195 5.84 Flames Swirling Like A Dragon On Akai Hanes Kodachi...! (2/2)
I paid the messenger for his troubles. We gathered around and Hiko-sama advised that the trip to Tochigi and to the district would take 2 to 3 days of travel on foot. However, travelling in foot enables us to make a beeline travel instead of taking the path that was used by the usual travellers, therefore its much better for us to travel on foot and be able to take in the sights as well.
I agreed that since we travel on horseback or a wagon, we might be concentrating not in our surroundings but to only the path ahead. I decided that the team moves out in 2 days time to prepare for our trip to these 2 districts in Tochigi Prefecture.
After a supper of steamed sweet corn that been unkerneled from its cob and mixed with a bit of grated coconut and salt, served in a small bowl. Inuyasha, Shippo and I excused ourselves as we made our way to the northern gate.
The guard issued us a wooden pass each and a password for us to enter back. The password was ”BackScratcher”, and it was a wood with a forked end to be used to scratch the back when it feels itchy. Hahahaha. Shippo thought it was hilarious to use such a password to identify us back since we could be easily recognised. I had my Kodachi with me while Shippo was armed with his bag of tricks as well.
After Shippo felt tired of walking, I hoisted him up to my shoulder instead. Inuyasha held the Akai Hane Kodachi on his left side of the obi and he was holding on the handle since the sheath had no hook or a strap to securely attach it to his obi. We walked until we reached the abandoned cemetery.
”This place seems rather deserted, there's not even a single soul nor even demonic presence at all. How about we go on further, this place had not been used for quite some time, I heard its for duelling purposes outside the village and it was approved?”
”Yes, Inuyasha. This place was for duelling to settle their differences. There used to be an abundance of weapons and other parts but we had some people to remove them for our own use to smelt them down into iron plates.”
”The absence of such weapon or parts also shows that there's not much duelling here in these parts. Well, in that case, there is no point of going up further, and you can wield your Kodachi.”
Inuyasha agreed and withdrew the Kodachi in his hands. The red blade glowed slightly in the shimmering moonlight that was partially hidden in the clouds. He held it in two hands and the blade still remained as it was. He tried to wave it around masking swishing sounds, at it cuts through the air but still, it remained as a red blade and didn't transform like the way it did when it was handled by Kikyo during dinner time.
”Keh...! How come the blade doesn't change its look? It is just a plain red bladed Kodachi. Do I need to do anything with it? Keh... So troublesome.”
”Come, let me show you. Your spiritual being and this Kodachi has to Unite first. The first thing to do is to clear your mind, while your Akai Hane and yourself become an extension of you. Think of this Akai Hane as your part of your arm and concentrate on it as you spread your yoki through it.”
”The moment you extended this yoki into Akai Hane, it will be much stronger than it normally is. Your yoki will flow like endless energy and may activate the swirling Kamehameha on it.”
Inuyasha closed his eyes as he tried to concentrate and spread his yoki into Akai Hane and I saw that the blade turns slightly red with wisps of flames around the blade. Shippo who was watching close by, grew excited as the wisps of flames began to slowly integrate and became a like a large snake that was clinging to it.
Shippo was watching Inuyasha somewhere right in front of the latter when he opened up his eyes suddenly. And what he saw in front of Shippo was actually a 'Kaze no Kizu' and suddenly Akai Hane burst into flames right before Inuyasha and Shippo shrieked in terror while looking at the smirking Inuyasha.
”Help me, Himura...! Inuyasha tries to kill me...!!!” as Shippo ran and hid behind my legs and then climbed up my back and settled behind the back of my neck.
Inuyasha's smirk disappeared right after when Akai Hane returned to its normal state.
”Eh...?! Did it become normal again? When I opened up my eyes, I didn't see Shippo in front of me but I saw a 'Kaze no Kizu', a type of aura or demonic presence that youkai emitted. Sorry... Sorry... Kiddo! I don't mean it... Really...”
”Huuaaaaa... Are you sure, Inuyasha...?! I saw your weird look on your face and it looks like you going to hit me with the flames if the sword...!! Huuaaaaa..... You really frightened me...!! Don't you dare do this again to me...!! Huuaaaaa....” tears streaked down Shippo's face, as it reminded him of this recently father's demise on how the Lightning Bolt Attack had subdued his father against the Thunder Brothers.
