InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Price ❯ Reap the Whirlwind ( Chapter 6 )

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha; Rumiko Takahashi and a large publishing conglomerate hold his leash.

 

A/N: The action of this chapter takes place over the late afternoon/early evening of the same day.

 

Bouquets to my lovely CMAs, Forthright, Ranuel and SilverOnTheRose.

 

Warnings: Coarse language, Demon!Inu, dragon guts, WAFF.

 

The Price

Chapter Six: Reap the Whirlwind

 

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“Hey, guys… what took you so long?” Sota cheerfully hailed as he loped across the parking area, a gauze mask dangling around his neck. Cutting loose with an appreciative whistle, he grinned at his sister as she dismounted from the motorcycle. “Nice jacket, Sis. You look almost cool.” Chuckling as he dodged her retaliatory swipe, he added, “Mom left me a note about the last place she saw the Tetsusaiga, so I started without you.”

 

“Any luck?” Sha eagerly asked.

 

“Not so far; it's in the very back corner of a very tightly-packed room and under about half a ton of stuff… but I managed to find that other sword you told me about, Mr. Nishiki.”

 

“Which one would that be?” Kagome queried, shooting the hanyou a sharp look.

 

“Yura's,” he replied. “I figured it could be substituted for the Tetsusaiga, so your grandfather wouldn't realize it was gone.”

 

“I remembered to wear gloves, but it totally went off like a firework when I touched it! So friggin' cool! The sparks shot twenty feet!”

 

“Told ya,” Sha grunted, evading Kagome's horrified look. “Where is it now?”

 

Sota waved towards the complex of traditionally-styled storehouses abutting the main shrine building, where a calico cat lounged on the veranda railing, her tail gently swaying. “Right below Buyo; she's the ferocious guard-cat. Lookit that killer's stance!”

 

More accurate than you'll ever know, whelp! Sha tapped Kagome's shoulder. “You should try purifying the sword, so it doesn't zap the next person who touches it… who will probably be your mother.”

 

“Um, okay… where's Mom, anyways?”

 

Sota waggled his eyebrows. “Gramps was apparently `at death's door' all morning, but had a totally miraculous recovery in time for Mom to drive him to Mr. Yoshida's house.”

 

“I'm going to change my clothes,” Kagome sighed, starting for the house. “I'll only be a minute,” she protested when Sha followed.

 

“I know,” he calmly replied, opening the foyer door and ushering her inside. “I'll wait here.”

 

Kagome found space in a cubby hole for the helmet. Fingering the collar of the jacket as she slipped it off, she shyly said, “Thanks again for this.”

 

“My pleasure, Miss Higurashi.” His smile was genuine, sending butterflies cavorting through her stomach. Before she allowed the feeling to cause more havoc to her equilibrium, she darted into the house and up the stairs to her room. Shutting the door, she leaned against it, everything that Tsugane and Tenmaru had told her spinning through her head.

 

Pressing her hand to her rapidly-beating heart, Kagome tried to think rationally… to no avail. I wish I knew how to handle this. Forcing herself to go through the calming motions of swapping her skirt and sweater for jeans and a t-shirt, she tied her hair up into a ponytail, collected her bow and quiver, then headed back downstairs. Sha was leaning against the doorframe, looking completely at ease; she blushed lightly when his appreciative gaze lingered on her figure and her stomach flipped. Extracting a pair of work gloves from another cubby, she managed a smile.

 

“Good thinking in case we have more unexpected visitors,” Sha commented, indicating her weaponry. Kagome was about to don one of Sota's scruffier hoodies when he stopped her. “Wear the leather, just in case.” Helping her into the jacket, his hands lingered on her shoulders for a fraction of a second longer than necessary, deepening the colour in her cheeks.

 

Grasping after her rapidly vanishing composure, she said perhaps a touch too brightly, “Okay, let's rescue your sword from the nesting dust bunnies.”

 

He grinned like a little kid about to receive the best birthday present ever. “Wait'll you see what it can do; might have to go for a ride outside the city this weekend to show off its full bag of tricks.”

 

“Just so long as any trip is scheduled for after my competition on Saturday morning.” While they crossed the courtyard, as Sha quietly exulted that she'd apparently agreed to spend more time with him, Kagome asked, “The Tetsusaiga's main attack has something to do with controlling the wind, right?”

 

“The Kaze-no-Kizu,” he nodded, pleased that she knew about it. “Tetsusaiga has a few other specialized attacks, too, like the ability to break barriers and rebound an enemy's youki back at them.”

 

“You've really missed it,” she commented, ascending the stairs to the covered veranda that connected the storerooms.

 

“Now there's an understatement…. Hey, kitty,” he greeted Buyo, who responded with a cool look before arching her back under Kagome's hand and purring mightily.

 

“I used an arrow to purify Yura's comb; do you think that would work on her sword?” the young woman asked, giving Buyo a final scratch before kneeling on the planking beside the innocent-looking weapon.

 

“Don't see why not. Oi! Come watch your sister's spiritual powers in action,” he called to Sota and the teen popped out of the open storeroom door.

 

“This is so awesome!” he enthused, squatting on the veranda next to Kagome. “Will it fight back?”

 

“It might, so be ready to run for it,” Sha answered with a suspiciously straight face, smirking when Sota edged further away. Kagome pulled an arrow out of her quiver and took a deep breath before the tip turned blazing pink. Stabbing downwards until the spiritually-charged steel contacted the sword's blade, she held on for all she was worth as Yura's weapon bucked and spat sparks. A very dark red mist condensed around the sword and was rapidly burned off by the energy emanating from the arrow, leaving behind only dull bone-grey metal.

 

“Wow….” Sota was positively owl-eyed. “Is it safe to touch now?”

 

“Probably,” Sha allowed.

 

As the teen pounced, Kagome threateningly wielded her arrow. “Mr. Nishiki said `probably', not `go for it'!”

