, who slowly revolved on the end of a thin rope several dozen feet below her. “Are you all right?” she called.

 

“Better than expected, considering the circumstances.”

 

“Can you see anything?”

 

He cocked his head and peered intently into the gloom. Something heaved and shifted in the murk, emanating a decidedly demonic aura. “Let us go down further; there is something worth investigating.”

 

“Is it Naraku?”

 

“No, but I think it may have been in contact with him.” In short order, Sango rigged up another rope and lowered both of them to the uneven surface, which proved to be a huge mound of horribly mangled corpses of every type of demon imaginable. “What a hellish crucible; Naraku was most definitely creating a new form for himself out of these unfortunate creatures,” Miroku murmured.

 

Sango briefly clung to his arm, pointing. “What in all the hells is that?” Miroku turned to contemplate a strange, misshapen lump of pale flesh that flopped and wobbled among the corpses. It had stumpy limbs and its round bald head had only one empty eye socket. As the couple watched, transfixed, more of these strange creatures wriggled into view, until the entire layer of demonic wreckage was carpeted in what appeared to be large, squirming deformed maggots. “They look like babies…” Sango said in hushed tone, recoiling as one of the beings rolled over onto the toe of her boot, revealing a gaping mouth and a blank face.

 

“It certainly appears that Naraku was attempting to give birth to something… none of these creatures has any demonic aura. I wonder what he was trying to expel from his new body?”

 

The slayer frowned, thinking hard. “Another form of that creep Muso?”

 

Miroku's jaw dropped. “Sango… I believe you have struck upon the answer.” He gently prodded the nearest malformed being with his staff. “Naraku wishes to rid himself of his human heart… these are his failures at giving it a tangible form.”

 

“Was he successful, though?”

 

“Both Kikyo-sama and Kagome-sama are in even more danger if he has managed to corrupt the laws of nature.”

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

Half a mile underneath where Miroku and Sango contemplated this possible new wrinkle, Inuyasha dashed through the labyrinthine tunnels, following his nose towards the centre of the mountain. Kagome said that Naraku would probably be deep underground, in some kind of chamber… can't get much deeper than this! He heard, rather than saw the shift in the rock wall beside him, and was already diving out of the way when a massive horizontal crack sliced open and blew out the entire wall, revealing a lofty cavern on the other side, and a lone figure standing stock-still, illuminated by what appeared to be clumps of glowing moss.

 

Bankotsu flourished Banryu and declared, “Welcome to round two of our death match, Inuyasha!”

 

“I don't have time to screw around with you,” the hanyou snarled, drawing Tetsusaiga.

 

“All the rest of my brothers have returned to the grave, and I've chosen you to pay for their deaths.”

 

“Why not Naraku? He's the one who set you up!”

 

“He gave me life again, and for that I owe him some loyalty, so I'll stop you from reaching him and enjoy a little revenge at the same time.”

 

“You're totally fucked in the head; fine, let's get it over with. Wind Scar!”

 

Bankotsu laughed as his huge blade sliced through the strike's power, sending it hurtling harmlessly past to tear into the cavern's walls. “Check this out, Inuyasha! Banryu has a new trick!” Swinging the weapon in an arc, visible blades of compressed air screamed towards his startled opponent, who rapidly parried them with Tetsusaiga.

 

Why the hell is his blade so much stronger? Oh, fuck… “You're using the rest of the Band's shards, aren't you?”

 

“Of course, idiot. The ones from your bitch have come in handy, too. I've more than enough power to kick your ass straight into the seventh hell!” Bankotsu again swung Banryu, and Inuyasha retaliated with the `Wind Scar', then took the battle right to his opponent. Rushing forward, his aura flared protectively around him as he leapt through the clashing energies and slashed downwards. Bankotsu snapped up his weapon and the two blades crashed together; Inuyasha was flung across the cavern and slammed painfully into the opposite wall. He held onto Tetsusaiga and managed to shake off the impact in time to avoid being spitted on Banryu's tip. “Feh. You seem so much weaker than the last time we fought… I wonder if I've become too strong for you?” Bankotsu mused scornfully as he yanked his weapon free of the wall.

 

“Fuck off, asshole. You couldn't beat me even if you had a hundred shards.”

