Part XIV: Demon Annihilation Beneath a Romantic Moon ^. ~

 

            Kagome didn’t understand why tears were sliding down her cheeks.  Inu-Yasha slowly lowered her to the floor and she let him do as he will.  How long had she dreamed of this?  That he would kiss her like he was doing now.  She had many naughty fantasies about him before, especially after she realized her feelings for him…after all, who wouldn’t?  And now one was actually happening.  She sighed and wrapped her arms around him, letting herself fall deeper into him.

            She had always wanted to be with him like this.

            Inu-Yasha…

 

            Ranma and Inu-Yasha ran through the halls of Furinkan High following the scent of Kagome and Akane.  Inu-Yasha didn’t mention it to Ranma, but something was funny about their scent… Almost as if they were…in heat… Inu-Yasha shook his head and hurried faster down the halls.  Whatever that meant.  The only thing he knew for sure is that he had to get to them right now!

            Inu-Yasha suddenly noticed that the scent changed direction.  He skidded to a halt, his bare feet sliding on the floor.  Ranma managed to stop in time before running into Inu-Yasha.

            “What is it now?”

            Inu-Yasha sniffed the air and faced the wall.  No doubt about it.  Their scent was behind this wall.  “Stand back, pigtails.  Kagome and Akane are this way.”

            Ranma blinked at him for a beat before narrowing his eyes.  “Dog-boy, I think your nose is failing you because that’s a wall with concrete on the other side.  I doubt they’re behind there.  It could be a trick—”

            “SANKOTETSUSOU!!!”

            Ranma stared wide-eyed as Inu-Yasha attacked the wall with his claws, breaking it to pieces and revealing the hidden hallway behind.

            “Ikuze, Ranma!” Inu-Yasha shouted before running down the hall.  Ranma ran after him rolling his eyes.  All right, who knew this stupid school had so many hidden rooms and passages?  He wondered if the old man from the school store knew about this one.  Ranma smirked at Inu-Yasha’s back.  But, besides the hidden passage, one thing was for sure.  Inu-Yasha had a lot more tricks as a hanyou than as a human.  Fighting him this way would definitely be a hell lot more challenging and fun.  Ranma had to make a point to have a rematch.

            After they saved Akane and Kagome.

            Inu-Yasha didn’t stop running.  Kagome… He could smell the danger, the youkai and her…and something just wasn’t right.  He gripped Tetsuaiga and picked up his pace.  Kagome… Hold on till I get there.

            They turned a corner and saw a door in the distance.  Inu-Yasha didn’t blink as he broke through the door with his claws.  But both he and Ranma skidded to a halt, their eyes wide, as they saw the scene before them.

            An Inu-Yasha look-alike on top of Kagome, unzipping her dress, Kagome looking completely under a spell and Akane unconscious in a corner, her dress half undone as well. 

            Ranma could only stare in shock.  “N-Nan da?!”

            Inu-Yasha took in the situation in a moment and his rage consumed him and he dived for the replica of himself.  This blasted youkai used his form to do this to Kagome?!  What kind of sick bastard was this thing?!  “KISAMA~!!” [uh…a Japanese word for saying ‘you’ really nastily, I guess like a ‘you bastard!’ kind of thing]

            The youkai suddenly vanished and Inu-Yasha fell over Kagome.  He completely forgot about the youkai for a moment and turned to Kagome.  She was now unconscious.  Her skirt was hiked up and her zipper almost undone.  Inu-Yasha clenched his fist his fury growing to unimaginable proportions.  “Te-me~…” [same thing as before… only more rude? Maybe?]

            Ranma shook his head in disbelief when he saw the youkai disappear.  What the hell?  Ranma didn’t give it another thought.  He began to head toward Akane, keeping his eyes open.  He didn’t know where the youkai had gone but he didn’t want to caught—

            The youkai suddenly appeared in front of Akane, back in its original form.  He smirked at Ranma and Ranma felt his own rage begin to grow.  What the hell did this bastard think he was doing to Akane and Kagome?!