 

Sota reluctantly retreated before looking hopefully at Sha, who obliged by reaching for the still-smoking hilt. Lifting it to eye-level, he gave it a cursory examination before handing it to a thoroughly boggled teenager. “Mind the blade.”

 

“Whoa! It'd be so cool if I could use it in competitions!” the teen exclaimed, gingerly handling the razor-sharp weapon.

 

“So long as your gramps doesn't find out, why not? It's youkai-forged, so it's lighter and stronger than the equivalent human-made sword; it'd be an awesome tournament weapon,” Sha said. “Keh. Time to evict the dust bunnies.” Pulling Kagome to her feet, he towed her towards the open door of the storage room, but one whiff of the musty atmosphere within provoked a coughing fit.

 

“Do you have another dust mask, Sota?” Kagome asked, belatedly realizing that her hand was firmly in Sha's grasp.

 

“Yep. Scored a couple spares after the dust nearly did me in when I first unlocked the door,” he cheerfully replied, extracting small plastic-wrapped packages from his rear pocket after carefully laying the sword on the veranda next to the storeroom door. “I think this room was missed in the pre-New Year cleaning binge several years in a row!” Kagome wriggled her hand free to accept the proffered masks, but Sha wiped his streaming eyes and took them away.

 

“You're on sentry duty, Miss Higurashi,” he wheezed.

 

“Um… is that a good idea? The dust doesn't seem to agree with you.”

 

“It's fucking murder on my nose, but I'm needed for any heavy lifting,” he gamely replied, tying a mask in place.

 

“Right this way, Mr. Nishiki.” Sota's eyes crinkled over the edge of his face mask as he grinned beneath it, and both men disappeared into the dimly-lit storeroom. Kagome peered in, then retreated as a billowing cloud erupted the moment they moved something.

 

Feeling a little at a loss, she wandered down the veranda to seat herself on the top stair, which gave a clear view of the courtyard, the access road, the torii gate and a glimpse of the Tokyo skyline beyond. Buyo thumped down onto the planks from her perch on the railing and padded over to join the young woman; Kagome obliged a piteous meow with a thorough petting. Propping her chin on her free hand, she studiously tried not thinking about the handsome hanyou while Buyo purred loudly.

 

She almost missed the first tremor, but the second was accompanied by a blast of jyaki that nearly bowled her over with its visceral impact. Buyo growled and hissed, her fur standing on end as the ground continued to shake, the tremors growing stronger and more powerful with each passing second. Ignoring the cursing from the storeroom as shelving collapsed and boxes toppled, Kagome hung onto the railing and made her way down the shuddering stairs, then ran a drunken course across the lurching courtyard towards the torii gate. This feels just like when Mistress Centipede attacked… multiplied by a thousand! Conscious of the way the red-painted crossbars were rattling in their sockets above her head, she scanned the neighbourhood in an attempt to locate the source of the jyaki… and her jaw dropped.

 

Is that a dragon? No way!

 

A sinuously coiling body rearing as high as a twenty-story building thrashed its way towards her, its vaporous body passing through the busy streets and high rises without leaving any visible damage to buildings or people, but the localized earthquake caused by its passage set the emergency sirens to wailing. As she gawked, she realized that between the dragon's eyes was a pale humanoid face, and it seemed to be chatting to someone riding on its shoulder. Briefly rising onto its hind legs as if orienting itself, it then plunged through an apartment building that swayed drunkenly but remained standing and came straight for the torii gate.

 

Stumbling backwards, she ran into a very solid body and was tossed over Sha's shoulder without so much as a by-your-leave. Scrabbling at the smooth leather of his jacket while trying not to lose the arrows out of her quiver, she ended up with a handful of hair and a precarious hold on his collar as he charged back across the courtyard at an incredible rate of speed. Sota clung to the railing outside the storeroom as crackling wood and a pungent smell announced the destruction of the sacramental saké supply. “What's going on?” he shouted as Sha landed on the heaving veranda and deposited his wild-eyed sister on her feet.

 

Steadying Kagome with an arm around her waist, Sha yelled, “Fucking dragon-youkai! Release my sword, or we're all fucking toast!” Diving off the veranda, he took up a stance about half-way across the courtyard.

 

“Dragon? Is he serious?” the teen asked.

 

“Completely… I wonder if you'll be able to see it?”

 

“Why wouldn't I?”

 

“You need youkai blood or spiritual power!” Sha shouted. “If you can't see it, go hide somewhere until your sister or I come for you!”

 

Sota frowned as he beckoned to Kagome and they staggered towards the swaying doorway; through the clouds of dust, they could see the room's contents being thoroughly scrambled. The teen dropped to his knees on the veranda and caught hold of a familiar long, battered wooden case as it slid to and fro on the threshold. The securing cords had already been cut, but Kagome could see the ancient paper sutras plastering the exterior crackling with blue-tinged power. “Can you see that?” she asked, indicating the blue light.

 

“See what?”

 

“You're out of luck regarding spiritual power. What happened?”

 

“When Mr. Nishiki touched the box, he was thrown right through the wall!”

 

Struggling to keep her grip on the lid as the case bounced and jounced with the shaking of the building, she let out a startled cry when a storm-force wind roared past her the moment that she cracked it open. Sota was sent tumbling by the howling gale, but Kagome held on until it subsided. Inside the sutra-lined case, the sword looked the same as every other time she'd handled it, the aged wooden scabbard practically begging for a waxing, the shabby hilt in need of re-wrapping and the tsuba requiring at least a polish and probably a re-gilding… but this time she could see the powerful white youki aura swirling around the weapon. I'm afraid to touch it; Yura's sword was nothing compared to this!

 

“We're out of time!” Sha roared, and Kagome looked over her shoulder to see the dragon-youkai hooking its claws over the crest of the hill and hauling itself onto the shrine grounds; as it crushed the torii gate beneath its bulk, a brilliant blue light flared up all around the perimeter and briefly illuminated the spectral creature against the gathering dusk. As the dragon bellowed, undoubtedly at being zapped by considerable spiritual power, Sota's terrified yell told Kagome that he'd finally seen their opponent.

