Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ One for the Ages ❯ Chapter Nine: When the Levee Breaks ( Chapter 9 )

One for the Ages

By Gan Xingba

Chapter Nine: When the Levee Breaks

 

One day after Hiei's mental sparring match against Naraku, the situation remained mostly unchanged. As Kurama had predicted, Hiei had not reappeared, and though Sango had assured the others that she was fine, it was obvious that she was lying. Even Yusuke and Kuwabara's moods had been brought down by these recent events, and that was saying something. As such, the camp was unusually quiet during dinner. Only Shippou seemed unfazed, but this was only because of his age.

 

“Hey, Kurama,” said the fox demon cub, taking a break from his meal. “What kind of demon is Hiei? I've never seen any demon like that before.”

 

“Hiei is a fire demon,” responded Kurama patiently. “But his full demon form is as much a mystery to me as it is to you. Hiei has never talked to me about his origins, and I have never inquired about them.”

 

“Feh, I doubt that guy would even tell ya' if you asked him,” scoffed Inuyasha, showing his distaste for the topic of conversation. “To tell you the truth, I really don't care.”

 

“You're such an insensitive jerk,” chided Kagome, sighing and shaking her head.

 

“Just bein' honest,” replied Inuyasha, and then turned back to his meal.

 

The next few minutes were completely silent as everyone save Inuyasha himself cringed inwardly at his words. Kurama was the first to finish, and began to leave the camp.

 

“Where ya' goin'?” inquired Kuwabara through a mouthful of fish.

 

“Just checking the area for any useful plants,” answered Kurama, and continued into the brush.

 

Even with the gravity of recent events, Kurama found his mood lighten as he walked through the forest. There had never been anything more soothing to the fox demon than nature, and now it was all about him. Eventually, he had made his way to a small stream, with the moonlight glistening off of its surface. For a moment, he just stood and gazed at the spectacle, soaking in the sight. However, this only lasted a moment, for he realized that he was not alone.

 

He did not need to scan the area to find the other party, though. It showed itself willingly, walking out of the trees on the other side of the stream, cloaked in white baboon skin.

 

“Ah, there you are…Kurama, is it?” greeted the masked figure, and while the words were cordial, the tone was sinister.

 

“And you are?” asked Kurama, now fully on his guard.

 

“I am the one you have been looking so hard for,” responded the figure. “I am Naraku.”

 

Though he was far to controlled to show shock at this, Kurama was indeed surprised by this bit of information. He sensed a Sacred Jewel shard, but only one. This was not consistent with what he had been told previously.

 

“Then why waste time on words?” proposed Kurama, removing the rose from his hair.

 

“Why, indeed?” agreed the fiend, and then promptly sent a tentacle shooting towards Kurama.

 

With an almost lazy movement from his wrist, Kurama transformed the rose into his signature Rose Whip and cut down the oncoming appendage. Naraku was persistant, however, and continued to send more tentacles at his target. Kurama didn't even need to move his legs, his whip seemingly created a shield around him as he lashed it about. Soon, chunks of Naraku's tentacles had covered the ground around him, and the attack ceased.

 

Seizing the opportunity, Kurama darted towards his opponent, whip prepared to strike. Naraku didn't even get the chance to dodge before the whip tore through him in a whirlwind of blows, shredding his body.

 

`A demon puppet, of course,' realized Kurama as the remnants of his foe fell to the ground. `I doubt the real thing will be so simple.'

 

As he reapplied the rose into his hair, Kurama noticed a bright sparkle among the carnage. He stepped closer, and gazed down upon the object.

 

`Well, look at this, Shuichi,' came Youko's voice from deep within his mind. `A shard of the Shikon Jewel, the famed Jewel of Four Souls.'

 

`We are not keeping it, Youko. This jewel is the only way home,' he reprimanded back sternly.

 

`Of course we won't,' Youko's assured him. `But it would be foolish to leave it sitting here.'

 

`You're right, it would,' he agreed. `I'll just hold onto it until we get back to the camp, but once we get there…'

 

`I understand, you don't need to repeat yourself, Shuichi,' Youko replied with slight impatience.

 

Slowly, Kurama reached down and picked up the glowing shard and placed it in his other palm. He gazed at its beauty with slight wonder momentarily, but quickly his eyes filled with panic. The shard was sinking into his skin. He tried to grab it, but it was too late, for he felt the shard inside of his palm, now unreachable. As he felt fear was over him, inside Youko was laughing.

 

`What have you done, Youko?' he demanded as he slowly felt his body leave his control.

 

`Poor little Shuichi. Surely you must understand by now how I feel about our partnership,' taunted Youko, his voice growing clearer and more powerful. `Your mind is a prison, Shuichi, and the Sacred Jewel has provided a key to that prison. As such, you are no longer of any use to me. Goodbye, Shuichi.'

 

Even as Youko finished speaking, white smoke enveloped the body that once belonged to Shuichi Minamino.

 

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“How far away is this jewel shard, exactly?” asked Inuyasha, following Kagome closely and holding onto his sword's hilt.

