InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Quarter-Demon ❯ Naraku no Haiboku; Sayonara Bai Bai ( Chapter 15 )

Quarter-Demon

Chapter Fifteen: Naraku no Haiboku; Sayonara Bai Bai

by Kurohi Tatsaki

"speaking" [thinking] ~~~POV switch~~~ /things in speech in quotations/ ***Passing of Time {sounds} ***dreams end/begin***

I am sorry to say, but this is the final chapter of this arc (as you can probably tell). I thank anyone and everyone who read, or reviewed, or inspired me, or all three, and I have to say, it has been a GREAT run! (I might do at least an epilogue). And now, I present to you, - the rather belated AND Final Chapter! - Chapter 15!

Finished: 1/13/05
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Slowly, the form materializes and Kurohi's fur stands on end as he emits an impressive snarl. His large wings stretch out to improve his size.

His lover stares up in awe, only two words coming to mind: "Big" and "puppy".

He suddenly smirks, then frowns as Kurohi's form returns to normal. "What's going on? Why did you change back?"

Kurohi smirks. "Father can invoke the Wind Scar whenever he pleases, you know! He can do the Bakuryu-Ha, whereas I can't, but our combined energies should help. I certainly do not wish to become a huge-honkin' target for attacks."

Kasei nods once in primitive understanding. He doesn't get the full point, but he does know that a larger form is an easier target by default.

Alongside Naraku, Kan'na and Kagura stand as the aura clears slightly, weaponry in hand.

"So, we meet again, half-breed," greets the dark-haired half-breed.

Kurohi smirks at Naraku. "Givin' me too much praise there, eh? I'm flattered that you think so highly of me. SHINI tamai! Kaze no Kizu!" He strikes the air, the severing waves of wind crashing forward at the trio. They jump out of the way only to be intercepted by Kasei with his flaming claws. Easily, Kagura dodges and lets Kan'na absorb the blow only to reflect it right back at the red-haired hanyou.

The hanyou howls with pain, temporarily distracting the quarter-demon. Blue eyes flash with concern. "Kasei...!!" He yells as blades of wind cut at his whole body, sending him on his back to the ground in a bit of a bloody mess. His Ryu Kiba spins out of his hand, landing on its side in the dirt a few leaps away. He looks up from his position on the ground and growls at the woman. Kagura flaps her fan at him, sending another round of blades. "SHIT!" Kurohi quickly jumps up and dodges, hearing a voice in his head as he does so. //I want you to defeat me! Defeat my sister and I! We DON'T want to work for Naraku!//

Kurohi growls as another volley of blades come at him, followed by tree-root-like tentacles erupting from the ground. [How can I trust YOU?!]

//I will appear knocked out on the next blow you deal me. Deal me a hard one. Same to Kan'na. She'll still make an attempt to reflect your attacks, but the attempt will be lessened if you manage to break her mirror! Leave Kagome to do that!//

Kurohi set his jaw and dodged the tentacles as well as another barrage.

Meanwhile, Kasei "danced" with Naraku, parrying and sending blows with each other. Kasei flips upward to dodge the tentacles and extends his claws before igniting them in flames. "TSUME NO HI!!" He bounds forward and slashes, managing to singe the other half-demon's dark hair as he soars past. He lands on all fours behind his enemy and quickly turns around, back on two feet - with a soft curse - and lunges again with the same attack only to have it blocked by the root-like tentacles. The force of his own blow causes him to react by using his feet to ricochet off the strange things. With a back flip, Kasei lands without a hitch and frowns. [I don't think I can win like this!]

A wind-like cut suddenly shreds the tentacles with one fell swoop, and, wielding the Tokijin, stands none other than the Prince of the Western Lands: Sesshou-Maru. By his side stands Jaken, his loyal, toad-like servant, and his three-fingered hands clutch his skull-staff, the old man's head in front.

Not knowing him very well, the teen couldn't be sure how helpful the toad would be.