 

“Grab the fucking sword, girl! It won't harm you!” Sha thundered.

 

“How do you know?” she screamed back.

 

“You're human!”

 

I have to trust him. Her fraying nerves settled and she decisively took hold of the weapon with both hands. Tearing away the final paper sutra that was always meticulously replaced each time the blade was oiled, she was instantly swathed in what felt like electrically-charged cumulous clouds that snapped and stung at her hands and face. Before her own spiritual energy could respond in kind, the white aura became a gentle mist that caressed her cheeks and smoothed her wind-tossed hair. Stunned by the sword's reaction, she stared at it for a long moment, but when the blade began humming in its sheath, she staggered to her feet.

 

Sha landed in front of her on the veranda before she'd taken more than three steps; wordlessly she held out the weapon with one hand while hanging onto the railing with the other. As he grasped it, he held her gaze. “That fucker's scales are stronger than steel. It'd be a waste of arrows unless the range closes, and the only way that's gonna happen is if I'm dead.” Drawing the battered blade, he thrust the empty scabbard back into her hands. “Hold onto this; it'll protect both of you from most youki-powered attacks.” Turning away, he seemed impervious to the rolling of the wooden planking under his feet as he took a running leap off the veranda.

 

“Holy gods!” Sota shouted in Kagome's ear as the scruffy old sword in Sha's hand suddenly flared like a phosphorescent torch and transformed into a massive gleaming weapon over twice its usual length. White youki energy whirled around the blade, and the dilapidated tsuba had become a ruff of flowing fur. “He's the real Inuyasha, all right!”

 

As the siblings held onto each other, they watched the hanyou drop into a defensive crouch while the dragon tried to force its way across the perimeter… but then something went wrong. Sha's concealment spell seemed to burn away; as his hair turned silver, it began rising as if in an updraft. Kagome noticed that his youki turned from pale red to brilliant scarlet before it became an ominous deep burgundy tinged with even darker streaks. Jyaki? What's happening to him? When Sha threw back his head and howled at the sky, she had part of her answer. They were close enough to see the jagged stripes furrowing his cheeks and the tremendously elongated fangs… then the nightmarish red and blue eyes as he turned towards them.

 

Prey… flesh, blood....

 

“Sis… he's looking at us,” Sota whimpered. “Get an arrow ready!”

 

“But I don't want to kill him!” she protested over the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach as the transformed hanyou's tongue slowly swiped over his elongated fangs.

 

Fear… delicious...power....

 

“I don't think he recognizes us any more,” Sota hissed as the hanyou began slinking forward, the thrashing dragon-youkai clearly forgotten. Kagome gulped and steeled herself, but before she could notch an arrow, Sha stopped in his tracks and violently shook his head.

 

Not prey, dammit! Fucking amateur… being possessed by my own weapon! Keh! Sess'll never let me hear the end of it if he ever finds out! Smacking himself in the forehead as he straightened up, Sha breathed deeply several times to stabilize the youki energy surging through his body. Concentrating on reconnecting the intuitive bonds severed by Tetsusaiga's long imprisonment, he continued to enforce his will over his sword's straining demonic power. Not bad, hanyou, for being out of practice for five fucking centuries. His heightened senses easily detected the fear tainting Kagome's and Sota's scents, but he could also hear Kagome reassuring Sota that he was back in control… something about his aura returning to normal. “I'm okay!” he called, and was slightly disconcerted by the deep rumble emanating from his throat. Tetsusaiga's youki was suppressed for far too long in order to keep it hidden; not gonna complain, though, because the extra power's gonna come in handy against a dragon!

 

Kagome's heart rate briefly surged at the sound of his altered voice, but her scent cleared at his words; he waved reassuringly before turning back to his opponent. Not a moment too soon, as it happened, because the dragon let out a thunderous roar and tore itself free of the barrier protecting the shrine's boundaries.

 

“You said nothing about a sacred barrier!” the dragon snarled, and the onlookers realized that it was the humanoid face doing the talking.

 

“I did mention that your quarry would more than likely be found at a shrine,” the white-clad figure mildly remonstrated, dusting his lapels. “Shrines tend to protect their treasures.”

 

“Bah. Don't make me laugh; what sort of valuables could a dingy little hovellike this have in its storerooms? A lacquer box or two?” the dragon jibed.

 

The rider only smiled mysteriously and pointed at the silver-haired figure wielding a massive sword. “As promised, there is your opponent; I have fulfilled my part of our bargain. Shall I do the introductions? He should at least understand the honour he is about to receive.”

 

“I ain't got all day, fuckers… who are you and what the hell do you want?” Sha bellowed, mentally assessing the best place to pierce the dragon's scales. Gotta kill it before its fat ass destroys the neighbourhood!

 

“Ah, Inuyasha… as charming as ever, I see.” The white-clad rider gracefully slid down the dragon's forearm to the ground. A riot of glossy black curls surrounded a delicately-featured face and reddish-brown eyes gleamed over a self-satisfied smirk.

 

“Who the fuck are you?” The hair on the back of Sha's neck stood straight up as he identified the other man as a hanyou like himself. What's up with him? His scent's all jumbled… like he's a mix of dozens of different types of youkai.

 

Ignoring Sha's demand, the other man made a grand gesture. “Even with your limited mental capacity, I'm sure you'll recognize the name of Lord Ryukotsusei?”

 

Sha glared up at the towering dragon-youkai, who made a show of nonchalantly picking a long fang with an even longer claw while the humanoid face sneered. “I know him, all right. The fucker who killed my lord father… who released him?”

 

“That was me, I'm afraid,” sighed the curly-haired hanyou. “Lord Ryukotsusei was quite keen to have revenge for his sealing, you see, but unfortunately the relevant Lord of the West is long deceased. I helpfully suggested that he kill one of the sons instead, and you were the lucky candidate.”

 

“What did you get out of the deal?”