 

“It should be right up here,” answered Kagome while she made her way through the thick undergrowth.

 

Several minutes ago, Kagome had sensed a Sacred Jewel shard in the direction Kurama had departed in. Since Kurama was already in the area and it was only one shard, the group had decided that just Inuyasha and Kagome need bother with it.

 

`I've got a bad feeling about this,' thought the half-demon as he sniffed the air. `There's a strange smell in the air.'

 

They finally exited the forest and found a small stream, littered with the remains of some creature, a creature that did not bleed.

 

“This looks like one of Naraku's demon puppets,” observed Kagome, pausing to examine the sight. “Something really did a number on it.”

 

“And it's still here…” stated Inuyasha after a quick whiff of the air, and promptly drew the Tetsusaiga.

 

Despite their accurate observations up until this point, neither of them noticed a thick vine wrapping itself around Kagome's ankles. Only when it abruptly tighten did Kagome even feel it, and let out a sharp yelp as the vine began to drag her back to its source across the water, that source being the newly freed Youko Kurama, who had the other end of the plant wrapped around his left arm.

 

“Kagome! What the hell are you doing to her you bastard?” roared Inuyasha as Kagome's body began to be enveloped in the vine.

 

“You need not be concerned about the wench, she shall be fine so long as you act like a good dog and stay still,” responded the self proclaimed king of thieves. “All I want is those Shikon Jewel shards she carries, not her life.”

 

Inuyasha could only growl in frustration. He was fairly confident that he could easily defeat this new foe, but he wasn't sure that he could do it quickly enough to rescue Kagome.

 

`Besides, Kurama should be here any second. Where is he?' thought the dog demon hopefully, but he sniffed the air to be sure. `Wait…his scent is coming from right here, and why can't I smell this guy? Wait…'

 

Inuyasha's jaw clenched and his eyes grew in size as he finally began to put the pieces together. He looked at the vine enveloping Kagome, then the fox tail on the demon, and then finally he began to notice the demonic aura that surrounded the demon.

 

“Kurama! You traitor!” he yelled, eyes practically burning with fury.

 

“You poor fool, I am not the Kurama you know. That weakling was not even worthy of the name. I am Youko Kurama, king of thieves,” declared Youko, with a smirk on his face.

 

At last, Youko let Kagome drop to the ground, and the vine returned to him, carrying Kagome's four Sacred Jewel shards. Inuyasha quickly rushed to Kagome's side, but before he got there, Youko's vine lashed out and pierced Kagome's side.

 

“I did not say that you could move, mutt,” Youko stated simply, though his words were laced with self satisfaction.

 

As the vine retracted itself from Kagome's flesh, Inuyasha was to stunned to do anything but stare in utter horror while Kagome fell to ground with a gasp. It appeared momentarily that Inuyasha would have a nervous breakdown, but Inuyasha did not react that way to traumatic situations. He simply became furious.

 

Bloodlust filled his eyes and he let out a war cry that would freeze the blood of the mightiest warriors before turning and charging his opponent with the Tetsusaiga. Yet even in his enraged state, he was not quick enough. Before he even reached Youko, the fox demon had absorbed all four of the Kagome's shards, and his power was far greater than Inuyasha could hope to match. As if to prove this, Youko simply dodged all of Inuyasha's strikes, despite the great power and fury behind them. All the while, Youko was laughing with glee, egging the half-demon's fury on to even greater heights.

 

This was the sight that greeted the others when they finally arrived. Kuwabara had sensed the peril that Inuyasha and Kagome were in, but this had not been anticipated. Inuyasha was momentarily distracted by their arrival, and Youko decided to take advantage of this, kicking the half-demon right in the ribs. With a great crash, Inuyasha found himself half imbedded in the ground from the power of Youko's strike, and was forced to use his sword in order to stand.

 

“Well, if it isn't Shuichi's little friends,” Youko said mockingly, addressing Yusuke and Kuwabara specifically. “I regret to inform you that you'll no longer be seeing him. He has been…removed.”

 

“Wait! Why are you doing this?” asked Yusuke with a confused expression on his face. “When you showed up in the Dark Tournament, you were on our side. What happened?”

 

“Fool boy, you misunderstand. I was never on your side, I was on my side,” corrected the demon with a chuckle. “I had no choice but to cooperate. If your team had lost, Shuichi would die, and drag me with him. Now, I have no reason to work with you.”

 

“Do you think you can ignore me?” yelled Inuyasha, and raised the Tetsusaiga in striking position. “Wind Scar!”

 

The blast of bright energy that Inuyasha let fly from his blade tore through trees, earth, and air, but it missed Youko, who leapt out of the way. Debris and smoke clouded the area where the Wind Scar had made impact, but when it cleared, Youko was gone.

 

“I can't even sense him…” muttered Kuwabara, eyes closed in concentration. “I `spose he wouldn't be much of a thief if he couldn't escape good.”

 

Yusuke nodded in agreement while the rest of the group, Inuyasha included went to check on Kagome. The girl was now sitting against a rock with a significant amount of blood forming a pool next to her, and looking fairly dizzy.