"Naraku, I am tired of your constant trickery and your failure to kill my brother in the past. Die." He readies the demonic sword with an indifferent expression.

"This is it, Naraku!" suddenly spits Inu-Yasha, his Tetsusaiga in his hands. "No more will you toy with others' lives!"

Kagome draws her bow, an arrow in her fingertips, and only the bowstring quivers with the strain. "I won't miss! These arrows are gonna land right in the spot where your heart should be!"

Sango readies her Hiraikotsu, a stern expression on her lovely face. "For killing my friends and family, tonight, on these grounds, shall they be avenged!"

Miroku hears the soft buzzing of insects, curses softly, and readies his staff. "I may not be able to use the Kazan'na here, but the first chance I am able, I'll draw you into the void!" [And it'll seal right behind you!]

Shippou, Seishin, and Nekome grin from behind Kagome. All at once, they cry, "We'll pound ya to a pulp!" Nekome grins and dashes forward, eager to get his serving of victory.

"Eh?! M-Matte kure, Nekome-chan!!" Kurohi shouts before blocking a barrage of wind with his arms, resulting in several lacerations that crisscross on his skin. With a cry of pain, he is sent to the ground, flat on his back, once again.

A few of the "vines" descend upon him, and, far from dead, Kurohi leaps upward to the closest tree and propels himself horizontally. He frowns. [Unless I plan to fight as a demon, I need to get my sword!]

Seishin stays back with Shippou and frowns a little. She wants to fight, but she knows that she doesn't stand much of a chance. She touches Shippou's shoulder. "Shippou. I think we need to let the others - except for Nekome - do the fighting. Hell, even I'M weaker than you because you're a full-blooded youkai.

"Also, even though my biggest brother is only quarter-demon, he has been able to get strong enough to take on Sesshou-Maru-san. But us... we kids need to lie low and find a good spot to attack so we won't get hurt or worse." Her pink eyes glitter mischievously.

Shippou smiles. "What do you have in mind?"

At this time, Nekome lands next to the two children. "Ne, kimi-tachi," he greets, stretching his arm in big backwards rotations. "If you have a plan, sis, you know that I'm almost crazy enough to do anything. So, what'll it be?"

"Roughly," begins the white-haired girl. "It'll be a sort of hit-and-hide type of thing."

"Ooh, Metal Gear Solid!!" chirps Nekome, cracking his knuckles. "I love doin' that to the guards!"

Seishin nods, smiles so brightly that her eyes close happily, and she flings her fist into the air. "Hai! Begin program MGS!"

"Um, /Metal Gear Solid/?"

The duo smile nervously at the little kit, and reply at the same time, "You'll learn when you're older than us visually, Shippou-san. You are, after all, technically, older than us already."

With things cleared up, the female motions them to spread out and hide in the nearby shrubs and within or behind trees. Silently, Seishin readies her bow and arrows behind a tall tree. Nekome does the same with his claws behind some shrubs as he crouches down on his belly. Shippou sits on a tree branch, high up and out of sight, readying his slingshot with some rocks he had collected from the ground along the way.

Moving fluidly, Inu-Yasha swings his sword, creating several streaks of energy at his enemies. Kan'na quickly steps in front of the blast and absorbs it in her mirror before releasing it back at the hanyou.

Not to be deterred, the gold-eyed half-demon hops out of the way and makes a run for his dark-haired opponent. "HEY, ASSWIPE!!" Again, like a club, he swings his sword, creating violet waves of energy, and quickly, three more waves join the rush. Inu-Yasha glances at the one that caused the separate waves, and Kurohi grins back.

"Otousan... /Bakuryu-Ha/! Use Kaze no Kizu on Kan'na. She'll absorb it, making the waves hers, practically. Understand?"

He nods and Kurohi flings his set of waves against Naraku. However, the half-demon manages to guard most of the blow. "Che!" Father and son hop backward as another barrage comes their way.

