Shikon Rider Hibiki

Episode 2: The Roaring Oni

It's been several days since Sakurai Haruki joined InuYasha and his friends. Today, the group ends up in front of a fork in the road. Miroku tosses his staff out as it lands towards the right path.

"So, right it is then," Miroku concluded.

Just then two male travellers came walking up from the left path.

"That young woman was quite the kind hostess, wasn't she?"

"Aye! And she was quite the beauty as well."

Hearing this, Miroku shifted the staff towards the left path with his foot.

"Divine intervention," he murmured.

Everyone, except Haruki, groaned in annoyance. The monk was up to his old tricks again.

"Good idea, Miro-san! Maybe we can get something to eat," Haruki smiled.

"I'm glad we share the same thoughts, Haruki-kun," Miroku smiled.

"Yeah right," InuYasha scoffed.

Miroku's and Shippo's left eyebrows began to twitch with annoyance. Why you ask?

"Oh, isn't he just adorable!" cooed the hostess.

"Looks like Haruki only needs his looks to attract the maidens, huh, Miroku?" InuYasha snickered.

"How does he do it?" Shippo mumbled.

"Here's another rice ball, on the house," the hostess offered.

"Arigato, Nee-chan," Haruki said cutely.

"So Cute!" she exclaimed.

Sango and Kagome could only giggle to themselves at how Haruki was being showered with affection, while Miroku and Shippo stew in their envy.

"By the way," spoke a random traveller. "I heard something about a demon near a temple up ahead."

This caught the interest of InuYasha and the others.

"Yes, I've heard as well," another man responded. "A demon that plays strange music on an even stranger-looking instrument. But he does nothing but ask for money in return for playing."

"Yeah, and he's been attracting quite a crowd of ladies with whatever spell he's using."

"You think we should check it out, InuYasha?" Kagome asked.

"Might as well," InuYasha surrendered.

"We'll have to liberate those women and the priest of the temple from this demon," Miroku said dramatically.

"Right," spoke Sango in a sarcastic tone.

'Strange music and guitar...why does that sound familiar,' Haruki pondered, scratching his head.

When the group reached the temple and came across a large crowd of young and beautiful girls. But they were never in any real danger. Why's that? They were cheering.

The reason was a young man playing an instrument. He had spiky green hair and matching eyes that gave off a shine like emeralds. His ears were pointed and so were his canines as he flashed a toothy grin every so often. From head to toe, he wore a black studded headband, a dark green sleeveless shirt, a wristband on his left arm with an oni face, tight leahter pants, and combat boots. His instrument was a black green electric guitar with blades lining the sides that was hooked up to a portable amplifier attached to the side of his belt. He was playing a solo from "November Rain" and the girls were screaming his name.

"Kiyoshi-sama!"

"Over here, Kiyoshi-sama!"

"OMG, he's looking at me!" one girl fainted.

"He just winked at me!" another fainted.

"Kiyoshi-sama, let me bear your children!" another girl screamed.

InuYasha, Miroku, Kagome and Sango went wide-eyed after that last declaration. Apparantly, this demon must've been pretty powerful to manipulate THIS many women.

The demon stopped playing, flicked his hair with his right hand, and raised his index finger to the sky.

"Who do you love!?" asked the demon.

"KIYOSHI-SAMA!" the girls cheered.

"Kiyoshi?" Haruki said aloud.

"What's wrong, Haru-kun?" Kagome asked.

Haruki's eyes widened as he gazed at the green-haired demon. He then leapt over the crowd of girls and onto the make-shift stage of stairs. This startled the demon youth as he was looking at a kid with pink hair and fimiliar pink eyes.

"Who're you?" asked the demon boy.

He got no answer as Haruki was still staring at him with intensity in his eyes. Haruki then smiled as he glomped the demon boy.

"Kiyo-kun!" Haruki called out.

"Huh?! Haruki, is that you?!" the boy asked. Haruki nodded. "Well, by the gods! If it isn't Haruki! Come here, you little bastard!" He pulled Haruki into a head lock and gave him a playful noogie.

"I guess..they know each other?" Sango said with uncertainty.

"Well, this may make things easy," Miroku said.

"Where you've been Haruki? Where's Nii-san? And why the hell do you look like a toddler?" Kiyoshi asked.

"Well, I've been with my new friends, I don't know what happened to Takeshi-san, and I don't know," Haruki answered sequencially.

"Friends?" Kiyoshi looked to the back of the crowd to see InuYasha and the others. "Ah. I see."

"I'm Takemori Kiyoshi!" introduced the demon. "Nice to meet ya!" he bowed.

"I'm Kagome. These are my friends Sango, InuYasha, Sango, Miroku, and Shippo," introduced Kagome while gesturing to her friends.

"I'm honored to make all your aquaintance." Kiyoshi then took hold of Sango's hand and gazed at her intently. "Especially you, Sango-san."

"Um..I...uh..." Sango studdered, blushing.

Miroku's eye twitched at this and decided to speak up. "So, tell us Kiyoshi-san, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, making money!" Kiyoshi smiled.

"Money," everyone parroted.

"When I woke up, I found myself in the middle of a forest and I didn't WHERE the hell I was. I ended up at this temple and the monk in charge took me in."

