InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Ours ❯ Hakudoshi2 ( Chapter 9 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
"It's...incredible..." Seiko said in awe, her eyes as round as saucers and seemingly unable to pick up her jaw. I guess the view from inside the cockpit was unlike anything she'd ever experienced; even being a bird, she had probably never been able to fly up quite this high.

The screen now showed the enemy robot; a white thing that looked like an onion with fins.

"Let the games begin." chuckled Dung Beetle. For a moment there, my vision went blurry. This can't be real. If I win, I die. If I lose, I die. If I don't fight, I still die.

No...I won't accept it.

"Calm down." I heard Kagura say to me. She must have noticed how I was grinding my teeth. "For now, just wait for the enemy to make some kind of movement."

"We told the people in this area to evacuate because there was gonna be a fight." explained Hiroshi. "So if there are no open spaces, you can just crush houses. They'll be empty."

Crunch.

"The enemy moved!" Inuyasha shouted. My palms slowly became sweaty; I can't believe this. I have to fight just to die?

"Hakudoshi, retreat a few steps." I heard Kagura instruct me. What was she doing? Was she trying to...help me? Guide me? I did as she told me to, regardless of my confusion.

"Hey! Watch where you're stepping!" she screamed. I had accidentally stepped on some humans; I could hear their screams of terror and agony resonating in my ears.

This time, the screams of the innocent did not put me at ease. Those screams now filled my heart with terror.

Suddenly, the monk pointed at the sky. "It's flying!"

"Huh?" I had been so distracted, I did not notice the enemy move. Sure enough, this "robot" could fly. I panicked and fired laser beams at it. But then, we heard fluttering.

There was a mass of flying demons next to us, all charging at the enemy. Together, they unleashed attack after attack after powerful attack. The fire left behind by the explosions were almost beautiful; in a sick way.

"Don't turn back yet, Hakudoshi." Kagura said to me firmly. Dammit. She must've predicted I'd try to escape.

"Hey...I know them!" Seiko exclaimed. "They all came out together? That's incredible! And they're all daiyoukai too!"

Maybe...just maybe, those youkai can defeat the enemy. But what happens if they do? Will I be able to survive?

"Hakudoshi!" Kagura's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "There are people evacuating to the mountains, so head for the sea."

I gulped; before I did that, I needed to know something. "Dung Beetle?" my voice was trembling. "Will...will I survive?"

He hesitated before answering. "The answer to that is obvious."

What? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Before I got a chance to ask, something bumped against us violently. The enemy robot that had not moved in the past ten minutes had reappeared; it was completely unharmed. It shot a laser at the youkai that were attacking it; trapping them inside a barrier. Then it floated over the youkai, and brought itself down on them, crushing them beneath it with its massive weight.

The youki we felt was gone. They were all dead.

"Heh. Maybe I should've been more specific." Dung Beetle spoke up. "Me and Zearth are not the only ones that cannot be harmed by anything on this Earth. None of the enemy robots can be touched by the likes of you either; that's why you're using Zearth to fight it. Those other robots can only be harmed by this robot right here; this Zearth, and vice versa. If it's not from this world, you can't harm it."

No way. No way.

I can't do this. I'm frozen stiff. The enemy robot has me entangled in what looks like spider-webs; luckily, I broke free of it and relentlessly pounded it with lasers while punching and kicking it nonstop at the same time. Its armor was coming off piee by piece; so was Zearth's armor because of the force I was putting into the attacks.

Finally, when enough armor had been pulled off, I saw the round "vital area" that I needed to destroy in order to win. Without thinking, I reached for it. I had the vital spot right there in my hand.

But I didn't crush it.

"What are you doing?" Kagura shouted at me. "Crush it! That's how you win!"

But...but the moment I crush it, I will die. I don't wanna die. I don't wanna crush it.

"I...I'm not gonna die!" I yelled before turning around with the sphere still in my hand. I ran. I ran and ran until I stopped by a village that hadn't been evacuated yet. Then I used my free hand to tear apart the houses.

Miroku cleared his throat. "Hakudoshi, if you keep running, we're gonna reach the 48 hour limit and both our Earth and the enemy's Earth will be destroyed. You're not changing anything."

I'm still gonna die? I know. I know that. But...but not now. Not right now. Later.

Through the screen, we could all see the little boy I held in Zearth's other hand. He shrieked and shrieked; tears were running down his cheeks.

"I'm not gonna die for you!" I screamed as I crushed the brat with Zearth's bare hand. Then I threw his bloody corpse into a random field before taking off, searching for more people. I see demons in a cave.

"Hey, you fucking brat!" I heard Koga shout. "Not there!"

Why not? I'll do as I please. "I'm not dying alone...you're all coming with me!"

"Didn't you hear me, you sick brat?! Not there!"

I ignored him and began to reach inside the cave-but a sharp pain in my side prevented me from doing so. After my body hit the ground, I looked up to see Koga standing over me; he had stabbed me with the sword he keeps by his side and had never used before.

"K-Koga-kun..." Kagome whispered.

So the cave was his little home, huh?

A tear slid down my cheek as I realized that I had crushed the "vital spot" I was holding in my hand by accident when Koga stabbed me.

How ironic.





(Normal POV)

"You guys are lucky he'd already had the vital spot and crushed it before he died, even if it was by accident." Dung Beetle droned. "Usually, if the pilot gets attacked while on duty, you lose the battle."

"So, if something happens to the current pilot, nobody can take over for that round?"

"Nope. One pilot per battle. If the pilot dies early, there's no one there to operate Zearth; it's just too easy for the enemy to kill you. So for future reference, unless you wanna lose, don't interfere with the current pilot."

No one spoke a word as they watched Kagura pick up her brother's bloody body and cradle it like a baby. This was the most unexpected reaction; the two had never been close.

But then again, Kagura did just lose the last remaining member of her family without ever getting a chance to be a family.

"Dung Beetle?" she spoke. "What happens to the body after we leave?"

"If you had a family, it would go to your house." he replied. "We can keep you inside Zearth, or just have the body disappear altogether, which is what happens most of the time."

"Lave his body with me." said Kagura. "I'll cremate him."

Eleven pairs of eyes turned to the wind witch; all holding various different emotions in them. Whether they were shocked, sad, confused, understanding, or even indifferent; none of them had anticipated this.

"Suit yourself. Go right on ahead." said Dung Beetle.

And no one could decipher the meaning behind this action either.