At this time, Kagome lets one of her arrows fly at Kan'na. The mirror suddenly shatters and the blue-haired girl dashes over to her sister for protection. "Yatta!" Kagome cheers to herself before drawing another arrow from the bag on her back. Aiming cautiously, she shoots at Naraku, but the arrow is easily dodged. "K'so!" She draws another arrow and gasps as Kagura comes a bit too close for her liking. She pulls on the arrow, and shouts, "Get back, or I'll shoot!"

//Shoot, then. I can't take Naraku's orders anymore. I would rather be dead.//

The young Miko paused, then strengthened her arrow. She nods imperceptibly. [I'll shoot, but I won't kill you.]

Kagura returns the slight gesture and readies her fan. Inu-Yasha turns his head as he senses the wind, and his eyes widen when he realizes the source. "K-KAGOMEEE...!!"

The Wind Sorceress' fan arches backward and the Mirko's Arrow flies, striking the woman in the shoulder. She falls, unconscious. Kagome sighs in relief and aims her arrow at Naraku's chest. "Your servants are useless now! If you stand still, I can assure you a swift death!"

[By this Miko?! She's a mere mortal!!] he thought, his eyes widen almost inperceptively.

"Oh, don't look so surprised. Now DIE!" She lets another arrow fly, but the half-demon dodged, and, as Kirara came near, a sudden spurt of Miasma got the kitty in the face.

"HIRAIKOTSU!!" shouts Sango, letting her boomerang fly. It manages to hit the monkey-man dead on, and the large weapon flies back obediently into the woman's hand with a snap. "Kirara, daijoubu?!" she asks, kneeling down beside her fallen cat. The two-tailed creature gives a small mewl, but continues to lie there.

Naraku gets up with relative ease and thousands of demons suddenly descend from the horizon. Sango stands up and lets loose her Hiraikotsu once more, letting it tear through most of them with one sweep, and the dog-eared duo let loose Kaze no Kizo to take care of the rest - though Kurohi had to see the scar first. Steadying her aim, Kagome lets loose an arrow even as Sesshou-Maru lunges in with his Tokijin.

And from the bushes, Seishin readies her bow and lets an arrow fly. Mid-flight, it became enchanted and easily pierced the baboon coat, shredding it.

"Who...?!" The enemy's dark eyes lock on to the child. Seishin grins cheekily, showing fangs, and pulls out another arrow.

"I'm gonna kill you, Naraku, even if it's the last thing I do!!" She lets the arrow fly, but Naraku steps to one side while avoiding other blows, and then she pulls out three more and holds the bow horizontally parallel to the ground. [Angle-shot!!] She aimed the middle one at Naraku, and as she let got of the middle arrow, he dodged upward. [Guess not.] She adjusted her aim, and let go of the left arrow. "Die already!"

The arrow nicked the demon in the foot, and just as he began to land, Seishin's third arrow came at him, followed by Kagome's from another angle. The hanyou yelled as Kagome's arrow pierced his arm and Seishin's nearly tore off his right leg. He landed almost in a crumpled heap. "Damn you...!!"

"KAZE NO KIZO!!" came two calls. The waves came from behind and to his left, and the hanyou threw out a protective barrier before sending out the vine-like tentacles. However, an attack comes at the second his barrier drops.

"IRON REAVER!!" Nekome lands just in front of him with his back turned on his opponent, his left claws dripping with blood. He turns around to face the hanyou. He cracks his right knuckles, an Inu-Yasha-like smirk on his face. He shakes his left claws clean before muttering, "Your blood is far too impure to taint my claws for long. Now... DIE!" The right claw soars through the air, Nekome's body flowing with the movement, and his claws come away with warm, black fluid. He wrinkles his sensitive dog nose and hops forward to dodge a volley of tentacles as well as a hiss of miasma.

A knife suddenly impales itself in Naraku's shoulder, and, with an open-mouthed, wide-eyed stare, Nekome's gold eyes lock with pink ones. "Anata wa..." he murmurs, then catches a scent of a wolf's. "Kouga to?"