 

“I'll be OK,” she assured her friends. “I just need something to stop the bleeding.”

 

“As soon as you get bandaged up, you should get back to the camp. You'll need to rest if that wound's gonna' heal,” suggested Inuyasha, before turning and pointing his massive blade towards Yusuke and Kuwabara. “That was your friend that almost killed Kagome! If you've got a reason for me not to hack ya' to bits right now, you'd better stalk talking!”

 

“All right, but it's a long, boring story,” began Yusuke with a sigh. “See, Youko Kurama was the big cheese of thieves up in the demon world…”

 

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Youko looked down at Shuichi's friends from a nearby cliff while they returned to their camp. By no means was it cowardice or a lack of confidence that caused him to retreat, he simply knew that the greatest strategists only fight a battle for which they have assured the outcome. For a guaranteed victory, planning would be necessary.

 

`There was a strange aura surrounding that sword,' recalled Youko of the Tetsusaiga. `I've seen something like it before...but what is it? Of course. It's a suppressant. That will take care of the larger threats, aside from that fire demon. Judging from what Shuichi knows of him, though, he will be easily defeated.'

 

As the thief poured over any and all information he might use against the group, he marveled at how strong the Sacred Jewel shards had made him. Thinking about the shards inevitably reminded him of his blissful release, and that brought him to a realization, one that was rather offensive.

 

`This was a set up. My release was prearranged by that arrogant Naraku. Youko Kurama is no one's pawn. Once I have removed these small pebbles off my path, I will have to inform that arrogant fool of this truth.'

 

With no further purpose to his observation of his new foes, Youko lowered his spirit energy and retreated into the shadows.

 

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Once the group had arrived back at the camp, Miroku and Sango had been able to stable Kagome's condition, though she had fallen asleep from exhaustion almost immediately. Everyone else was gathered around the fire, listening to Yusuke explain Youko's situation a second time.

 

“So…let me get this straight: that demon, Youko, is living inside Kurama, and is the reason he has demonic powers, but he's also a different person entirely and is actually way stronger than Kurama?” Inuyasha asked skeptically.

 

“Yup, that sums it up,” confirmed Yusuke, relieved that he didn't have to tell the story again.

 

“But you said he was trapped, so how'd he get out?” questioned Inuyasha, as if trying to stump Yusuke.

 

“Kagome said she sensed a jewel shard in him before he took hers,” interjected Miroku. “My guess is that Kurama got the shard implanted in him somehow and Youko used it to free himself, though it's just a guess.”

 

“So if we take out the shards, Youko will go a way and Kurama will come back?” inquired Shippou hopefully.

 

“I don't think so…” answered the monk, shaking his head. “But I may have an idea.”

 

“Well, spit it out!” mandated Kuwabara with impatience.

 

“I may be able to make a sutra that could seal Youko back inside Kurama if I poured enough power into it,” Miroku stated, though his voice seemed unsure. “We will still have to remove the shards from his body somehow, but with the seal in place, Youko will be unable to resist.”

 

“He's not stupid. We'll have to ruff him up if we want the chance to put it on him,” added Yusuke severely.

 

“Yes,” agreed Miroku. “There is the chance that we'll have to remove the shards from him before we apply the seal. Regardless, I should start making the seal. We'll likely need it by tomorrow.”

 

The monk stood and went to get the necessary supplies. With the meeting seemingly concluded, everyone else went to their separate resting areas. Everyone, that is, save Sango. From the information that Yusuke had given them, Youko would only confront them if they initiated it themselves. He only did what benefited him and it was of no benefit to attack them when they posed no threat. With this in mind, she decided it was perfectly safe to go on a walk alone.

 

The night was beautiful, from a purely visual perspective of course. The moon was nearly full, and the sky was free of any obstructions to the dazzling constellations of stars that inhabited the sky. For a minute or two, she just walked through the forest, her kind really focused on nothing in particular. At last, she reached a clearing, with grass taller than a small child and wild flowers scattered here and there like it had been deliberately decorated that way. Here, she stopped, and leaned against the trunk of an ancient tree at the clearing's edge.

 

“You're probably not listening, Hiei, but if you are, we could really use your help,” said Sango as if the demon were standing right next to her. “You may have your problems, but really they're nothing compared to Kurama's. You have no reason to exile yourself like this.”

 

The demon slayer paused to let out a sigh, and the wind seemed to echo her, causing the grass in the clearing to wave about like a water current.

 

“I bet you blame yourself for what happened back at that village, don't you? Like you could have somehow done better,” she continued, shifting her gaze up to the heavens. “The only reason Naraku came so close to controlling you was because you were trying to save Kohaku, and the only reason you did that was because he's my brother. If anyone's to blame, it's me.”

 

Having now expelled the thoughts that had been dwelling on her mind for a day now, Sango reentered the forest and began to return to the camp. She had known that there was little to no chance that Hiei had been watching any member of the group at all during the last twenty-four hours, and that the odds of him hearing her words just now were even slimmer. Then again, the odds of a girl from the future being flung five-hundred years in the past through an abandoned well were just as small.