            “Ho… Looks like the little witch got what she wanted anyway.  Now I understand what all her pathetic little rebellion was about.  She only trying to buy herself some time before the ‘heroes’ came to save her and Akane.”  The youkai smirked.  “Pity it will all be for naught.  After I kill you both, nothing will be able to stop me from having my fun.  And I can actually take my time with the two of them.”

            Ranma took a step forward, his fists clenched.  “You bastard!  What the hell were you planning to do to them?!”

            The youkai gave Ranma a pitying look.  “Haven’t you figured that out, you stupid ningen? [that means human for those who don’t know] I get my strength by feeding off a woman’s pleasure energy.”  He stepped toward Ranma menacingly, his fangs bared.  “I have sex with them and take their life force while I do it.  After they have their orgasm, they die.  In order to do this I can take on the form of whoever they love.”  Ranma only stared in horror as the youkai suddenly shape-shifted into a mirror image of himself.  The youkai grinned.  “Akane was so willing in my arms,” the youkai said in Ranma’s voice.  “Thanks to your little confession earlier it was much easier to lure her into my spell.  Arigato yo, Ranma.  Akane tastes wonderful.”

            Ranma snapped.  He sent his leg flying into a roundhouse kick but only hit air as the youkai vanished again.  Ranma cursed, his gaze flying about to spot him.  But when he did, the youkai was already beside Inu-Yasha…disguised as the hanyou.

            “Inu-Yasha… The same goes for Kagome.  I admit, she was a bit annoying, not giving up… but I like a girl with spunk,” he said in Inu-Yasha’s voice.  His eyes grew hooded as he taunted Inu-Yasha.  “Makes the taste of her last…”

            “SANKOTE—”

            Inu-Yasha’s attack was cut off when the youkai vanished and then appeared behind Inu-Yasha.  The hanyou didn’t have time to turn around and attack.  The youkai slashed at Inu-Yasha’s shoulder (the youkai was still disguised as Inu-Yasha) with his own claws, sending Inu-Yasha crashing toward Ranma.

            The youkai only burst out laughing and slowly transformed into himself again.  “With the Shikon no kakera, you two don’t have a chance against me!  My powers have only grown!”

            Ranma cursed, but Inu-Yasha only smirked as he stood up.  “Eh?  Is that so?”  Inu-Yasha dug his claws into his wound, surprising the hell out of Ranma.  “Ranma,” Inu-Yasha whispered quickly.  “I’ll distract him for now.  Get Kagome and Akane to safe place so we don’t hurt them while we fight.”  Ranma nodded.  Inu-Yasha grinned at the youkai, stepping forward, as he took out his bloody claws from the wound.

            “HIJINGETSUSOU!!!”

            Bloody slashes of air suddenly flew from Inu-Yasha’s claws, slicing their way toward the youkai so quickly that the first few got him before he could teleport away.  Inu-Yasha smirked, his eyes darting about, his nose sniffing the air… “THERE YOU ARE, YOUKAI!”

            Inu-Yasha drew Tetsuaiga and jumped toward where the youkai had suddenly appeared.

            Tenjin’s eyes widened.  How?  How had the hanyou known he was going to appear here?  Tenjin managed to avoid Inu-Yasha’s attack, barely.  Suddenly it clicked.  That bloody claw!  Being cut by it makes him able to detect my scent better so he knows where I’ll appear beforehand!  Tenjin cursed and then smirked.

            “Not bad, hanyou.  But do you think these little cuts are going to do anything to me?” he grinned.  “I have the Shikon no kakera.  This is nothing but an irritating cut, just like both of you are both irritants in my fun!  A hanyou and a human can do nothing against me now!  I, Tenjin, am more powerful than you two could even imagine!”

            “Tenjin?” Ranma said with a smirk, slowly moving away from the place he’d put Kagome and Akane, and toward the youkai and hanyou so that way he stood directly opposite of Inu-Yasha, making the youkai between them.  “Sounds pretty lame for a youkai.”

            “Ah,” Inu-Yasha agreed, noticing Ranma’s movements.  He matched Ranma, making sure they were across from each other and gripped Tetsuaiga. “You aren’t a man, and you’re definitely not from heaven.  Who gave you that stupid name?”