”Keh...! I already said I'm sorry. So troublesome...!” Inuyasha exclaimed as he sheathed back the Kodachi with a click and sat cross-legged with one hand on his chin as he began to ponder what makes the Akai Hane tick and became like the one that was handled by Kikyo earlier on.
I sat beside Inuyasha and asked him what he saw when the 'Kaze no Kizu' appeared before him and he said that he saw something like a wavy kind of demonic energy in front of him. The yoki that Inuyasha had transferred within had made the Akai Hane be part of an extension of his arm, however, when he saw the demonic aura, the blade automatically took its destructive form.
”Hmm, I think that's it Inuyasha. It would appear as it's original form when the blade had met with the 'Kaze no Kizu' of a youkai. Once it appears it may take out the form. Hmm... May be could try on some other youkai and not from our team members.”
”Keh... It should be able to form once I had flowed it with my yoki. If I was to face human enemies, it won't transform, is it? How if its a sacred arrow from Kikyo, would I be able to block it since the sacred arrow would also be filled by spiritual energy?”
”Hmm... This gives an idea. Shippo, come here, please. Don't worry we are not going to hurt you.” I gestured to Shippo who was lurking around the tombstones and was surprised to find that there are so many unmarked graves.
”Heeeeeeeehhhhh...don't hurt me okay?” as I reached out and hold Shippo in front of me. ”Can you see the 'Kaze no Kizu' in front of you when I'm holding Shippo like this without drawing the Akai Hane?”
Inuyasha shook his head indicating that he can't see the demonic aura just by looking at Shippo. The former clenched his fist and cracked his knuckles in front of Shippo that suddenly squirmed to be released, while Inuyasha still shook his head.
”Weird... My Sangon Tesso also can't detect the demonic aura at all. Eh... Shippo...! Did you try to hide it from me or what?”
Inuyasha sat cross-legged still and scratched the sides of his face, thinking that Shippo might have hidden it so that no other youkai could detect its presence.
I let Shippo and told him to stand a bit further. I took out my Kodachi and informed Inuyasha to draw his too. The moment I imbued Kamehameha energy into it, Inuyasha could sense the threat coming and his Akai Hane immediately took the same form as mine.
It was as though it was dances of swords as Inuyasha wielded and waved the Akai Hane around him as the swirling flames enveloped the Akai Hane and looked quite formidable as I just held mine in my hands. The moment I commanded ”OFF” with my mind, the swirling flames on mine dissipated.
Inuyasha was able to control his yoki in his Kodachi and he was basically jumping in joy as he shouted ”I did it... Hahahaha... I finally did it.” then he looked at me and not sure of what to do with it.
”Unleash its true demonic power towards that mound of soil over there. Use your Sangon Tesso to imbued into it and swipe the blade like that I did before during our Confrontation with Hiten...!”
I was afraid that Inuyasha would do something stupid like Unleashing the Sangon Tesso towards us...!
He looked at the direction that I had pointed and then commanded, ”Sangon Tesso...!” before he swiped the blade horizontally and a streak of flame induced after images of claws was integrated from the swipe and came rushing towards the mound of earth.
He made a striking motion from bottom to the upper right and returned to make another motion from bottom to the upper left and both strikes simultaneously left afterimages of flamed claws rushing towards its target.
Inuyasha jumped into the air and struck the Kodachi down vertically towards the mound of earth and the effect of the flamed induced after images of claws was at its devastating effect yet...!
Inuyasha whooped in joy as he continually imbued his yoki into Akai Hane. Inuyasha raised his voice and asked, ”How am I going to turn this thing off? Is the red hot blade going to hurt others if anyone were to touch it?!”
”Just sheath your Kodachi as normal, the swirling flames will soon extinguish it. And stop the flow of your yoki into it, Inuyasha...! If you keep flowing into it, the fire would not go off...!!”
As soon as Inuyasha heard me, he inserted back the Akai Hane back into the sheath and the swirling flame went off, leaving the red blade as ever like it was never been in a Kamehameha state before. Inuyasha came running to me with his hands stretched open, just like what he did as usual on his anime and manga series.
A weird way of running, if you ask me. If you run in that manner in a 100 meters relay, not oy would you left behind but your arms would be knocked away by other runners...!!