 

“It'll take far less than that, puppy-chan, I promise you. Stop barkin' and start fightin'!”

 

Steel again swung, and opposing strikes screamed towards each other. This time, enough killing energy made it through that each combatant had to take cover behind his weapon. Fuck it all to the fifth hell! If Bankotsu were a demon, I'd have his ass on a platter with the `Backlash Wave'. Gotta hand it to Naraku; the asshole figured out how to protect himself with evil humans. Now what am I going to do? Inuyasha quickly scanned Bankotsu's body in the brief lull. He must have a couple in his throat, and the way he's tossing that blade around… that's it!

 

The hanyou launched himself at his enemy, who let fly with another blast. Inuyasha protected his head with his sleeve and dove right through the wind blades, twisting to dodge the worst of them. “You idiot dog! Why'd you put away your sword?” Bankotsu demanded, taking a swing at the flying hanyou, but his angle was too low… but his upraised arm was in exactly the right position for Inuyasha.

 

“Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!” he roared, raking his claws through Bankotsu's forearm, tearing away flesh and linen gauntlet as Banryu thunked into the ground some distance away.

 

“Loathsome cur,” Bankotsu hissed fiercely as blood dripped.

 

“That's two,” the hanyou growled, shoving the newly recovered shards deeply into the front of his suikan.

 

“You got lucky, hanyou… so you think you're gonna win by taking my shards?” He flexed his injured arm, smiling unpleasantly. As Inuyasha dove for his throat, claws extended, Bankotsu sidestepped and landed a crushing punch to his jaw. “I don't need Banryu to kill you in hand to hand combat; I used my fists to keep the Band of Seven together, not milk and honey!” Feinting with his injured hand to draw Inuyasha's attention, Bankotsu delivered a blow to the hanyou's face that snapped his head back and sent him flying. Broken rock clattered down around him as cracks raced up towards the ceiling.

 

“Got a couple in that arm, too… good. Make it easy for me, asshole.”

 

“Not bad, hanyou; I'm impressed that you deliberately took a punch like that.”

 

Inuyasha heaved himself to his feet, probing his loosened teeth. “You'll be even more impressed when I rip out your throat.”

 

“More loud barking… let's see if you can back it up!” Bankotsu leapt at Inuyasha, who came at him with equal fury. Their fists collided, and the hanyou winced as his fingers buckled. His opponent pounded him in the same cheek, and again knocked him down. “C'mon, Inuyasha! I'm hitting you with this arm to make it easy for you, but you keep missing the chance!” Bankotsu strode over and dragged him upright. “Do you give up?” he demanded, before again punching Inuyasha in the face and hearing bones crack as the half-demon crashed to the ground. “Feh… what a disappointment. Is this the best that you can do?” Bankotsu asked disdainfully, rolling Inuyasha over onto his back and seizing him by the throat. Yanking him up to eye level, he squeezed while sneering, “Unlike Jakotsu, I'm not into torturing losers… lucky for you. So long, puppy-chan… urk!”

 

Inuyasha hooked the shards out of Bankotsu's throat with his claws at the same time as he drove his knee into the revenant's midsection. When Bankotsu loosened his grip, the hanyou viciously kicked him across the cavern. “Three more… that's five,” he grunted as the shards disappeared into his suikan. “Two to go, and you're back where you belong.”

 

“I'm not dead yet. So long as I have shards, I still have a chance.”

 

“Idiot. Naraku will never let you leave this mountain alive if you have Shikon shards,” Inuyasha snorted. “You'll be used and thrown away as soon as he's done rebuilding himself.”

 

“No shit; the warlords treated us the same way, until we couldn't be controlled… and that's when they turned on us. I fully expected Naraku to try a double-cross.”

 

Before Inuyasha could ask why Bankotsu was still fighting for Naraku if that was the truth, a series of violent tremours shook the cavern. The revenant took the opportunity to race across the cavern and seize Banryu's hilt, yanking the huge blade free and unleashing a strike. The hanyou drove the Tetsusaiga into the rocky floor to brace himself against the blast.

 

“Where's the `Wind Scar'? Can't get it up?” Bankotsu mocked, loosing another barrage. Suddenly, Inuyasha was again inside his zone, the Tetsusaiga biting into his ribs as Banryu was committed to the upswing. Searing pain momentarily blanked Bankotsu's mind as the enchanted blade carved a path through his body from waist to shoulder.