Celia smiles slightly after quickly wrenching her weapon away from her opponent and getting a good distance away. "Sou."

Nekome's heart skips a beat. He frowns slightly, nods once with resolve - he will deal with his bleeding heart later - and lunges back toward Naraku, his fist clenching so hard his claws cut into his palm. When he uncurled his hand, a little blood dripped from the wounds as well as his short claws. (!) "DIE ALREADY!!! HIJINKESSOU!" He flung the blades of blood at his opponent with a sure gesture. His brother and father followed suit.

"KAZE NO KIZO!!"

"KAZE NO KIZO!!"

Two arrows and a knife flew past.

A whip arced from behind the hanyou; a two fires blazed nastily.

A large boomerang followed suit; and Miroku readied his Kazaana.

The blows tore viciously through their enemy. Naraku yelled out in pain and began to disintegrate with each blow.

Miroku grinned and opened up his Wind Tunnel with a shout, sucking up the half demon into the void within his hand, and immediately sealed the void once more, locking it with the prayer beads.

The group surveyed the battlefield. Trees were destroyed with the bursts of attacks; the ground split into many, many segments.

Blue eyes slowly blinked and Kurohi slipped out of his fighter stance, his body uncurling from its canine agitation. "We... I... I think it's over...."

"Sou ka..." Miroku looked around and heard a soft sound, coming from his right hand. Curious, Miroku reopened his Kazaana, and slowly pointed it at himself. A slight breeze sucked at his hair, shifting it only slightly, and then, nothing happened at all. His deep blue eyes widened and he sat down quickly, eyes blank, but disbelieving. "Sh...Shippou?"

"Nani?"

"Mite..."

In response, Shippou looked over Miroku's shoulder and yelped when Miroku aimed his hand at him. "CLOSE THAT THING UP!!!"

"...No, no... Look, Shippou..."

In response, he did so, and stared at the Houshi's hand.

It was whole - not a single mark or hole marred the surface.

"Kami.... Kazaana ga..."

Kasei blinked once and ambled over, peeking at the monk's hand. He grinned and looked at the group. "Kazaana ga moi nai!"

Kurohi smiled ever so softly. Inu-Yasha ran over and hugged Kagome tightly, but not so forcefully to do harm. The dark-haired woman giggled and threw her arms around his neck, bestowing him with a small kiss. Sango walked over to the monk and smiled slightly. "Houshisama..."

Miroku swallowed thickly and threw on a charming smile, making the demon slayer blush faintly. He stood up and held her hands in his larger ones and murmured, "I must ask again.... Sango... will you bear my children?"

Sango flushed slightly and nodded. "Y-Yes... Yes, I will bear your children."

"Even if I wanted 28?" he inquired, chuckling.

"Not THAT many, but if you wanted three, I could give it a try."

Nekome stared, then glanced at Celia, who was snuggling up to Kouga. He swallowed, eyes narrowing slightly, and walked off without so much as a word. Seishin looked at him, hesitated, and followed her brother through the broken forest.

The quarter-demon stopped in a relatively unharmed clearing. Again, his sister hesitated, but not when her brother slumped to the ground onto one knee while his other leg folded awkwardly underneath him.

"Oniisan... daijoubu?" she asked, hugging her brother.

"......" He sighed. "No... but I guess Celia and I were not meant to be."

"Sou ka.... I wouldn't know how much this hurts you.... But, on the bright side, you WILL find your someone, one day, just as I will."

He glanced up. "How would you know when you have never loved another as I love Celia? Just tell me how you would know the pain in realizing that such a love will never be requited."

"I don't know that pain. But don't worry."

"............ I hope you're right."

***

Somehow, they knew it. They had changed too much to simply return to their time. Somehow, they all knew that they would forget everything; their parents and elders would have to fill in those blanks that never existed in their memories.

A gentle breeze blew across the grass and into the tree branches, making it sway to an unknown song. Such breeze ruffled multiple sets of clothing, but the occupants paid no mind. All that mattered was the scene before them, as well as the object.

