InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Price of Vengeance ❯ Chapter Two: Ash-Demon ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: InuYasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi and not I...sigh...

Chapter Two (Ash-Demon)

"Dammit!" InuYasha growled into her ear as he huddled protectively over Kagome, the flaming wind brushing over them. The protective fabric of his Fire Rat robe protected the girl and kitsune from the fire, but he couldn't leave them to find out what was making the fiery winds as the flaming gouts came again and again, bathing them in heat. The dry wood of the well caught quickly, and the shadowed trees that rung the clearing were starting to smoke and smoulder.

"Where is it coming from?" Came Miroku's shout as he ducked behind a tree, the rings of his protective staff tingling faintly with his sudden movement. He pulled Sango with him, ignoring her startled squeak of outrage. Kirara snarled in defiance as she changed into her larger form. Sango swept from behind the tree to jump on her back as the neko youkai, her own red-orange flames spurting from her feet, launched into the air.

"Hey!" Miroku shouted, waving a fist at their disappearing forms, before he ducked back behind his tree at another flaming wind was aimed at him this time. The tree caught with a groan, and the bushes on either side were swept away in a gout of flames. The houshi scrambled from behind the flaming tree, running further into the forest. "I have to find out where the flames are coming from!"

"Damnit, anyway!" InuYasha raised his head, ears cocked, as the flames flashed away from them and toward the monk. He grabbed Kagome with one clawed hand, not noticing how the flimsy cloth of her shirt ripped at the shoulder under his piercing claws, scratching her tender skin. Her startled gasp was lost as he vaulted into the air, dragging her with him. They narrowly avoided another gout of flame as InuYasha sprung into the air.

Kagome held the cowering kitsune cub in her arms for dear life as her feet dangled in the air, inches above the spurting flames. InuYasha's grip on her shoulder tightened, causing her to squeak at the pain as he landed into a neighboring tree. Dropping her on the swaying branch, the hanyou turned his attention away from the grumbling girl and back to the clearing. "Where is it? Where the hell is it?"

Disgruntled, Kagome inched back toward the bow of the tree, wincing as the harsh bark scratched her bare legs. Really! Once in a while she should really wear some jeans. She was tired of her school uniforms getting torn up in these stupid battles!

InuYasha had pulled the Tetsusaiga free of its sheath, and the broken, rusted sword flamed to life in white fire. "Do you sense any Jewel shards, Kagome?"

Kagome gathered her wits. Patting the huddling, shaking kitsune in her arms, she stood up on the swaying branch, extending her senses. She scanned the clearing, even as she watched Sango flying in the air on Kirara's back, holding her Hiraikotsu up behind her, trying to find the origin of the flames. Kirara neatly sidestepped a flaming blast aimed at them, and roared defiance.

Kagome focused on where the flames were originating. Narrowing her eyes, she felt a sudden twinge, as if something was pulling on the harp-strings of her very soul. The sharply fuchsia glow of a malevolent Shikon shard twinkled at her from the darkness of the trees on the east side of clearing. "There!" She screamed at InuYasha, pointing past him toward the brush.

A sharp, metallic scent filled InuYasha's sensitive nose as the girl's arm pointed past him. He turned sharply at the heady scent of the girl's blood and saw the rent in her shirt from his claws. Blood welled sullenly from the slight gashes at her shoulder, a few drops streaking the fabric and falling slowly to the ground far below. "Kagome! You're hurt!"

"InuYasha! Duck!" Kagome hurled herself into his arms, ducking under him as InuYasha instinctively huddled over her, his red robes swirling over the girl and fox cub as another gust of fire flamed over them. The tree over them caught and crackled.

"Dammit!" InuYasha sprang free from the tree as the flame subsided, hauling Kagome behind him by her heavy, yellow backpack this time. Another flame passed just behind them. "Sango!" He yelled. "Aim at the eastern end! The big tree over there!" He hollered as he jumped further into the forest.

Sango's defiant yell filled the air as she released the Hiraikotsu toward the trees. InuYasha found another convenient tree to dump Kagome in, further from the battle scene. He released her from the air, knowing she would land safely (if not comfortably) in the tree's leafy upper branches. Turning in midair, he faced the eastern side of the forest, growling, his amber eyes narrowed and sparking with their own yellow flames.

"Where are you! Come out and show yourself!" He shouted as he ran over the treetops to the clearing.

Sango's Hiraikotsu swept the eastern trees, cracking limbs and raining leaves and brush to the forest floor below. The giant weapon spun back toward her, where Sango braced for the impact of its return.

An eerie howl rent the air of the clearing as a shadowed form came from behind the trees. InuYasha growled as his opponent finally emerged. Black and grey, the color of ashes, swirled over the humanoid form. Faintly pink eyes bulged from the sides of the overly long, narrow head. Red flames danced in the eyes as they narrowed on the hanyou flying at him. An unearthly scream of rage rang through the clearing, causing InuYasha's ears to flatten in pain at the frequency. The wide mouth, fanged like a shark's, opened beneath mere slits for a nose. Fire, red and glowing, came from its mouth, shooting straight at InuYasha.

InuYasha quickly sidestepped the blast, the air flapping the sleeves of his kimono, and held Tetsusaiga in a two-handed grip. "You! Ugly! Get ready to die!"

Miroku danced backward out of the flaming forest, and back into the clearing. Realizing where he was, with no concealment or protection, the monk quickly ran back into another part of the woods. Not one to sit on go, especially where personal safety was concerned, he kept hidden behind the trees, coughing as the thick grey clouds of smoke from the burning forest pooled around him. He heard Kirara snarl and InuYasha's yell as they finally located the source of the flaming wind. Speeding back into the clearing, ducking past flaming brush, he saw the horrific Ash-demon roar. Falling over from the loud frequency that rung in his ears, he barely missed being fried by the youkai's next sweep of flame.