 

The reddish-brown eyes lifted to gaze over Sha's shoulder. “Another chance at destiny.” A swathe of vapour-wrapped enchanted steel blocked his view, and he switched his amused glance back to the fiery-eyed hanyou. “Your opponent awaits, Inuyasha. Excuse me while I reintroduce myself to the lovely Lady Kikyo.” With that, the man easily leapt over the hissing blade and sped towards the siblings.

 

Reintroduce…? Lady Kikyo? It couldn't be… Sha's brain stuttered as growing suspicion turned into full-fledged horror. “Oh, fuck, NO!” he roared, his blood running cold. I won't make it in time!

 

As Sha turned away, intending to prevent the other hanyou from getting anywhere near Kagome, a searing ball of orange energy blew him off his feet and left a smoking impact crater several feet across. Regaining his balance, he bared his fangs at the insolent dragon-youkai. “Fuck off, asshole!”

 

“Iam your opponent, boy… you will show me the proper respect!” Ryukotsusei roared.

 

“I don't have time for you, fucker!” Sha strained his ears to hear the confrontation behind him as he tried to determine the best place to strike his opponent. Gotta end this now!

 

“I am Narakage Hitomi,” the curly-haired man purred as he bowed with studied graciousness, but his dark aura gave him away before he added, “I believe you may remember me as `Onigumo'.” Kagome's stomach knotted with visceral fear as a part of her consciousness recognized the threat embodied by this stranger. As the man ascended the stairs onto the veranda, she fumbled for her weapons, her eyes locked onto his beautiful, merciless face. “That pathetic dog can't protect you, dearest Kikyo. Give me the Jewel, and I will not only be invincible but your devoted champion.”

 

“I'm not Kikyo,” she rasped, her throat dry with fear. He used Ryukotsusei to break through the barrier because he couldn't do it himself, as well as keeping Mr. Nishiki busy. I have to do this myself! Sparing a brief thought for how the barrier happened to be there in the first place, she stopped retreating and braced her hip against the veranda railing as the ground continued to shake from Ryukotsusei's leisurely pursuit of Sha.

 

Narakage's aura writhed around him, his silhouette resembling nothing less than a mass of tentacles as he continued moving remorselessly towards her. Notching an arrow, she willed herself to calm down and the tip to ignite… but Sota was suddenly in front of her, a sword clutched in his hand.

 

“Stop right there,” he growled, fighting for footing. “Stay away from my sister.”

 

“I'm afraid that I cannot oblige you, boy. It is Lady Kikyo's destiny to take her place at my side… and mine to control the Jewel.”

 

Fury finally broke down the wall of fear. “I'm Kagome! Ka-go-me!” she stormed, raising her bow, “and I'll never help you!”

 

Narakage's expression darkened and his aura flared. “Don't say `no' to me, Kikyo,” he warned. “You will obey my command… or your loved ones will suffer.” In the blink of an eye, his arm warped and elongated, his fingers becoming a single long, flexible appendage that slapped Sota aside. As the teen skidded into the wall, the tip sharpened itself into a talon and drove straight for his chest.

 

“Sota!”

 

“Kaze-no-Kizu!”

 

The building heaved violently, knocking Narakage off his feet so that the deadly spike missed embedding itself in Sota's heart, instead pinning him to the storeroom wall by his sweatshirt. Kagome was distracted from racing to her brother's side by the smoking gouges and jagged chunks of pavement crashing down on the courtyard; at the apex of the roughly triangular debris field stood the silver-haired hanyou, his enormous blade half-buried in the ground as he faced off against a thoroughly amused dragon-youkai.

 

Movement on the periphery snapped her attention back to the threat much closer at hand as Narakage retracted his arm. Sota remained in place, his face pale, the sword still clenched tightly in his fist. “That was merely a warning, my dear Kikyo. Defy me again, and the next time I will shatter his heart.” The appendage snaked towards her and seized hold of her ponytail. “Now, Kikyo… shall we become better acquainted?” he smirked and began dragging her across the planking.

 

“No!” Kagome cried out, catching hold of the railing to prevent being pulled any closer.

 

Narakage smiled very unpleasantly and cruelly twisted her hair. “You escaped me once, all those centuries ago… you and the Shikon-no-Tama… but not this time,” he gloated, enjoying the terror saturating her scent like a foul miasma. I hope the dog remains alive long enough to witness my triumph.

 

Kagome gritted her teeth, refusing to let go of the railing despite the very real risk that she would lose a chunk of her scalp as another Kaze-no-Kizu shook the ground and caused a minor explosion out in the parking area. The pain that the dark-haired man was busy inflicting had a marvellous clearing effect on her mind. If I time it right and let go when he pulls again, I should be able to flame this arrow and stake him with it before he knows what's happened.

 

“My patience grows short, Kikyo. End this pathetic resistance and embrace your destiny… or your brother dies.” His other arm transformed into what appeared to be a bone trident and streaked towards Sota. As Kagome screamed, a veritable wall of powerful youki blasted past her. The trident was sheared away from Narakage's arm and kicked aside, and then flashing claws reached for the hand buried in Kagome's hair. He jerked away just in time to avoid a double amputation, but a small section tangled in his fingers was torn out by the roots as the young woman's ponytail came loose.

 

“Keep your foul stench to yourself, Naraku,” the newcomer hissed, flexing impressive twin sets of curved, foot-long claws.

 

Narakage heaved a dramatic sigh as he wriggled the stump of his arm until a new hand emerged from the living flesh. “The dog is as good as dead, and so are you, whoever you are. I will not be denied my rightful destiny a second time.”

 

As Kagome noted the newly-arrived youkai's bright, clear aura, her unexpected defender gave a short, sharp laugh. “Your very existence is an affront to the gods, and it is my destiny to end you.”

 

“You think so? A pathetic little creature like you?” Narakage jeered and threw his arms wide. “Go ahead… I invite you to `end' me.”