            Tenjin smirked.  “My father always had a twisted sense of humor.”

            Ranma began to run towards the youkai, ready to attack.  “Or he was too stupid to know any better!”

            Inu-Yasha smirked as he ran towards the youkai right after Ranma, both of them closing in.  “Either way, we don’t give a damn!”

            Tenjin only rolled his eyes and disappeared just as Ranma and Inu-Yasha were about to crash into each other.

            But they didn’t.  Ranma ducked down and Inu-Yasha stepped on his back, jumping up into the air.  He saw the youkai manifest behind Ranma and he slashed down with his blade.

            “TETSUAIGA!!!”

            The youkai cursed and saw Inu-Yasha barely in time.  He moved out of the way and Inu-Yasha made an enormous hole in the floor from the impact of Tetsuaiga.  Dust and pieces of wood made a cloud around him.  Tenjin was covered in the dust cloud and didn’t see Ranma’s attack until it was too late.

            “KACHYU TENSHIN AMAGURI KEN!!!”

            Ranma pummeled the youkai with his thousands of punches, pounding it at every angle, his fury pouring into every blow.  This sick, twisted BASTARD!!!  How DARE he do that to AKANE?!

            “HAAAA!!!” Ranma shouted as he increased his speed, but suddenly the youkai disappeared again.  “DAMMIT!!!  COME BACK, YOU COWARD!!” Ranma shouted as his eyes darted around, looking for the youkai.

            Inu-Yasha tried sniffing him out.  The hanyou only smirked.  “Eh?  Doshita?  Do you always have to go disappearing when it looks like you’re about to lose?  Some big powerful youkai!  Afraid of a human and hanyou!  What happened to all that power you were talking about earlier?  Or are you just another pipsqueak that thinks he’s powerful only because of the Shikon no kakera, eh?”

            Tenjin reformed a little ways away from Inu-Yasha.  His eyes were narrowed, his clothes torn from both Inu-Yasha and Ranma’s attacks.  He leaned back his head and smiled evilly.  “Wakata, Inu-chan, Ran-chan.  I’ll play your game…and destroy you both.  And your ladies will be my prize, ne?  I’m not holding back any longer.”

            Ranma smirked and stood beside Inu-Yasha.  “’Bout damn time, youkai.”

            Tenjin sneered.

            Inu-Yasha and Ranma went in for the attack.  Ranma threw in some punches and kicks, trying to draw him into Inu-Yasha’s sword, but the youkai deflected most of them easily.  Ranma moved out of the way when Inu-Yasha came down on the youkai with Tetsuaiga, but missed cleaving him down the middle.

            The sword sliced down Tenjin’s arm, spilling his blood onto the floor.  The youkai leapt away, his eyes going red.  “How dare you?”

            Inu-Yasha slung Tetsuaiga over his shoulders with a smirk.  “Eh?  Getting all prissy about that cut?  Sure, it’s a lot deeper than the others are…” Inu-Yasha readied with Tetsuaiga again.  “But how else are we going to kill you if we don’t cut you up.”

            Ranma stepped beside Inu-Yasha.  “Consider yourself lucky that we’re giving you as quick a death as possible…instead of slowly hacking and beating you to pieces.  Though right now, I’m sure that’s what we’d both prefer.”

            Tenjin attacked both in a fury.  His fingers had transformed into sharp edges and sliced at both of them.  He cut Ranma across the abdomen, spilling blood onto the white tux, and Ranma uppercut him in the jaw.  Inu-Yasha punched the youkai to the side, sending him into one of Ranma’s kicks.  Tenjin avoided it, but Ranma used the missed kick to go into a flip and send two kicks into the youkai’s chest.

            The youkai quickly recouped from the kicks and made to attack Ranma, but feinted his attack and hit Inu-Yasha with his knife-like hands.  He stabbed right into Inu-Yasha’s already open wound and sliced down.  Inu-Yasha had been moving back when Tenjin had attacked him but he still took the blow.  The hanyou grunted and then bent forward with a pained smirk, slicing Tenjin with his claws from his waist up across his chest.