 

Bankotsu had a scant moment to realize that he'd been defeated as Banryu fell out of his bony fingers. “Nice move,” he admitted after his bones thudded to the ground. “Best one I've seen in two lifetimes.”

 

Inuyasha stepped carefully around Bankotsu's bisected body to crouch at his side, studying his erstwhile enemy's face. “Naraku screwed you thoroughly, and nobody deserves that from him… no matter how evil. I'll add you to my list of people to be avenged.”

 

Bankotsu mustered a grin as his eyes glazed over, and he rasped, “Take the rest of my fucking shards so Naraku doesn't get `em… if you lose to that asshole, I'll be royally pissed at you!”

 

“Not planning on it,” Inuyasha muttered, reaching for Bankotsu's remaining arm, because there wasn't enough left of the revenant for the shards to be hidden anywhere else, but the rock beneath his feet abruptly turned spongy and yielding. What the fuck now? A gruesome sucking sound caught his attention, just in time to see oozing rock creeping up over Banryu's blade. Shit! The mountain is trying to swallow the shards? Glancing around, he noticed with a slight sense of panic that the walls and ceiling had suddenly become softened-looking, the edges rounding, with what appeared to be veins netting the surface. Fuck, damn and all seven hells! It's like I'm inside a huge body! Oh, fuck, no… As realization struck, Inuyasha thought he heard a low, evil laugh just as the soft, hummocky floor heaved upwards and he was wound firmly in coils of warm, tentacle-like flesh. No matter how hard he struggled, their iron grip only tightened until it was hard to breathe, so he sensibly went limp and bided his time as he was borne upwards. Naraku's up to shit; only a matter of time until he shows his face. I hope Miroku and Sango got the hell out…

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

“In there? Are you sure, Kagome?” Koga demanded, his tail bristling as he peered into the small, dark tunnel framed by jagged rocks. “Makes my hackles go up…”

 

“Yes. I sense Shikon shards inside the mountain. There are two groups of them; a badly tainted one in roughly the centre, and a second, slightly purer one just below it,” she replied, concentrating.

 

“The vegetation has all wilted,” Kohire observed as Yoen sniffed at a clump of blackened grass before recoiling with a loud sneeze.

 

“Naraku's miasma; you'll have a noseful of it soon enough,” Koga growled. “Let's go; the bastard's obviously making his move!”

 

Kagome dismounted with Kirara on her shoulder. “If I'm right about how this extinct volcano is structured, there's an opening up at the top in the old crater. Fly up to the summit and wait for me there, Kumo.” The stallion chirped unhappily and bunted her; she petted his leathery muzzle. “The tunnel is too small for you and the other tenbaryu,” she said regretfully. Kumo nuzzled her cheek as Kirara mewed. The fire-cat jumped down and transformed to her full size, then yowled; the grey stallion bowed his head.

 

“Kirara-sama says she will take full responsibility for your safety,” Tsu offered, fending off Misora's tongue as she tried to lick him again.

 

“Are you lot coming or not?” Koga demanded. Kirara slanted him a look, flagged her twin tails and urged Kagome towards the rocky entrance. With a final pat to Kumo's heavily arched neck, Kagome let herself be pulled away. Behind her, Tsu and Kohire bid their brightly coloured tenbaryu goodbye, while Kurosei hovered overhead.

 

As she came abreast of the wolf prince, the young woman adjusted her weaponry. “After you, wolfing,” she said with a jauntiness she didn't really feel.

 

“Try and keep up, princess… you, too,” he glared over her head at the two guardsmen. “Anything happens to Kagome, the mutt will be the least of your worries, understand?”

 

“You were in too big of a hurry to wait for Ginta and Hakkaku earlier; don't waste valuable time posturing,” she said, firmly shoving him into the opening and beckoning to the smirking inu-youkai.

 

“That was because we had to wait a while to see if you were gonna die or not; wonder what Inuyasha ran into?” Koga mused. Inside, they found the steeply-sloping tunnel to be dimly lit by strangely-glowing moss, but when her battle-sight clicked on, Kagome had no trouble seeing where she was going as she chased after Koga. The wolf prince was travelling at a mere fraction of his usual rate of speed in deference to her, so Kagome swung herself onto Kirara's back and stretched out flat to avoid the low roof. “That's more like it!” Koga shouted over his shoulder, and the four demons raced into the depths of the mountain.

