InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Blackout ❯ Into Darkness ( Chapter 18 )

Disclaimer: I don’t own Inuyasha or any of the publicly known characters, plot, etc. I’m just renting them from Rumiko Takahashi, Viz, etc. I do own the plot of this story and any original characters I’ve created. I will make no money from this fic; I write for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of my readers.


Into Darkness


“You know what we must do, Houshi-sama.”

Miroku sighed, but nevertheless nodded in agreement. Sango was right; he did know what needed to be done. That didn’t mean he had to like it.

It was early on the morning of the day after their last battle with the Shichinintai. Kagome had kept her promise to remain with Kouga until the ookami had fully healed, despite Inuyasha’s continued protests. The hanyou had been in a sour mood for the better part of the last eighteen hours, mostly because he failed to realize that Kouga’s casual flirting with Kagome was just for show, and advanced solely for the purpose of pissing him off. He had absolutely no reason to be insecure where Kagome’s affections were concerned, of course, but he was also too much of a simpleton to behave with any degree of maturity when Kouga was around. Not that the wolf prince was very mature, himself. As one of his pack mates had so eloquently put it, ‘they’re both pretty stupid.’

Thus far, the two of them had yet to come to blows. Though Miroku suspected that had less to do with Kouga’s wounds and more to do with Kagome’s lack of response to his flirting, as well as the ever-present threat of imminent ‘osuwari.’ It would be nice when the wolf departed and their relatively harmonious group dynamic was restored. Unfortunately, it appeared that this occasion would have to be put on hold.

There was only one option now. Between their group and Kouga’s, every meter of the barrier had been searched; there was no gap or opening which would allow passage to individuals with youkai blood. As a result, he and Sango were the only people capable of entering the barrier. So that is what they must do. The alternative of waiting for Naraku to drop the barrier and reveal himself was unacceptable, for the dark hanyou would only do so when he was completely ready, and more powerful than ever. Meanwhile, the Shichinintai could continue to roam about, retreating inside the barrier whenever they found themselves in peril. Again, that was unacceptable. Someone needed to enter the barrier, find the holy person maintaining it, and compel him to cease what he was doing. There was no other way to find and confront Naraku before he finished constructing his new body. And besides, as a monk Miroku felt a degree of responsibility for the fact that a fellow holy man was aiding their hated enemy. If the rogue holy man could not be reasoned with, he would not hesitate to kill him.

So his and Sango’s path was decided upon; the trick would be convincing their friends to let them go willingly. Kagome protested, as expected, but Inuyasha merely regarded them silently. He didn’t look like he was fond of the idea either, but he also knew that he had no right to stop them. Perhaps he’d already reached the same conclusion, that this was the only viable option left to them. And eventually, Kagome reluctantly accepted their decision as well. The last thing they did before departing was request that Kouga stay with the group until they returned. Inuyasha had obviously not been pleased by this, but Miroku mollified him by stating that it would be beneficial to have extra allies looking out for Kagome if the Shichinintai attacked again.

With those issues settled, Miroku and Sango departed. The goodbyes had not been tearful nor especially heartfelt, but everyone felt a certain degree of nervousness that this might be the last time they ever saw each other alive. The four remaining Shichinintai were all strong opponents, and any one of them could pose a formidable challenge. Both Miroku and Sango hoped to sneak in, eliminate the barrier, and then meet up with their friends later. But they were prepared to fight if necessary. Miroku’s primary concern was the condition of Sango’s right hand; periodically she would clench and unclench her fingers, testing her strength. Not even she knew how well it would hold up in a protracted battle, however. One thing was for certain–she would not be fighting alone. Miroku no longer had to worry about protecting Kagome or making sure he didn’t get blown to pieces by a giant piece of artillery. Therefore, he was free to assist Sango. Her skills in hand-to-hand combat were superior to his own, to be sure, but he was no liability. And surely even the taijiya would understand that the importance of their mission trumped any ‘warrior’s code’ extoling single combat.