 

The youkai spat a virulent epithet and moved almost faster than the eye could follow. Narakage smiled darkly as a sharpened tentacle erupted from the centre of his chest and skewered his opponent. Retracting his flesh until they were almost eye-to-eye, he sneered, “I should absorb you now as a penalty, but instead, I'll allow you to live with the knowledge that you failed to protect your humans.” His prey didn't waste effort on a reply; instead she slashed at his throat with one set of claws while stripping skin and muscle from Narakage's face with the other.

 

His bloodied visage contorted with rage, he flung the youkai into the wall next to Sota and attempted to spike the creature with another tentacle, but the teen hacked off the tip with his sword. “You didn't learn your lesson the first time, little boy,” Narakage snarled, suddenly appearing much less human as his face contorted and an entire nest of tentacles burst from his torso.

 

“No you don't!” Brilliant pink energy exploded around Kagome and the arrow that struck Narakage's chest instantly turned his body to ash, leaving only his head and a disembodied arm floating in mid-air.

 

What was left of his face registered shock and dismay, but when Kagome sighted down the shaft of another missile he murmured, “I shall truly enjoy making you pay for this, Kikyo,” before turning into a wisp of dark vapour that dissipated before the flaring spiritual energy could torch it into nothingness. The charged arrow continued on its trajectory and briefly stuck, hissing violently, between two scales on Ryukotsusei's armoured flank.

 

The dragon ignored the mild stinging sensation. “Pathetic. I expected more from the Inu-no-Taisho's whelp,” Ryukotsusei commented lazily, his tail lashing perilously close to the main house. “Your lord father would be most disappointed in your efforts… but really, what can one reasonably expect of a mere hanyou?”

 

Sha was too relieved that Kagome had escaped Naraku and stunned that Buyo had revealed herself to work up a suitable insult for the towering dragon-youkai. Now I can concentrate on this asshole, and not a moment too soon!

 

Ryukotsusei's mouth opened, overflowing with a huge fireball of orange demonic energy. Sha was already on the move, trying to lead the strike away from Kagome and the others. The earth disappeared under his heels and the concussion sent him rolling across the ground in a hail of gravel, but he was up on his feet and ready to take advantage of the next attack.

 

“Give my regards to your father… in hell!” the dragon-youkai mocked, his jyaki flaring as another strike built up inside his body.

 

“Say hello to him yourself, asshole!” Sha crouched, waiting, and when the next crackling attack sped towards him, he leapt into the teeth of the firestorm. C'mon, Tetsusaiga! Show the fucker your true power! The great sword pulsed in his hands, its youki whirling around the blade. Concentrating until he could see the vortex of demonic energy in the heart of the blast, Sha unleashed Tetsusaiga in a mighty swing. “Bakuryuha!”

 

“That fool dog! What does he think he's doing?” the injured youkai snarled as the Tetsusaiga's super-charged aura burrowed deeply inside Ryukotsusei's rapidly-expanding fireball. “Lady Kagome! Take cover!” she ordered, shielding Sota with her body. Instead, the young woman seized Tetsusaiga's scabbard, almost forgotten in the melee, and placed the wooden sheath between them and the maelstrom of demonic energy.

 

The seething youki dramatically contracted into five distinct orange and gold tornados. Roaring across the rubble, they rapidly chewed into Ryukotsusei's enormous bulk like diamond-edged saw blades and his screams could be only faintly heard above the Bakuryuha's deep-throated roar. Glistening chunks of flesh thudded to the ground in arcing sprays of oily blood… and in the sudden quiet after the Tetsusaiga's attack dissipated, something smashed inside a storeroom. A chill wind picked up, stirring the silver hair of the hanyou standing in the midst of steaming piles of deceased dragon-youkai. Kagome rose to her feet as Ryukotsusei's body turned grey, the outlines softening, then blew away in a macabre snowstorm of ash.

 

“I'm amazed he didn't manage to bring the building down on our heads,” muttered the unknown youkai. “Are you all right, Lord Sota? My thanks for making quick work of that tentacle.”

 

“Ah, er… no problem. Um, thanks for saving my life,” he replied cautiously.

 

“It was my pleasure, my lord.” A slender hand, now devoid of razor-sharp claws, came up to brush flowing black-tipped chestnut hair out of pale celadon-green eyes. When the youkai attempted to push itself up to sitting, Kagome moved to assist. “Thank you, my lady.”

 

“What's with all this `lord' and `lady' stuff?” Sota asked. “Who are you, and how do you know us?”

 

The youkai lowered her remarkable eyes. “I am Buyo, my lord.”

 

Both Sota's and Kagome's jaws hit the planking, but it was the teen who first managed to stammer, “B-b-buyo? As in likes-to-sleep-in-my-sock-drawer-Buyo?”

 

“Yes,” she replied primly as she tried to find a comfortable position.

 

The teenager was aghast as he surveyed Buyo's frankly feminine humanoid form and tried to square it away with the chubby furball that curled up under the blankets with him on cold evenings. “B-b-but I petted you,” he spluttered, turning as red as the fire-rat lining of Sha's jacket.

 

The cat-youkai managed a smile that was possibly supposed to be reassuring, but a length of sharp fang slipped out as she grimaced in pain. “It pleased me to permit the intimacy, my lord, so do not trouble yourself. Lady Kagome, could you do something about that?” She pointed at the bone trident, which had dissolved into a quivering lump of flesh.

 

“Eeyew… one purification arrow coming right up!”

 

As Kagome fried the vestige of their attacker, Sha bounded up the steps, his sword's blade still wreathed in white vapour. “That's one helluva hole in your guts, kitty,” he commented off-handedly.

 

“Better in me than in either Lord Sota or Lady Kagome,” Buyo retorted. “I can also confirm that was indeed Naraku; his scent was unmistakeable.”

 

“Wait… you knew that Miss Buyo was a youkai?” Kagome demanded sharply of Sha.

 

“Two sets of claws are better than one.”