 

This is it… the final confrontation! Naraku's managed to split us all up, I'm separated from both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, and we have no idea of what's waiting for us inside… damn, damned, damnable! So much for not allowing the enemy to choose the battlefield. She grinned at the wolf prince's back. You'd give me a failing grade if this was an exam simulation at the Academy!

 

“Kagome-sama!” Tsu screamed from behind and she turned to see both he and Kohire apparently kneeling on the ground.

 

“What's the matter?” she called, as Kirara put on the brakes and streaked back towards the struggling, swearing guardsmen who were now engulfed up to their hips.

 

“The ground… it's sucking us in!” Kohire shrieked. “My legs… they're being burned!” Kirara immediately had Kohire by the scruff of his tunic, but the suction was relentless until he was virtually yanked from her fangs and disappeared with a terrified yell. Kagome threw herself off Kirara and grabbed hold of Tsu's wrists. Desperately dragging upward, she fought against an inexorable pull that staggered her with its force; even Kirara's intervention made no difference as he was swallowed chest-deep. Tsu's grip on Kagome's forearms became crushing as he clung to her, whimpering fearfully.

 

“Koga! Help us!” she shouted over her shoulder before asking, “Can you transform and break free that way?” Tsu's long-fingered hands briefly became large paws before they went limp and slipped from her grasp as the ground closed over his head; the last thing she saw were his eyes rolling back in his head, the whites startling against the dark matter flowing over him. Kirara hissed loudly as Kagome became aware of a truly lurid stream of curses. Whipping around, she was in time to see the wolf prince go under, his fangs bared and his blue aura flaring brightly.

 

“Goddamnfuckingsonofabitch!” Her power boiling around her, Kagome drove her flaming hands into the ground, purifying the rubbery material in an attempt to reach her companions, but they were out of reach. “This isn't over!” She reached for her bow, but was interrupted by several drops of liquid pattering around her. A yellow drop struck her cheek as she looked up and it burned an excruciating path down her skin. Putting Koga to shame with her swearing, she pulled up the hood of her fire-rat cloak and reached for Kirara. The neko was taking no chances, hovering slightly off the ground to prevent being drawn in. Scrambling onto her back, Kagome was electrified by a familiar tingle moving away down the tunnel, deeper into the mountain. “Koga's shards are heading towards the other ones I sensed earlier! They should prevent him from being digested… I hope.” Swallowing hard, she looked back at the patch of cratered ground. Forgive me; I couldn't protect you.

 

As Kirara flew along the twisting, softening tunnel, Kagome covered as much of their bodies as possible with her cloak's generous folds, wincing as the tough fire-rat sizzled from the acid rain. After several long minutes, they burst out into empty air, Kirara's flames echoing in a vast, dimly lit chamber. “We've reached the core!” The duo swept around the cavern, Kagome intently searching for Koga's shards as they examined the deeply corded and folded walls that bore an uncanny resemblance to intestines. “Let's go higher first, Kirara, and then we'll look for the magma chamber.”

 

The ceiling of the circular cavern was ribbed and veined like muscles, but there were also structures embedded in it that reminded her of giant pincers and huge claws; Kirara veered away when the fleshy-looking rock contracted and a small opening appeared in the centre. As Kirara hovered next to the wall, Kagome watched in horrified fascination while the opening widened and gooey white egg-like globs began dripping through, one at a time at first, and then in oozing clumps. They fell past the fire-cat and her rider to vanish into the darkness far below; Kagome counted down the seconds until a faint splattering sound indicated the vast depth of the cavern.

 

“Be careful, dearest Sango; this sudden subsidence concerns me,” came a familiar and very welcome voice, as one of Hiraikotsu's tips appeared out of the white globular mass and made a stirring motion.

 

“This doesn't look good, Miroku,” Sango's worried tones were clear as the Hiraikotsu disappeared, leaving an opening behind.

 

“Miroku! Sango!” Kagome shouted, throwing back her hood and waving wildly. Two darks heads popped into view, wearing identical stunned expressions.