He thought about bringing it up with her, but decided against it. No sense in making an issue out of something which hopefully would not come to pass. Besides, they were trying to keep the noise level to a minimum. They hadn’t spoken more than a few whispered words since entering the barrier, and were concentrating on keeping their footfalls quiet as they hiked up the mountain. A light fog covered this area, which obscured visibility somewhat. But this Miroku saw as a positive development since it would prevent any enemies from spotting them from a distance. And without the benefit of youkai senses, the Shichinintai might very well miss them. In theory, at least. A theory which was shot straight to hell when they emerged onto a small, flat ridge on the side of the mountain. The path continued on the other side of the open area, bordered on the right by a wall of rock and on the left by sheer cliffs. And standing right smack in the middle, blocking any further attempt to ascend the mountain, was Suikotsu.

“Well, well, look what wandered my way,” the mercenary declared smugly. “It looks like it was smart for Naraku to tell oo-aniki to have this path guarded. So taijiya, do we get to finish our duel now?”

“Unless you decide to run away again,” Sango replied confidently, stepping forward. She paused when she noticed Miroku walking with her stride for stride. “Stay back, Houshi-sama.”

“Not this time, Sango. We’ll take him together.”

“It’s too narrow,” she responded immediately. Miroku took another look, and was forced to acknowledge the truth of that assessment. The ridge was only four or five meters wide at its greatest extent, and slightly narrower where Suikotsu stood. As the physically weaker of the two combatants, Sango couldn’t go toe-to-toe with her opponent. She would need to use her agility to win, and that meant having enough room to move around. Not to mention the required clearance necessary to swing hiraikotsu. In a battle like this, Miroku could admit that he might do more harm than good. But he still hated standing by while his beloved fought for her life. At least Sango seemed to understand his mental anguish.

“Please, Houshi-sama, I need someone to watch my back.”

That was a valid point as well, Miroku realized. The Shichinintai were not above such dishonorable tactics as attacking an already engaged opponent from behind. They were mercenaries, through and through. But ultimately, it was not logic which convinced Miroku to nod once and step back. It was the absolute trust in Sango’s eyes. She trusted him, and she trusted her own abilities. She favored him with a small but heartfelt smile, then turned to face her opponent.

“If you lovebirds are finished,” Suikotsu sneered, “maybe we can finally–hup!”

The mercenary’s comment was cut short when Sango charged in the blink of an eye, swinging hiraikotsu in a great arc with both hands. If Suikotsu had been a little slower to react, he would have been cleaved in two. But he was an expert in close quarters combat as well, and deftly leapt over the boomerang. He immediately moved in with claws raised, seeking to capitalize on Sango’s backswing, but the taijiya had anticipated this and was ready with her katana. Metal grated against metal as she parried Suikotsu’s forehand swipe with the sword, and by the time his other hand lunged in she had hiraikotsu back into position as a shield, supported by her left arm. After this initial melee, both adversaries retreated a bit and stood regarding each other seriously.

“Heh, not messing around, are we?” Suikotsu observed. “Good. I’ve been waiting for this!”

This time the mercenary charged, beginning a flurry of vicious attacks which could only be performed by someone possessing superhuman stamina. Sango was hard-pressed to meet every slash and thrust, but she managed. From his vantage point behind the taijiya, Miroku noticed something disturbing–Suikotsu seemed to be targeting her right side, trying to force her to use her katana more than she wanted to. It was clear that Sango was attempting to guard against her weakness, and her attacker was seeking to exploit it.

Finally, Suikotsu altered his attack pattern, catching Sango off guard. He sent two consecutive strikes to the taijiya’s left and managed to knock hiraikotsu slightly out of position. Then he followed up with a diagonal slash which Sango was obliged to catch with her katana. Her sword hand buckled under the pressure, and for a heartbeat Miroku feared that her grip would fail. The next blow surely would have knocked the weapon from her hand, had she not planted hiraikotsu into the ground and used it as a support to launch a devastating sidekick to her opponent’s solar plexus.