He looked up from a face full of dirt and leaf-matter to see InuYasha's two-handed downward swing at the Ash-demon. The youkai dodged to the side with lightening fast reflexes, his eerie howl ringing the clearing as InuYasha growled, landing heavily on his feet and spinning around to confront the demon with bared fangs.

"Come on over here and fight, you damn pile of burnt offerings!" InuYasha taunted at the youkai. The Ash-demon grinned with double rows of sharp teeth and sent a second blast of fire at the hanyou.

"InuYasha!" Sango cried out from somewhere above them as the hanyou was wreathed in flames. She held up Hiraikotsu, ready to swing. "Take that, Fire-Eater!" She sent the boomerang spinning toward the Ash-demon, who roared back with his ear-ringing cry, making Kirara snarl with flattened ears as she danced back away on fiery feet from his follow-up blast of flames.

Miroku stood. "It's time for my Wind-Tunnel!" He shouted as he cleared the trees and stood defiantly behind the youkai. He sensed the malevolent force of a Jewel shard coming from the demon. He thrust his staff into the earth, the rings swinging and chiming defiance as he prepared to unwrap his powerful right hand.

Hiraikotsu distracted the Ash-demon. Roaring, he jumped away from the boomerang, but couldn't avoid the backswing as it spun behind him and came back on its own spin. Hitting the side of the youkai, who roared flames in pain, the weapon went straight back to its mistress's waiting hand.

InuYasha, wreathed in the youkai's fire, had held up the protective sleeves of his Fire Rat robe to ward off the flames. A taunting laugh came from the flaming hanyou as he waved Tetsusaiga's white fang, dissipating the creeping flames with one stroke. The Ash-demon's eyes widened, even as InuYasha leapt from the ground, Tetsusaiga beginning its deadly arc toward the youkai.

The youkai belched fire once more as the hanyou leapt over him and brought the white fire of Tetsusaiga down on its ash-colored head. Flames licked up InuYasha's arms as the fang split the Ash-demon in two from shoulder to groin. Fire leapt from the disintegrating demon as it howled in pain and hatred. InuYasha reversed his leap, and landed away from the fiery death, on the other side of the smouldering forest.

The youkai became a ball of fiery fury as its body convulsed in its own flames. "It's going to explode!" Sango warned from above as Kirara reared back, away from the spinning ball of fire.

"InuYasha! Stand clear!" Miroku shouted at the hanyou as he unwrapped the prayer beads from around his right hand. He could take care of the flaming youkai once and for all. "Wind Tunnel!" He shouted as he unleashed the powerful black winds of the void in his hand.

Flames licked higher as the winds tore through the clearing. Burnt grass, ash, rocks and dirt were pulled in by the void. The flaming body of the youkai hurtled toward the braced monk. The winds encircled the flaming ball and drew it in as the houshi braced for the impact. A searing line of fire met his palm as the Ash-demon's body was swallowed by the hole in the houshi's hand. Miroku kept his hand unwrapped for another moment, waiting for the void to reject the Jewel shard the demon had carried in its body. Winds swirled over the clearing, fanning the flaming residue on tree and brush even as the small dark fuchsia shard emerged from the void and spun into the clearing.

Seeing the distinctive light leaving him, Miroku wrapped the prayer beads around his hand, abruptly cutting off the swirling black winds. Momentary silence followed the howling of the winds, before a dull roaring filled the clearing, and the sharp cracking of burning timber sent sparks into the neighboring trees.

Fanned by the winds of Miroku's hand, the smouldering brush of the forest surrounding the clearing, set by the Ash-demon's fiery blasts, caught and flared into roaring life. Miroku's startled blue eyes swept the brightening flames as smoke swirled around him and choked him.

"Dammit, Miroku!" InuYasha yelled as he leapt away from the roaring flames that swept toward him.

"Kirara! Hurry!" Sango urged the neko-youkai as she saw flames encircle Miroku's position. The cat roared acquiesce, and sped toward the monk. Leaning over the neko's back, Sango held out her hand as they descended toward him. Miroku yanked his staff out of the ground and jumped at the girl's outstretched hand, clutching it for all he was worth as Kirara sprang free of the flames.

"INUYASHA!" A terrified cry came from the surrounding woods, as flames encircled the clearing and the trees behind.

"Kagome!" InuYasha howled as he jumped from his perch on an as-yet-unburning tree. Sheathing the Tetsusaiga in mid-air, he stretched his senses, his sensitive nose twitching at the smell of burning forest around him, trying to seek the scent of the girl he had sworn to protect. Heated wind swirled his silver-white hair behind him as he scanned the roaring forest.

Her scent came faintly on the hot breeze a moment before he spied her in the top-most branches of the tree he had dropped her in. The kitsune cub was clinging to her shoulder, yelling and waving for the hanyou's attention. Smoke swirled around the terrified pair as flames licked up the darkened tree base.

"Kagome!" InuYasha yelled, trying to get her attention.

"InuYasha! Hurry!" Kagome shrieked as flames shot up the tree with deadly purpose.

"Jump, Kagome!" The hanyou shouted. Big brown eyes gave him a fearful look as the girl braced herself on the swaying branches. Clutching the terrified fox cub in her arms, she launched herself into the air just as sparks caught in her backpack, skirt and hair. InuYasha stretched out his hands, claws extended, as he grabbed the girl by her shoulders and hugged her to him, sweeping her away from the flaming forest. Her cry of pain was lost in the roar of the fire as it burned the forest to ash behind them.