 

“Kagome-sama! Kirara-sama! Thank goodness… where is Inuyasha?” the monk called.

 

The young woman's stomach lurched. “You mean… he isn't with you?”

 

“We have not seen him, Kagome-sama,” Miroku answered. “He is within the mountain as well?”

 

“He came in after you… look out!” The ribbed ceiling suddenly pulled all the way back to the circular walls and an avalanche of fleshy globules poured down. Kagome yanked out her sword and drove Fenik deeply into the fleshy wall. She hung from the hilt while bracing her booted feet against the rubbery surface as the fire-cat streaked upwards. Yellow liquid briefly leaked around the puncture, but seemed to instantly heal.

 

Kirara managed to catch both Sango and Miroku as they flailed through the air. The monk ended up clinging to Kirara's furry rump in a most awkward manner, but that was better than the alternative of plunging to his death. Kirara hustled over to a fold of tissue projecting out of the wall, allowing him to find a foothold and switch to a more dignified position as he scrambled astride behind Sango.

 

“Thank you, Kirara! That's a long way down,” Sango said breathlessly, hugging the neko around her neck. “Kagome! Are you all right?” she called, peering at her friend.

 

The other young woman gamely waved from her precarious perch. “Mostly, I suppose,” she answered. Kirara swooped down and edged up against the wall, allowing Kagome to squeeze onto her back in between the slayer and the monk.

 

Once they were organized somewhat, between bone boomerangs, swords, quivers, oversized bows and staffs on one overburdened fire-cat, Miroku asked, “Did you see Naraku, Kagome-sama?” as Kirara slowly circled the cavern.

 

“No, but I have a feeling that we might be closer to him than you think,” Kagome mumbled, glancing at the intestine-like walls. “It's possible that we're inside him.” The mixture of disgust and disbelief on her friends' faces would have been highly entertaining if the situation hadn't been so serious.

 

“Inside… him…?” Sango looked around uneasily.

 

“These walls aren't rock, and Koga was swallowed, along with Tsu and Kohire.”

 

“That's impossible! We saw Naraku earlier inside this very cavern!” the slayer protested.

 

“His face only, Sango… our friends were swallowed, you say?” Miroku asked, his brow furrowed. “Do you think they were absorbed? If Naraku has Koga-sama's shards…”

 

“I was able to sense Koga's shards earlier, but now it's like they're gone,” Kagome replied. “What were those white things you were standing on?”

 

“We think that Naraku has managed to expel his human heart,” Sango said, after exchanging looks with Miroku. “The malformed beings appear to have been his failed attempts to give it a complete body like Muso's.”

 

Kagome shuddered at the memory of that evil creature. “What should we do now? Inuyasha is in here somewhere, but Sesshomaru's outside, and…”

 

Miroku instantly clapped a hand over her mouth. “I do believe that the very walls may have ears, Kagome-sama.” He cast an appraising glance up at the distant, irregular opening marking the mountain's summit. “If we broke whatever seal may be containing this place, like at Mount Hiei, I wonder if it would empty itself?”

 

“Do you think I should try an arrow?” Kagome asked, immediately assessing the distance with a marksman's eye. “We need to close the range. Kirara, the three of us must be nearly breaking your back, but if we can smash the seal, either we'll be sucked out or our tenbaryu can enter to help.” The fire-cat meowed and determinedly began to rise just as Miroku happened to glance downward and yelled a warning.

 

Kirara threw herself and her passengers out of the way as a writhing column of tentacle-like appendages suddenly boiled up out of the depths straight for them. As it rose, Kagome glimpsed red and silver fluttering in the artificial slipstream as a familiar form was dragged into view, tangled in the fleshy coils.

 

“Inuyasha!”

 

The hanyou's ear twitched, and his head shot up, his golden eyes flashing angrily. “Kagome! What the fuck are you doing in here?” he roared.

 

She scowled. “Nice to see you, too, dog-boy.”

 

“Such a touching reunion,” purred a deep, resonant voice that seemed to come from everywhere at once and sent chills down their spines.

 

“Knew you'd slither out sooner or later, Naraku,” Inuyasha snarled, craning his neck until he could just see a pale, red-eyed face surrounded by inky blackness floating several feet above his head.