Any normal human would have had the wind severely knocked out of him, an injury which could prove fatal against an opponent such as Sango. But Suikotsu seemed to shake it off quickly, and the taijiya wasn’t confident enough in his incapacity to follow up immediately. It was probably a smart decision, since inside five seconds the mercenary had fully recovered and charged again. But Sango had already decided upon a change in tactics herself. If Suikotsu was going to target her weak hand, she would stop relying on it as half of her defense. Instead, she would fall back on her favored weapon for slaying youkai. Her opponent’s fighting abilities were certainly closer to those of a mid-level youkai than an average human.

Suikotsu was forced to skid to a halt and suck in his stomach as hiraikotsu’s edge swept past. Sango hadn’t been prepared to actually release the boomerang, which ended up saving him. Her reasoning was sound; she would be a sitting duck if such a throw didn’t kill him outright. But that still didn’t lessen her disappointment. She raised her arms and continued to twirl hiraikotsu over her head, her eyes cold steel.

Had Suikotsu been a more patient man, he might’ve waited until Sango’s arms tired before making a move. Or he could have retreated to a narrower part of the path to make it more difficult for her to use hiraikotsu offensively. But it was clear that he was enjoying himself too much to take a cautious approach. Instead he made several feints in rapid succession, testing her reaction time and aim. Finally he darted in low to the ground, then somersaulted over the boomerang as it came around. He moved in closer still and deflected the next revolution over his head with both sets of claws, then aimed an overhand swipe at Sango’s skull with his left. He probably expected her to retreat, which would have doomed her; now that he was inside the radius of her swing, he would pursue until he killed her. But the taijiya’s instincts instead drove her to step forward, into the strike as she raised her right arm to block it. In that fraction of a second, neither of the two combatants nor the lone observer could tell whether she would make it far enough to catch his wrist, or if her forearm would be torn to shreds by his claws.

The sharp sound of metal cutting flesh rang out, then the dull thud of a severed hand hitting the ground. Suikotsu stumbled back with an anguished cry, clutching the stump which now capped his right forearm. Only when he glared at Sango in hatred did he realize what had happened, and even then he had to duck and roll several meters in the opposite direction to avoid losing his head as well. Finally he lurched to his feet and regarded her with insane fury dancing in his eyes.

“A hidden arm blade, bitch?” he snarled. “I thought you were supposed to be the honorable one.”

Sango snorted. “You weren’t so concerned about honor with all of those women you bragged about killing,” she retorted, referring to their first encounter. “Besides, I don’t have time to waste on the likes of you!”

Sango discarded hiraikotsu and charged, tearing her katana out of its sheath and tossing it to her free left hand. Suikotsu resisted desperately, but with only one weapon he was no match for the quicker taijiya. In less than a minute she managed to inflict a deep gash in his face, which destroyed his left eye and sent him sprawling to the dirt. He knelt there holding his face with both hands, as she stood over him with her katana pointed at his neck. It was poetic justice, she reflected, that he should suffer almost the same wounds as the villager Yuu, one of his final victims.

“Any last words, Suikotsu?”

“P-p-please,” came his muffled reply, which caused Sango to inhale sharply. That voice… And when he raised his head, revealing a fair face free of markings and his one remaining eye widened with panic, the taijiya froze. A sudden evil smirk was her only warning that something was amiss, and by then it was too late. Suikotsu smacked her katana aside, knocking it from her grasp. Then he lunged, putting his full strength behind a vicious swipe with his clawed right hand. Sango reacted quickly enough to take the blow on her arm blade, but the force of the impact knocked her off her feet. She sprawled to the ground on her back, and by the time she moved to rise she found the tips of Suikotsu’s claws at her throat.

“How about you, taijiya,” he sneered. “Any last words?”