            That attack sent the youkai into Ranma’s roundhouse kick.  But just as Ranma was going for another kick, Tenjin grabbed his leg and stabbed right through it with his hands.  Ranma cursed and kicked off the floor with his other foot, using Tenjin’s impaling of his leg as leverage to kick him across the face.  The youkai’s hand tore free from Ranma’s leg as he fell and Ranma barely managed to land on his feet.  He cursed again as he saw the youkai catch himself, stagger a bit and then become steady again.  Ranma quickly attacked again with his Chestnuts.

            Tenjin felt himself slipping into unconsciousness as Ranma pummeled him.  Am…I… going to lose to a worthless hanyou and a pathetic human…?  NO!!!  Tenjin came back from the brink and took a step to the right, sensing that Inu-Yasha was behind him.  He quickly dropped to the floor and tripped the hanyou.  Inu-Yasha, who had been preparing to use his Soul-Shattering-Iron-Claw (Sankotetsusou) again, fell back from the unexpected trip.  The youkai jumped on top of him and thrust all his sharp fingers into and through Inu-Yasha’s chest.  The hanyou fell on his back, grunting, the sharp fingers stabbing into the floor, pinning Inu-Yasha to the ground.

            Tenjin sneered down at him, but Inu-Yasha only gave him a twisted smirk.  “Heh.”  The hanyou promptly slammed Tenjin with a head-butt knocking him off, the youkai’s sharp fingers tearing out of Inu-Yasha’s body as he fell back.

            Inu-Yasha leapt away, and ended up standing in front of where Kagome and Akane where hidden.  He stabbed the Tetsuaiga into the floor and fell on one knee, blood dripping from his wounds into a pool on the floor.

            Tenjin cackled madly as his raging aura emanated from his skin, feeding off the power of the Shikon shards.  Ranma quickly whispered to Inu-Yasha.  “Stay there, protect the girls and recoup.  I’ll take care of him for the moment.”

            “Nan da…?” Inu-Yasha mumbled furiously.

            “Don’t argue, dog-boy!  I’ll blow him to smithereens.  You can bitch afterwards!!”

            Inu-Yasha only cursed.

            Tenjin smirked.  “Very well.  I destroy you first, human.  Then I’ll deal with the half-breed.”

            “You can try.  Though I don’t expect much from a youkai that has to transform into humans to pick up girls!!” Ranma made sure that the guy didn’t mistake his meaning.  That was the stupidest power!  Ranma’s words dripped with insult.

            “NAN DA TO?!”

            Tenjin flew at Ranma into a blind rage, just as Ranma had wanted.  The youkai thrust with his sharp fingers, but Ranma only smiled lazily and avoided them.  He ducked, dodged and moved away from every attack that the youkai executed.  A slashing uppercut, missed Ranma by a hairline.  A flip kick, Ranma easily avoided.  And with every miss, the youkai fell more and more into a rage.

            I will destroy you, pathetic HUMAN!!!

            Inu-Yasha watched Ranma with a snarl.  What the hell was the idiot doing?!  He hadn’t attacked once!  He only kept dodging everything.  Ranma had had plenty of times to land in a great hit with the wild openings this guy was leaving!  What was Ranma thinking?!   Inu-Yasha cursed and looked away.  This was pathetic.  How was Pigtails going to ‘blow him to smithereens’ by just dodging everything?

            His eyes suddenly widened as he gazed at the floor.  Ranma had still been bleeding from his leg the entire time.  And from Ranma’s bloody footsteps there was a spiral formed on the floor.  A spiral?  What the hell…?  Inu-Yasha looked up and he blinked in surprise.

            Ranma was smiling coolly the entire time.

            His leg was bleeding like crazy, but Ranma didn’t seem to notice.  He kept Tenjin going in this strange dance as he dodged everything that Tenjin threw.  Inu-Yasha now realized what the hell was going on.  He shot Ranma a knowing smirk.

            Inu-Yasha quickly got up, straightening, and readied with Tetsuaiga.    