 

Kagome again slid off Kirara's back, anchoring herself to the wall with Fenik and digging her toes into a convenient loop of flesh. Sango used her new freedom of movement to throw Hiraikotsu with all her might. The giant boomerang sliced towards the pale face, but missed, instead chopping through the column of tentacles above the coils that held Inuyasha. Yellow acid sprayed, showering the humans and causing the hanyou to loose a flurry of curses, but more tentacles whipped out of the darkness just as the Hiraikotsu returned to Sango's hand. Kirara was slammed into the soft wall, and found herself pinned tightly along with her mistress and the monk. Kagome yelped as a tentacle snapped around her body, and briefly considered zapping the thing, but re-thought that course of action when she realized that nothing would stop a fatal plunge if she purified the flesh currently supporting her.

 

“You've done well, surviving this long to reach my lair… but it's all over for your pathetic little quest to stop me,” Naraku gloated.

 

“It's over when I rip you into pieces, fucker!” the hanyou spat.

 

“I have always enjoyed your stubbornness, Inuyasha; it makes this defeat all the sweeter… especially when I impart some thoroughly delightful news.” The dark hanyou glanced around at his captive audience and smiled smugly. “You were correct, monk, that the misshapen creatures you and the slayer discovered were my attempts to purge myself of my human heart. Unlike Muso, however, this time I was successful.” He smiled even wider as the full impact of his words sank in. “My heart has been given a form and has been sent out of this mountain as bait. The lovely Kikyo is nearby; I expect that she will be tempted to loose an arrow at it and its entourage… thereby ensuring her own destruction because once it is gone, there is nothing on this earth that can prevent me from sending her back to hell.”

 

“Bastard!” Inuyasha screamed in impotent fury, thrashing against his bonds.

 

Naraku preened, thoroughly enjoying himself. “Unfortunately, you will miss the spectacle of her death, because instead you are all privileged to witness my ultimate transformation; the final shards are within my grasp.”

 

“Do you plan to absorb us?” Miroku shouted, drawing gasps from Sango and Kagome, and a scornful snort from Inuyasha.

 

“Don't flatter yourselves. Three humans, a hanyou and a neko? The very thought makes me ill… although taking the reincarnated miko's powers is appealing in a purely ironic sense…” A tentacle tip appeared out of nowhere and caressed Kagome's cheek, until she flamed her fingertips and batted it away. Naraku chuckled, and the large tentacle wrapped around her tightened painfully before loosening again. “However, since none of you have shards, I'm not terribly interested… and that filthy wolf is causing enough trouble.”

 

A thick tentacle detached itself from the massive column trapping Inuyasha and lifted a silent figure into view. “Humans are so pathetic, in their need for friendship. Bankotsu should have taken all seven shards for himself and fled, but he chose to revive his comrades, and ultimately died for his foolish loyalty.” A slender appendage appeared out of the darkness and drove its tip into Bankotsu's forearm; the revenant's glassy eyes shone briefly as his head slightly turned just before his flesh powdered away from his bones. The obscene cradle released its hold, and the mortal remains of the last member of the Band of Seven tumbled into the depths.

 

The appalled observers barely had time to contemplate his death when a gleaming weapon rose into view, twined in yet more tentacles. Two more slender coils made their appearance and wriggled their tips into the forged steel, stripping Banryu of its shards; the crack instantly reappeared, and then the huge sword followed its wielder into oblivion. A distant metallic clang reverberated throughout the cavern when it struck bottom, like a warlord's death knell.

 

A truly hair-curling stream of curses emanated from Inuyasha as he was yanked higher into the air and his body painfully arched to expose his torso. Naraku gave a low chuckle at the hanyou's futile struggles to free himself. “I wonder how deep I'll have to go to find the rest of Bankotsu's shards?” Slim, velvety black tentacles undulated towards the pinioned hanyou. They hesitated, weaving like serpents determining the best place to strike, before diving into Inuyasha's robes.

 

If the swearing had been lurid before, it couldn't hold a candle to the vitriol that now spewed as the tentacles slithered over Inuyasha's skin and rummaged through the folds of his clothing, finally withdrawing with five glowing shards clutched in their tips. Kagome watched with a growing sense of horror as the tiny slivers winked like a halo around Naraku's face, just before a brilliant flare of light momentarily blinded his unwilling audience as the shards fused with the large piece of tainted Shikon Jewel that he already possessed.