Chocolate eyes were watery with bittersweet joy, and, in a small instant of nervousness, the young woman toyed with pair of her slightly torn uniform. [This is it. The last time we shall meet until they are born again. They can't come back until we do what we have to to bring them into this world. Will they even remember us when they are born? Will they remember what they did to impact us so much?] "Um, Kurohi, Nekome, Seishin?"

Blue, gold, and pink eyes set their sights on the speaker. Two faces were more solemn than the youngest of them. Kurohi's eyes glittered with a muffled emotion; Nekome's eyes held back his sorrow.

"I love you all."

The youngest dashed forward with a cry and wrapped her arms around her mother's stomach. "I love you, too. You're all family, and now we have to go...!" she sniffled. [I haveta go, but I don't wanna! I don't know what's beyond the well, what's on the other side this time! I'm scared!!] Then, she ran to everyone, hugging them, and wound up even hugging Kirara. Then, she ran up to Kurohi, and smiled. She raised her clawed hand up, and Kurohi's right hand clasped with hers. "I'll see you later, eh?" she commented sweetly. With a final look over her shoulder, her hair billowing slightly with the breeze, she jumped down the well, her parting enhanced by swirling color.

Nekome turned his head, his jaw set and his eyes full of emotional turmoil. [This is it: the end. If I don't say anything, then they all will know just how pig-headed I am. If I say something... in this time, and in this place, maybe... just maybe... this will not be the end.] With a sigh that accompanied the very instance he shoved his pride aside, he said, "Love you. I'll see you later!" With that, he hopped onto the well's edge, glanced over his shoulder to see his brother, and gave a fanged grin. "Jaa ne!" He jumped down the well, and with a flash of violet and blue light, he was gone.

Kurohi nodded and crouched down, beckoning Rin to him, and saying quietly, "Rin." The girl dashed forward and they embraced. With a chuckle, he murmured, "Next we meet, you'll be a lot older than me, Rin-chan. You're gonna haveta look down at me for about fourteen years. Heh heh." [Sesshou-Maru will be immensely proud of you. For everything. I know that. I see it in his eyes every time he looks at you. He will not only adore you, but he will also love you once you are older.]

"Y-Yeah..."

The blue-eyed one stood up and with a little more restraint than his sister, he gave them all hugs - yes, even Inu-Yasha. Finally, he came to Kasei, his expression troubled. "K-Ka..." He pulled his lover into a fierce kiss, their tongues quickly fighting with all their heart, and it was Kurohi that retreated. He touched the mark on his neck with utmost respect. "Through time, I will see you again, and I cannot bear to say farewell. They're just too... sad." He shook his head. "Ai shiteru, Kasei, and may we meet again."

With an almost happy grin, he leapt backwards so he landed on the front-most lid of the well, his tail lashing left and right. He gave them a thumbs-up, and slowly took the last remaining step to plummet into the channel head-first. His eyes fell into a dreamy state - but not an unconscious one - and light encompassed the well, enveloping him and swallowing him whole.

When the swirling light cleared, the well was empty...

~Fin.

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Naraku no Haiboku; Sayonara Bai Bai = Naraku's Defeat/The Defeat of Naraku; Farewell, Bye-Bye

Shini tamai. = Now die. (I heard Raphael say this is Soul Caliber 2. If this is incorrect, gomen nasai.)

(1) Assuming the Blades/Claws of Blood only work with the attacker's own blood. I have not yet seen Inu-Yasha attack with the blood of others.

Waaaa! I can't believe I finished this! It took so long, and I'm immensely sorry for the wait! Life kinda caught up with me. ^^;; I SHOULD be doing my homework right now, btw, though. Heh.

Thank so all so, so much for putting up with my fairly slow updates! Thank you for the many reviews! And most of all, I thank Rumiko Takahashi for creating these beautiful characters!

ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU!

-Kurohi Tatsaki