            Ranma smirked back at Inu-Yasha, enraging Tenjin.  Ranma led the pissed youkai into the last step and grinned crazily at him.  “HIRRYU-SHOUTEN-HA!!!”

            A blast of power shot up from the spiral Ranma had created, making a twisting mad tunnel of hot and cold energy that completely consumed Tenjin. The raging, conflicting powers churned, blowing everything about the room.  Inu-Yasha lifted one of his arms across his face, and stood protectively over Kagome and Akane.  What in the Seven Hells…?!  The youkai screamed within the clashing blaze, but the howling of power drowned him out. 

            When it eventually subsided, there was complete silence, except for the breaking of wood and concrete.  The Hirryu-Shouten-Ha had blasted a hole through all of the upper floors above them.  Furinkan High now had a hole in the middle of it.

            But Tenjin was still alive.

            The youkai stumbled about the room, his clothes ragged, his body bloody and a twisted, insane smile on his face.  “Ah ha ha ha ha… So…close, teme… But I’m still ALIVE!! AH HA HA HA HA!!!” Tenjin threw his head back with his laughter.  “You both die NOW!”

            Inu-Yasha was standing in front of the still unconscious Akane and Kagome, when he spotted Ranma about to move in.  “OI!  RANMA!!  GET BEHIND ME!!!”

            Ranma blinked in surprise, but he saw the blazing aura around the Tetsuaiga.  He jumped behind Inu-Yasha and collapsed on the floor because of his leg.  He shielded both girls quickly.  Tenjin only headed toward them, his youki [evil/demon aura] blazing madly.  Inu-Yasha grinned.

            “KAZE NO KIZU!!!”

        From the blade came a surge of power so great that it completely destroyed the evil aura and Tenjin in an instant…and took half the school with it.

            Ranma coughed from all the dust and debris that was flying around everywhere.  Both Akane and Kagome were beneath him, his body shielding them from all the stuff that was falling everywhere.  He coughed again and slowly turned around.  His jaw dropped.

            He could see the buildings outside the school.

            Ranma got up and turned to Inu-Yasha.  The hanyou was grinning, Tetsuaiga slung over his shoulders carelessly.  In his hands were the glowing shards of the Shikon no Tama.  Ranma only stared at him in disbelief.

            “Tenjin?”

            Inu-Yasha’s grin widened and he clenched his fist.  “Dust.”

            Ranma looked back at the enormous open area.  He turned back to Inu-Yasha.  “ALONG WITH MOST OF THE SCHOOL!!!  What the HELL was that?!”

            Inu-Yasha shrugged.  “Like your Hirryu-Shouten-Ha.  My best move.”

            Ranma shook his head, a grin spreading across his face.  “Inu-Yasha…”

            “Nan da?”

            Ranma smirked at the hanyou.  “We’ve got to have a rematch!”

            “Ah!” Inu-Yasha agreed.  And with that both boys started laughing hysterically.  Most of the Furinkan High main building was gone, along with the pool and basketball court.  And all they could do was laugh.

            “Mm?”

            The laughter abruptly died as both heard the mumbling coming from the girls.  Akane mumbled again and began to move slowly.  Ranma immediately stumbled to her side.  He winced, but ignored the sharp pain in his leg.  That was the last time he’d do the Hirryu-Shouten-Ha with a bad leg.

            “Akane?  Akane!”

            Her eyes slowly fluttered open and she gazed into Ranma’s worried blue eyes.  “Ran…ma…?” she whispered.  She saw his nod and his sigh of relief.  Her heart suddenly swelled.  “RANMA!!!”

            Akane threw herself into Ranma’s arms, clutching him close.  “Oh, god, Ranma, I was so scared!  I didn’t want to be, but that youkai was insane!  He wanted…he wanted… He wanted to do some terrible to things to us!”  Akane gasped and pulled away.  “Kagome!”

            Ranma smiled.  “Beside you and still unconscious.  No more worries, Akane.  The youkai is dead.  We got rid of him.”

            Akane released the tension within her for a moment…until she got a good look at him.  “OH, GOD, RANMA!!!”