 

As their vision cleared, a pulse of intense demonic power washed over them, raising the hair on the back of Kagome's neck and causing her own spiritual energies to rise in response. The tentacle gripping her tightened threateningly, but she was too astonished by what she beheld to react. Out of the darkness, chips of matter coalesced, then organized themselves and flowed together to form a complete, fully clothed figure floating inside a clear spherical shield. Huge spikes rose out of scaled shoulder guards, multiple sleek dragon's tails waved around his hips, bony wing-like loops sharp with serrated teeth protected his back and all over the armoured parts of his body, nightmarish red eyeballs twirled and blinked. Only one thing remained the same… the purloined face of the young lord of the Hitomi clan, stolen all those long months before and seemingly locked in a permanent sneer.

 

“So very sad, Inuyasha… so close to your most hated enemy, and yet unable to do anything more than curse ferociously,” Naraku observed.

 

The jagged stripes on the hanyou's cheeks widened and darkened above elongating fangs, his golden eyes flaming as he snarled, “You miserable piece of shit… you think you're so fucking terrifying now, do you?”

 

Miroku gulped before shouting down, “Inuyasha! Naraku's demonic aura has increased to incredible levels, far greater than it was before!”

 

“Don't make me fucking laugh!” The hanyou's own aura exploded into existence as he tore himself free of the restraining tentacles, Tetsusaiga instantly transforming into its full size and turning the brilliant red of fresh blood. “Eat this, fucker! Red Tetsusaiga… Wind Scar!”

 

The same demonic energy that had torn him to shreds only months before screamed towards Naraku, but he looked merely bored instead of concerned. “Foolish as always… do you honestly think the same attack will work on me twice, Inuyasha?” Raising his hand, an enormous curved blade grew out of the bones of his forearm and projected outside of the shield. Naraku patiently waited for the incoming strike, and just as it was about to collide, he swept the strange sword across his body and deflected the `Wind Scar' into whirling arcs of uncontrolled destruction that ricocheted around the cavern, slicing deeply into tentacles and sending gouts of acid pouring down the walls.

 

The coil of flesh holding Sango, Miroku and Kirara was breached in three places and fell away; Kirara caught the two humans in her teeth and with her front paws, then swiftly shoved them into a deep vertical crevice in the throbbing walls. As Sango used the Hiraikotsu to shield the opening, Miroku held onto her waist while Kirara transformed into a kitten and stuffed herself between Sango's ankles.

 

Kagome was simultaneously freed and imperilled when two spinning arcs of flame chewed through the tentacle gripping her and gashed the cavern wall above her perch. As acid showered down, burning her fingers, the rubbery flesh securing Fenik suddenly gave way and she fell backwards into thin air with a shrill scream… but only for a moment.

 

Strong arms wrapped tightly around her as Inuyasha carried them both to momentary safety on a jutting loop of intestine. All around them, acid and pieces of flesh rained down as the out-of-control energy continued to bounce wildly, scorching them with several near misses.

 

“What the fuck is going on? Why isn't it stopping?” Inuyasha shouted, using the transformed Tetsusaiga to deflect his own attack as he wedged Kagome into a crack between two lengths of intestine with his own body.

 

“I have trapped your attack within my own demonic energy and redirected its flow. It will not stop until you have all been chopped to pieces,” Naraku laughed triumphantly. “My perfect revenge; your own weapon, dedicated to protecting humans, will take the lives of your precious companions.”

 

Inuyasha's entire body vibrated from his feral growls, making it even harder to think with the `Wind Scar' howling past Kagome's ears. The hood of her cloak protected her from the worst of the acid burns and her shooter's glasses saved her eyes from dangerous splatters; she suddenly knew that being blinded by a blood spray wasn't the primary reason why Gitoumaru had gifted her with them. Okay, Higurashi, what's the plan? Squinting, she suddenly noticed that Naraku seemed further away… and her heart nearly stopped when she picked out the faint wink of shards within his shield.

 

“Naraku's escaping!” she shouted in Inuyasha's ear as they flinched from another near-miss.

 

“What? Fucking son of a fucking…”

 

“I can see Koga's shards at the very bottom of the shield! He hasn't been absorbed yet!”