Sango simply glared defiantly at him, too proud to beg for her life. Not that it would do any good, anyway. Suikotsu’s face was still clear, but his eye and voice left no doubt as to which side of him was truly in control. She heard Miroku’s footsteps coming closer, but they were stopped by a sharp look from the mercenary. He seemed to be considering his options for a moment, but then he smirked, which Sango took as her death sentence. He either believed that he could take Miroku with only one hand after she was dead, or he simply didn’t care. His eye focused on her once more, and Sango prepared herself for a quick but painful descent into nothingness.

“Please!”

Both the condemned and the executioner were surprised by that outburst. Miroku’s tone had risen, to a level Sango had never heard before. When he spoke again, he seemed to have reigned in his panic, but the desperation remained.

“Please, Suikotsu-sama, spare her.”

The mercenary laughed, though whether he was amused by the honorific hastily added to his name or this situation in general no one could say. But the fact that his evil grin remained in place did not bode well for Sango’s continued survival.

“How touching, houshi-sama,” he mocked. “But I can’t be satisfied unless I feel my enemy’s life blood running through my fingers!”

“No!”

Sango squeezed her eyes shut, expecting burning pain to stab through her neck at any moment. Instead, she felt only the tiniest of pinpricks, and then the claws withdrew. When she dared to look up at her would-be executioner, she was astounded by what she saw. Suikotsu’s eye was wide, his pupil dilated. His teeth were gritted, grinding together audibly, and his right arm literally shook with the strain of the civil war raging within him between his dual personalities. Seeing her chance, Sango shoved his arm aside with her hand. The instant her flesh made contact with his, he seemed to snap back to himself, and stabbed forward. But due to her interference, the leading edge of a claw just barely grazed the side of her neck before all four of them thrust into the dirt. He immediately pulled them back and moved to strike her again, but by then Sango had rolled away and was scrambling to her feet. He lunged with an angry swipe, which might have caught the taijiya if Miroku’s staff had not interposed itself. The butt end of said staff then swung up and whacked him squarely on the chin, cracking his jawbone and sending him sprawling to the dirt. He lurched to his feet, clutching his head and swearing violently, now teetering dangerously on the edge of the cliff.

“Dammit! I had them! I fucking had them! But that damn doctor had to interf–urk!”

He staggered, his ability to speak failing as the battle between his personalities intensified. He slowly turned and took one step toward the cliff, now leaning over the abyss. Finally, after several moments of struggle, he toppled over the edge with a final, anguished cry. Miroku and Sango scrambled over, shrinking back from the gruesome sight. Not even a shard-animated corpse could survive a fall from this height, especially with sharp rocks waiting at the bottom. The scattered remains of Suikotsu dispersed to the winds, leaving only his clothing and dark bloodstains on the rock.

Sango sighed, taking an inventory of her condition. Aside from fatigue, she seemed to be fine. The cut on the side of her neck was bleeding slowly, but would soon cease. She heard Miroku tear a strip of cloth from his robes, but didn’t have the heart to stop him as he pressed it to the wound and tied it around the other side. Not after he had begged for her life. They would probably never know whether his heartfelt pleas had saved her, or if Suikotsu’s benevolent personality would have emerged regardless. But Sango would never forget the sound of his voice, stricken as though his world was about to collapse around him.

Her stomach fluttered at the memory, but she shook it off. Now was not the time to reflect on the behavior of her wayward Houshi-sama. The path forward was now clear, and they needed to take advantage. Naraku had instructed Bankotsu to have this way guarded, so there must be something very important to the dark hanyou up ahead. And even if they were inclined to descend the cliff to recover Suikotsu’s jewel shard, a Saimyoushou would likely swoop in and claim it long before they arrived on the scene.

“Are you all right, Sango?”

“F-fine, Houshi-sama. Thank you,” she replied, not completely sure what she was thanking him for.

He smiled at her, as if he understood. Then his expression turned serious once more; he too realized that there was no time for relaxation or celebration. They had entered the barrier for a very specific purpose, and had only succeeded in removing but one obstacle obstructing the path toward that goal.

The pair exchanged a nod of encouragement, then continued on their way.