            Ranma looked about worriedly.  “What?!  Is he back?  Are you hurt?  What is it?!”

            “What happened to you?!”

            Ranma blinked and then noticed Akane staring at his chest, face and leg.  He looked down and saw his white tux covered in blood.  A sweatdrop formed on his brow as he gave a Akane a half-laugh.  “It looks a lot worse than it actually is.  Sorry, I got the tux covered in blood.”

            “I don’t give a damn about the tux!  It’s you I’m worried about!  Give me your jacket!”

            Ranma blinked but didn’t hesitate.  He handed her his jacket and Akane tore it into strips.  She then began to wrap his leg with the strips of cloth.  Ranma just watched her with a smile.  Akane…

            “I can’t believe you let yourself get this bad…”

            “I’ve had worse, Akane.”

            “That’s besides the point!  How could you hurt yourself so much…?  Over me…?”

            “But that’s what I’m supposed to do, Akane.  You’re my fiancée, I’ll always protect you.  I’ll never let anything happen to you.  Besides, I already failed in protecting you earlier, so I had to do better now.”

            Akane smiled lightly and motioned for Ranma to take off his shirt.  He did, both of them blushing, and Akane began to wrap his chest.

            “…I still don’t want you to hurt yourself so badly, Ranma.”

            “I already told you, Akane.  This isn’t so bad.  You do much worse!” he said as she finished bandaging his chest.

            “Ranma!” she shouted and pounded his shoulder.  Ranma only laughed and pulled her into his arms.  Akane turned bright red, but held him back.

            “I’m just so glad you’re all right, Akane…” he murmured into her hair.

            Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes at the two and turned his attention back to Kagome.  He didn’t want to get too close, because he didn’t want to drip any blood on her dress.  He knelt down beside her and moved some of her hair out of her face.

            “Gomen, Kagome… I wasn’t fast enough…” He looked up and saw Ranma and Akane.  His shoulders sank.  If only it were as easy for him and Kagome as it was for Ranma and Akane…

            “Uuuh…”

            Inu-Yasha blinked and saw Kagome begin to move.  Her eyes twitched as they slowly fluttered open.  Inu-Yasha sighed in relief.  She was all right…

            Kagome blinked and slowly moved her head.  “Inu…Ya…sha…?”

            “Ah,” he said smiling over her.

            Kagome blinked.  She carefully licked her lips and then gave him a small smile.  “I… can’t move, Inu-Yasha… I used up too much…of my powers…” She stared up into his golden eyes and her heart warmed.  “Yo…ka…ta… It’s really you…”

            Inu-Yasha didn’t care anymore about the clothes.  He carefully picked Kagome up and into his arms, holding her close.  “Ah…It’s really me, Kagome.  We got rid of the youkai and everything’s okay now… I’m glad you’re all right.”

            “Are…you hurt badly…?”

            “Feh.  Who do you think I am?  Pigtails over there?  I’m fine.  Nothing that won’t be cured by tomorrow morning anyway.”

            Kagome smiled slowly.  “Yokata…” [a ‘thank goodness’ or ‘I’m glad’ kind of saying—for those who don’t know] Kagome’s eyes drifted closed.

            Inu-Yasha was suddenly filled with dread.  Was Kagome hurt worse than he’d thought…?  “Oi, Kagome!  Kagome!”

            “Daijoubu, Inu-Yasha,” she murmured.  “Just hold me…please… That youkai did…”

            “Ah.  I know, Kagome.  You’re safe now.  I just wish I had been able to protect you better.  Then this wouldn’t have happened…” He gave her the Shikon no kakera.  “Here, Kagome.”

            She smiled and opened her hazel eyes at him.  “Inu-Yasha no baka.  I…don’t care about the Shikon no kakera… I care about you…I’m just glad you’re all right…”

            Inu-Yasha closed his eyes and pressed her tightly against him.  “Kagome…”

            “AAAHH!!!”

            Inu-Yasha and Kagome looked toward Akane who had just screamed.  Ranma looked as confused as the other two.

            “Ranma!  What the hell did you do to our school?!”