 

In the following silence, the wailing emergency sirens from the surrounding neighbourhood appeared abnormally loud. Kagome gave Sha a look that promised more difficult questions later before wondering, “Do you think Mom and Grandpa are all right?”

 

“Depends where this Mr. Yoshida's house is located,” Sha gruffly replied, extracting Tetsusaiga's scabbard from Kagome's grip. Sota gasped as the massive blade shrank back to its original dimensions and fitted sleekly inside the ancient wooden sheath, but before he could say anything, someone else arrived on the scene.

 

“Uncle!”

 

“Mishi!”

 

“Aw, hell….” Sha grumbled wearily as he leaned on the railing. “There goes the fucking neighbourhood.”

 

Two figures barrelled over the ruined torii gate and made straight for them, slowing to a jog and then a walk as they skirted the jagged gashes and mounds of rubble.

 

“Holy gods, Uncle,” Tsugane breathed as he reached the foot of the stairs, staring at the destruction. “If those trenches mark the Kaze-no-Kizu, then that must be from the Bakuryuha.” He pointed at the scoured grooves twisting across the earth where the multiple whirlwinds of youki energy had literally shredded Ryukotsusei.

 

Tenmaru folded his arms as he looked Sha up and down. “What happened to your concealment spell, Uncle?”

 

“Tetsusaiga blew off a little steam,” he replied evasively.

 

“Better do something about it before someone sees you.”

 

“No shit?”

 

“Um… sorry to interrupt, but we should move Miss Buyo into the house,” Kagome said firmly. “People from the neighbourhood often come up here to shelter from aftershocks.”

 

“There won't be any aftershocks, Mishi,” Tsugane immediately protested. “This wasn't the usual sort of earthquake.”

 

“The local humans won't know that,” Tenmaru pointed out. Casting an appraising glance over the damaged courtyard, he added, “Luckily Uncle missed the house, or we would be in a tight spot.”

 

Sota, his ears still scarlet, recovered from his acute embarrassment enough to query, “Is Mr. Nishiki really your uncle? That means you're….”

 

“Yes, we are, and he's well-preserved for his age,” Tsugane winked before turning serious. Dropping to one knee before Buyo, he said, “I am Tsugane Nishiki from the Western House, and that is my younger brother Tenmaru. Permission to assist, my lady?”

 

He was fixed by a sharp green eye. “Yes, you may, pup.”

 

The dog-hanyou bowed his head in acknowledgement, then rapidly scooped the taller cat-youkai into his arms. “This may not fit your personal image of the bloodied but unbowed warrior, my lady, but it is far more expedient to protect you from curious eyes,” he replied briskly and Buyo swallowed her objections. Mentally smirking at the formidable pout she sported, Tsugane had the good sense to not reveal his amusement as he carried her towards the house.

 

Tenmaru held out his hand to Sota, who had been included in Tsugane's introductions. “You're looking a little the worse for wear yourself,” he commented, fingering the large hole in the teen's sweatshirt as he assisted him to his feet. “Leave the sword, though. We'll deal with it later.”

 

“I'm gonna have a huge bruise on my butt, and my shoulders are really sore, but Buyo… I mean, Miss Buyo… took the worst of it,” Sota replied cheerfully enough as he handed over the weapon, but they all saw the grimace as he tried to straighten.

 

“Miss Higurashi, you and Uncle should come inside as well, until he can do something about his concealment spell.” Tenmaru leant Sota his arm and guided the teen down the stairs.

 

“I need to contact Mom,” Kagome fretted. “She has to prepare Gramps for the mess… hey, why didn't all the damages repair themselves, like after Mistress Centipede?” she asked, looking to Sha.

 

“Because Uncle's sword caused quite a few of them… it's a dimensional thing,” Tenmaru replied. “What sort of youkai was it? Father said the jyaki levels were the highest he could remember in a very long time.”

 

“There were two of them, actually; one was Ryukotsusei,” Sha supplied as he and Kagome followed.

 

“Seriously? But… he was sealed at least five dimensions away from this one!” He gazed at Sha with open admiration. “You did Grandfather one better, Uncle. Even he only managed to seal the brute… and paid for it with his life.”

 

“Keh.”

 

“I wonder how Ryukotsusei managed to break his seal?” the younger dog-hanyou mused as he helped Sota manoeuvre around yet another rocky trench.

 

“Naraku.”

 

Tenmaru stumbled, but caught himself and Sota in time to prevent a nasty tumble. “Father must be informed,” he said in a hushed whisper.

 

“We'll get right on that, as soon as we know Mrs. Higurashi and the old man are safe,” Sha growled. Taking Kagome by the elbow, he ushered her inside the house through the tumbled contents of the foyer, where they discovered Buyo and Tsugane engaged in a lively wrangle in the hallway. The cat-youkai was still ensconced in the dog-hanyou's arms and didn't look very happy about it. “What's the hold-up?”

 

“My lady feels that a kitchen chair is adequate for her recovery, while I am of the opinion that she would be far more comfortable lying down,” Tsugane supplied patiently, while Buyo looked murderously petulant.

 

“Upstairs… my room,” Kagome declared, leading the way. “You, too, Sota.”

 

“Lady Kagome!” Buyo protested, but the young woman shook her head.

 

“You risked your life for us, Miss Buyo. It's the least we can do,” she replied firmly, opening her bedroom door. The shambles that greeted her only slowed her down a moment; she quickly swept the stuffed animals and trophies off her bed so that Tsugane could deposit his furiously-objecting armload.

 

“You won't stain the bedding because the entry and exit wounds are already sealed, and your robes have cleaned themselves… so lay down before I have Mishi slap a restraining sutra on your cantankerous butt,” he genially threatened while Tenmaru assisted Sota to a seat on Kagome's desk chair.

 

As the brothers exited the room, Kagome smiled brightly at the disgruntled cat-youkai and her brother. “If the gas lines are intact, I'll put on a kettle for tea. There's a shogi board under my desk if you want something to do.”