 

“What about this?” he yelled over his shoulder as the Tetsusaiga rang with yet another careening hit, and a light bulb went off in her head.

 

“I should be able to purify Naraku's demonic energy, and if I can breach his shield even the tiniest bit, Koga might be expelled!” Just as she sheathed her blade and pulled the strap of her bow over her head, Sango screamed wildly. Naraku's tentacles had reached outside the shield and plucked a limp form from high up the cavern wall.

 

As the Jewel shard securing Kohaku's soul to his body was torn out and his lifeless corpse dumped into the whirling energy, Inuyasha swore violently and jammed Tetsusaiga into its scabbard. “He'll have all the fucking shards if this doesn't work! Now, wench!” Kagome hitched herself onto his back and hooked her legs over his hips, a white-fletched arrow burning brightly in her fingers as he launched upward.

 

Aiming even more carefully than she had that long-ago day at the river, when the Jewel shattered and started the whole quest, Kagome pulled the bowstring taut and let her power pour into the missile. Please let this work… More cursing and the smell of scorched fur momentarily distracted her. “Sorry about your ears!” she yelled as she let go. The flaming pink arrow streaked upwards, the spinning demonic winds going utterly still in its wake and allowing Kirara to snatch Kohaku's plummeting body out of mid-air; Sango clasped her brother's corpse in her arms and sobbed helplessly while Miroku held onto both of them.

 

The purification arrow struck its target dead-on and a loud `crack' echoed around the cavern. A blinding flare of light erupted from the point of impact and a circular opening appeared as the shield burned away until Naraku somehow stopped the destruction. However, it was too late to prevent Koga's rescue; an ovoid case enclosing the curled-up wolf prince dropped out of the bottom of the shield, held briefly by sticky-looking cords that might have been spider silk before breaking free. “Damn you!” roared Naraku, but it was too late to recapture Koga and his valuable shards without putting himself within range of the grey-eyed miko and her deadly arrows, so instead he elected to move on to his next target and retrieve the shards later. “Enjoy being entombed together!”

 

With a sharp movement of his hand, the mountain shook violently and began to crumble in earnest as Naraku rose towards the opening in the summit. Purplish-black miasma took the place of the yellow acid as the internal structures of the mountain gave way; they were endangered from all sides. “We have to get out of here!” Inuyasha bellowed, and began bounding from side to side, using chunks of falling flesh and rock to launch upwards, straining for the distant patch of light.

 

“We can't leave Koga! He'll die!”

 

“Getting you out of here and then I'll take care of the stupid wolf!” he replied. Kagome had another brain wave and snatched a couple of black-fletched arrows out of her quiver. “What the hell are you doing, wench?”

 

“Keep going!” Rapidly notching the warhead-equipped shaft, she sent the arrow rocketing towards the cavern wall opposite and quickly followed it with a second at point-blank range as they dodged falling boulders. A third missile was the charm; with a deafening roar, a huge section of already-weakened rock thundered downwards, giving a glimpse of wintry sky… just before a herd of tenbaryu piled through the freshly-blasted opening. Kumo screamed and dove underneath them, neatly catching the pair on his broad back and immediately whipping them out of harm's way as a mass of squirming worm-like organs toppled over.

 

While Yoen and Misora circled and dodged, desperately looking for Kohire and Tsu, Kurosei urged Miroku to shift into his saddle to lighten Kirara's load, but the monk refused to leave his grieving wife. However, the black tenbaryu didn't go unburdened for long. “Brimstone breath! Get over here and take Kagome!” Inuyasha shouted.

 

“What are you doing?” Kagome screeched as he forcefully tossed her onto Kurosei's back.

 

“Going after Koga; get the hell out of here and find my brother! He's Kohaku's only hope!” the hanyou yelled before taking hold of Kumo's reins and sending the grey stallion diving into the mountain's unstable core without so much as a backwards glance.

 

“Kagome-sama! Come on!” Miroku shouted from the relative safety of the opening, and she reluctantly urged Kurosei after Kirara as miasmic clouds billowed up from the direction that Inuyasha and Kumo had just disappeared.

 

We've been split up again, dammit, and Naraku's on the loose outside! Can things get any worse?

 

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