* * *

Inuyasha took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his brow. This was not going according to plan. It hadn’t been one of his better ideas, but his intentions had been good enough. Miroku and Sango had been away too long, in his estimation, so he’d decided to go in after them. He’d expected the barrier around Mount Hakurei to hinder him, but it had quickly become a crushing weight upon his shoulders. He’d reached an invisible ‘point of no return,’ where proceeding any further would be perilous even to a hanyou, and had been debating what to do when Renkotsu ambushed him. The blast from the mercenary’s shoulder-mounted cannon had forced him deeper into the barrier, resulting in the complete disappearance of his youki. He’d only managed to escape due to a convenient crack in the side of the mountain.

And now he found himself in a large cavern within Mount Hakurei. There was plenty of light to see by, courtesy of several sizable gaps in the ceiling. The big question was what to do now. Even if he could find Miroku and Sango, he wouldn’t be much help to them in this state. He’d probably slow them down, force them to worry about protecting him rather than accomplishing their mission. Ideally, he could make a stealthy retreat outside the barrier and rejoin Kagome and the others. Because the odds of him surviving if he remained here in his human form were slim to none.

At least Kagome was in good hands; he’d made sure of that before leaving her. Kouga had almost fully healed from the previous day’s battle, and Inuyasha knew he could trust the wolf to lay down his life for Kagome if need be. Would he have felt comfortable leaving her under Kouga’s protection before the wolf saved him from Ginkotsu yesterday? He didn’t know, but it certainly gave him confidence now. And he was grateful, so he tried to resist the urge to pound some lumps into Kouga’s fool head when the latter flirted with Kagome. There was still much work to be done on that front. Something about seeing another man flirting with Kagome still set him off, even though he knew that she held no romantic feelings for Kouga.

But he’d been civil to the wolf, as difficult as that could be. His and Kagome’s goodbye had been short but heartfelt. She’d hugged him tightly, and with a few tears in her eyes had made him promise to be careful. He’d reciprocated the embrace, allowing himself a moment to indulge in her scent, her intoxicating warmth. He’d noticed Kouga watching them with a gloomy expression, and hadn’t made any comment other than telling him to protect Kagome well or consequences would follow. Not in such eloquent words, of course. But most importantly, he hadn’t rubbed the wolf’s nose in her obvious affection for him, not even a little. Even though part of him, the part which bitterly held onto past slights, desperately wanted to.

But he was no longer a bitter person, and he knew Kagome appreciated it. Now, the trick would be figuring out how to get back to her in one piece. He turned to look in the direction which might serve him best for that purpose, and leapt back out of reflex as a steel blade tore a hole in the floor of the cave half a meter from where he’d just stood. He felt no relief at having dodged the attack, since it had likely been designed simply to get his attention. He had never known Jakotsu to miss, at least when there was enough light to see by. Inuyasha suddenly found himself fervently wishing for darkness, but alas, there was plenty of daylight left. Enough for Jakotsu to slaughter him dozens of times over.

“Heh, it’s just as Renkotsu-no-aniki said,” the mercenary declared gleefully, eyes alight with pleasure. “You really are Inuyasha! Your human form is adorable too, I have to say.”

Inuyasha gripped Tetsusaiga’s hilt tightly with his right hand, for all the good it would do him. He tried to mentally prepare himself for the reality that he would likely never see Kagome again, or hear his child cry, or watch him grow up. And in doing so, he discovered the resolve he needed to fight for survival, tooth and nail. He would last as long as he could and pray for a miracle.

Jakotsu licked his lips, eyeing Inuyasha hungrily in a way which sent a shiver down the hanyou’s spine. “I’ve waited so long…for the time when I get to have you.”

Inuyasha growled defiantly, the sound not so formidable in his human form. Whatever the perverted mercenary had planned for him, he vowed that he would not go down without a fight. This seemingly easy prey would prove most fierce.


A/N – Sorry this was such a short chapter, but I really wanted to end it there. And again, I don’t want to spend much time retelling events which take place the same way they did in canon (like Inuyasha’s entry into the barrier, for example). The next chapter should be much longer.