 

Buyo tried one last pleading look, but the young woman shook her head and closed the door, leaving the youkai and the teenager alone in awkward silence. “Do you want black or white?” Sota finally asked, awkwardly sliding off the chair to retrieve the game board, moving aside several spilled textbooks to reach it.

 

She hesitated a moment. “White; you may go first, Lord Sota,” she finally sighed, then patted the bed beside her. “Set the game board here; we might as well make ourselves comfortable.”

 

He smiled shyly as he arranged the chess pieces. “You were really awesome today… so cool how you sliced and diced that creep!”

 

“My thanks, Lord Sota… your move.”

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

Downstairs, Kagome arrived in the kitchen in time to hear Tsugane ask, “Sure you don't want me to help you with that, Uncle?”

 

“Fuck off, brat. You'd give me green hair, orange eyes and a skin condition,” Sha growled. His necklace was in his hand and as she watched, he murmured a rapid-fire sequence of sounds that might have been archaic Japanese and then repeated the same phrase several times. The beads glowed on and off with each repetition, the quality of light intensifying as the spells strengthened.

 

She couldn't help glancing curiously at the watching brothers; Tsugane elbowed Tenmaru, who immediately pushed up his sleeve and removed his watch while Tsugane unbuckled his belt. Kagome gasped when Tenmaru's spiky hair turned silver, a pale blue crescent moon appeared on his forehead, his eyes flashed golden, his human ears became slightly pointed… and a silvery tail waved next to his thigh. “Wow…” she said admiringly, then turned her attention to Tsugane. Velvety white canine ears swivelled in her direction, and a fang poked out of his smirk below dramatic dark-blue striping on his cheeks and bronze-gold eyes. “Wow! Can sure tell that you three are related!” A crackling, tinkling sound caught her attention, just in time to see a dark-haired Tenmaru dumping a dustpan brimming with broken crockery into the garbage can… and then she noticed that all the cupboard doors were ajar. “How…?” she asked, bewildered.

 

“If the damage to inanimate objects was caused directly by Ryukotsusei's attacks, it was repaired when the dimensional rift closed,” Tenmaru answered, scooping up another load of shards after separating out sealed packages of pantry items. “However, collateral damage remains, such as materials jarred loose in the earthquake caused by his passage, or traffic accidents resulting from those tremors.”

 

Tsugane secured his belt, then dumped out and neatly stacked several pots before shoving them back under the counter. “Uncle's use of the Tetsusaiga didn't help matters, because its attacks directly affect this dimension.” Kagome nodded, but it was apparent that her mind was elsewhere. A concerned frown creased her brow as she scanned the broken dishes and glassware. “Something wrong, Mishi?”

 

“Did you see a tanuki cup anywhere?” she urgently demanded. Tenmaru and Tsugane's search quickly produced an intact, goggle-eyed pottery mug from the cupboard next to the sink. “Thank goodness,” Kagome exhaled.

 

Tenmaru eyed the homely item before handing it over. “There must be a story behind this,” he commented neutrally.

 

“When I was very small, my father brought home a set of two cups as a gag gift for Mom. She served their morning tea in them to return the joke. But… somehow it became a tradition.” Kagome paused, her eyes downcast, her scent radiating sadness. “One of the pair broke just before he died.”

 

“And your lady mother continues to drink her tea every morning out of it, in honour of his memory,” Tsugane finished, his tone very gentle.

 

Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she nodded, then quickly changed the subject. “I'll phone Mr. Yoshida's house to see if Grandpa is still there or if Mom's picked him up already. Is the gas on? I promised Miss Buyo and Sota a cup of tea.”

 

While Tenmaru swept a path for Kagome to reach the wall phone, Tsugane checked for a pilot light and then turned on the kitchen tap. “Everything seems to be in working order… where's the kettle?”

 

“Cupboard beneath the cook top,” she replied. Running her finger down the neat rows of telephone numbers, looking for her grandfather's crabbed scrawl, she absently rubbed at a sore spot on her scalp… and noticeably flinched.

 

Tsugane was immediately at her side. “What's wrong, Mishi?”

 

“Oh, nothing, really. Narakage… I mean, Naraku… tore out a hunk of my hair, so my skin's a bit tender,” she replied, wincing at the sting.

 

“Let me see.” After a careful inspection, he pronounced, “Just a minor injury… no need to amputate.”

 

“Thanks for your expert diagnosis, Dr. Ichiko,” she snorted, neither of them noticing Sha's dark expression.

 

Tsugane grinned cheekily. “Tenmaru's always been better than me at the domestic stuff, so he can stay in here and help clean up the house.” As his younger brother shot him a mildly panicked look, he breezily continued, “I'm gonna start filling in those trenches outside before either your family returns or the neighbours arrive. Coming, Uncle?”

 

“Keh.”

 

The elder hanyou followed the younger out of the room without a backwards glance, the newly-recharged necklace dangling from Tetsusaiga's hilt. Kagome returned to locating the phone number while Tenmaru filled the kettle and fiddled with the knobs on the cook top. “Something wrong?” she asked when he seemed unable to decipher the element diagram.

 

He gave her a rueful smile. “Despite Brother's assurances, I'm afraid that kitchen appliances and myself are no more than casual acquaintances, Miss Higurashi. We have a cook who deals with mundane activities like making tea.”

 

“No time like the present to expand your knowledge base,” she teased before asking, “Oh, heck… did the teapot survive?”

 

“It appears so, and enough cups as well,” Tenmaru replied, looking in the open cupboards. “The tea, however, is missing in action.”

 

“That metal canister,” Kagome directed as she found the number and began dialling. “Only two small spoonfuls… oh, hello? Mr. Yoshida? It's Kagome Higurashi… we're all fine… yes, including the, er, cat. No, no… we were shaken up but unhurt… there's road closures? Um, is my mother there? Oh… I see. That's very kind of you, Mr. Yoshida. Please ask my mother to call when she returns with your wife from shopping.”

 

As she replaced the receiver in the cradle Tenmaru asked, “What's the word on damages?”

 

“Localized power outages and road closures due to broken water mains, but no loss of life. Mr. and Mrs. Yoshida have insisted that Mom and Gramps stay with them tonight.”

 

“That'll give us time to clean up,” the dog-hanyou said. “We can start on the storerooms, at least… after you and I deal with the house.”

 

Working together while the kettle boiled, they moved the table, chairs and refrigerator back into their usual spots and put the kitchen into reasonable working condition. Tenmaru then discovered that several of the pictures had fallen off the chest in the tatami room, and he spent some time picking up minute shards of broken glass while Kagome prepared the tea and carefully rinsed and wiped out the cups to make sure no one received a sharp-edged surprise. When he entered the kitchen to dispose of the glass, she asked, “Would you please serve these to Miss Buyo and Sota? I'll take the others outside to Mr. Nishiki and Ichiko.”

 

He complied after offering, “Brother and I will supply dinner, Miss Higurashi; I'm sure we can find an unaffected restaurant within a reasonable distance.”

 

“Great idea! Let me know before you leave… wait, why didn't the barrier react when you arrived? Come to think of it, why doesn't Mr. Nishiki set it off?”

 

“There's a defensive barrier? Hn… it must be triggered by jyaki, not youki, because Father has visited the shrine in the past without incident. We can test it later to find out.” Lifting the tray of brimming cups, he cocked his head in the direction of the ceiling. “Playing Go, are they?”

 

“Shogi, actually.”

 

“Sounds like it's a rather exciting match,” he grinned as he headed towards the stairs.

 

Flicking on the outside switch as she left the foyer, Kagome was relieved to see the grounds flood with light. Don't want to fall into one of those ditches if I can help it! As she picked her way across the broken pavement, she realized that only Tsugane was working; Sha was nowhere to be seen. Handing over a cup, she asked, “Where's Mr. Nishiki?”

 

Tsugane took a sip of the steaming tea before gravely replying, “He's in mourning, so he took some time to compose himself.”

 

“Eh… what?”

 

Maintaining a solemn expression, he pointed across the courtyard. “I'm afraid that one of the casualties of Uncle's Kaze-no-Kizu was his dearly beloved motorcycle.”

 

“Uh-oh.” Kagome squinted at the twisted hunks of metal and rubber lying crumpled on either side of a deep trench. “He's not going to be very happy about that….”

 

“He'd be lighting incense for sure… if it didn't make him sneeze.”

 

“Where is he?”

 

“Leave him be, Mishi. Uncle's naturally sunny disposition has taken a definite turn for the cranky.” She arched her brows, waiting; he sighed and indicated the looming bulk of the Goshinboku. “Don't say I didn't warn you….” Kagome winked before retracing her steps until she was out of Tsugane's sight around the corner of the house. The dog-hanyou shook his head at her determination and returned to shifting dirt and broken pavement.

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

Kagome stopped at the picket fence surrounding the base of the ancient tree and peered into the shadowed foliage. Holding up the cup by way of explanation, she called,

“Mr. Nishiki…? I brought you some tea.” There was no answer, but she could definitely detect a Sha-sized `hot spot' of youki about fifteen feet above her head near the trunk. The hanyou remained silent, so after a few moments Kagome crouched to place the cup next to a fence post. “I'll leave it here for you; it'll cool off pretty fast without a lid, though… eep!”

 

As she straightened, she nearly fell over backwards because Sha was suddenly in front of her in a flurry of silver, his golden eyes glowing in the gathering twilight. The cup tipped over instead, sending fragrant rivulets across the paving. “I'm sorry, Miss Higurashi,” he said tightly.

 

“I-it's only tea, Mr. Nishiki,” she replied, attempting to cover her flustered reaction by retrieving the cup. “No harm done.”

 

“That's not what I meant.”

 

Her glance strayed to the Tetsusaiga, and when she saw his white-knuckled grip on the sword's scabbard, she softly asked, “What's wrong?”

 

He swallowed hard, looking away for a long moment before answering in a low voice, “I swore he wouldn't touch a hair on your head.”

 

The young woman's eyes went wide. “I didn't take you literally,” she exclaimed. When he shook his head, she stepped in front of him, planted her hand in the centre of his chest and insisted, “I didn't.” Trying to catch his averted gaze, she added, “Neither should you.”

 

The hanyou wouldn't meet her eyes. “He touched you, and I couldn't do a damned thing about it! I failed to protect you!” he snarled.

 

“He brought a freakin' dragon with him! You didn't have a choice; you had to fight Ryu-whatsis!” Kagome declared forcefully, prodding his chest for emphasis. “You didn't fail anything, because I'm alive and unhurt!” She startled into silence when his warm hand closed around hers and squeezed gently, holding it against his heart.

 

“I can't take it… I can't stand the thought of Naraku even looking at you, never mind touching you!” he rasped, meeting her gaze for the first time, and the depth of anguish darkening his expression held Kagome in place even more surely than his grip on her hand as he bent towards her.

 

When his head tilted, his gaze dropping to her lips, it took her a moment to understand his intent. Wha… what… what is he doing? He isn't… he wouldn't…is he?

 

Sha's lips were a hair's-breadth away from hers when he registered the panic in her scent at the same time as someone said, “We could use your help… crap. Um, sorry? Please don't kill me, Uncle.”

 

Ж Ж Ж Ж Ж

 

A/N: Kaze-no-Kizu = Wind Scar; the Tetsusaiga's signature attack.

 

Tsuba are the circular metal guards that protect the hand(s) of Japanese swordsman. Placed between the blade and the hilt, the disc acts as a `stop' to prevent an opponent's weapon from sliding up the blade; beautifully ornamented examples are sought after by collectors as works of art in their own right.

 

Bakuryuha = Backlash Wave (anime) or Crushing Stream (VIZ manga), the Tetsusaiga's so-called `ultimate move'… at least until it acquired a whole bunch of other nifty attacks later in the canon storyline.