"You're actually in Japan's Feudal Era," Kagome said.

"WHAT?! You mean I'm stuck in the past!? OMG!" Kiyoshi started rolling on the floor. "Oh, this is NOT GOOD!" Then he calmed down. "Well, at least there's some cute girls to keep me busy."

The group then looks to Haruki being smothered with affection by the crowd of girls.

"Oh, he's so adorable!"

"His hair smells like strawberries!"

"Oh, I could just eat him up!"

"I want to take him home!"

"What's your name?"

"Sakurai...Haruki desu," Haruki answered shyly and blushing.

"KAWAIIII!" everyone cooed.

"Heh, looks like he just stole my thunder," said Kiyoshi with a x-vain mark over his head and a twitching eyebrow.

"Say, Kiyoshi-kun," Kagome started. "Are you a..."

"Yeah, I'm an Oni," he cut her off.

"So, you're a demon," InuYasha accused.

"InuYasha!" Kagome scolded.

"So are you, buddy!" Kiyoshi retorted.

"At least I'm not manipulating defenseless women with weird music!" InuYasha shot back.

"HEY, insult my music and your ass is grass, biscuit breath!"

"You wanna make somethin' of it, broccoli head?!"

"Bring it on, BITCH!"

"InuYasha, SIT!" Kagome commanded.

InuYasha's face fell into the tatami mat.

"Sorry, he can be confrontational," Kagome apolagized.

"And for the record, I DON'T manipulate women. I enchant them." Kiyoshi explained.

"Enchant?" Shippo repeated.

"My guitar skills are so badass I can melt the hearts of women. Besides, lots of girls dig musicians." he said cockily.

"So you use Ongeki-dou to pick up girls," Kagome deadpanned.

"Of course not!" Kiyoshi denied. "I...wait how do you know about Ongeki-dou?"

"Haru-kun told us. Or rather, Hibiki-kun did."

"Ah, that explains you asking me if I was an Oni."

"So, could you elaborate on what Ongeki-dou actually is?" Miroku

"Ongeki-dou is a martial art that's designed to fight and kill demons using pure sound. This style also utilizes armed combat, using musical instruments such as drum clubs, guitars, and so on," Kiyoshi explained.

"So is there a style for every instrument?" Sango inquired.

"Not exactly. Ongeki-dou is dividded into three schools for three classes of instruments: Wind, String, and Percussion. With each school, there is an heir to its style."

"So, there are three classes of Oni then," Kagome concluded as she eyed Haruki.

"That's about right," Kiyoshi nodded.

"So, what time period DID you come from?" she asked.

"2035," he replied.

"EH!? That far?!" Kagome gasped.

"Yup. We were hangin' out at Haruki's when this weird demon attacked us. He kinda kicked our asses pretty badly. We tried to escape and regroup, but I tripped over everyone and we all tumbled ito a well. Next thing I know, I wake up and find myself alone in a forest," Kiyoshi explained.

"The same story as Haruki-kun's," Sango stated.

"But enough about me," Kiyoshi then leaned towards Sango. "Let's talk about you, Sango-san."

"Me?" she pointed to herself.

"Yeah. Like, what's your favorite hobbies, what you like to eat, what you don't like, your kind of music, stuff like that."

"Well...I...um..." Sango began blushing a deep red.

At this time an old monk opened the door to the group's room.

"Is everything well, young musician?" the monk asked.

"Ah, Kaname-san! Everything's fine. Just getting to know my new friends." Kiyoshi turned to Sango. "Some more than others." He then winked at Sango, causing the demon slayer to turn red.

"Well then, how about I prepare a feast for your friends so that they may rest up for the night?"

"That would be excellent," Kiyoshi smiled.

"Then I shall return." He then slid the door closed as he left to the kitchen.

"He's a nice guy," Kagome commented.

"Yeah! Kaname-san's been taking care of me for the past couple o' days since I've been here," Kiyoshi smiled. Then he frowned. "I feel bad for having to leave him though."

"What do you mean?" Miroku asked.

"Now that I got enough money, I'll be heading out to look for my Nii-san in the morning."

Haruki then walked towards the group with kiss marks all over his face.

"Hah! Thought they'd never leave," Haruki sighed.

"Lucky punk," Kiyoshi mumbled.

"Maybe you could come with us," Kagome offered while cleaning Haruki's face.

"Really?!" Haruki exclaimed.

"For real?!" Kiyoshi gasped.

"Sure," Kagome nodded. "We could use some muscle like yours and it wouldn't hurt to have some more company."

"Arigato, Onee-chan," Haruki chirped while hugging Kagome.

"Yeah, thanks for having me," Kiyoshi smiled.

"Hah! I bet he ain't so tough if he couldn't beat an enemy from his own time," InuYasha scoffed

"Why don't you put your money where your mouth is, Fido?!" Kiyoshi challenged.

"Oh, I intend to," InuYasha smirked.

"Is it just me, or does Kiyoshi-san remind you a bit of Koga?" Miroku wispered to Sango. She could only nod.

InuYasha and Kiyoshi stood several feet across from each other in a courtyard of the temple, staring each other down. Kagome and the others stood at the side lines, waiting for the epic battle to begin.

"Kiyo-kun! Onii-chan! Gambatte!," Haruki cheered.

"So who do you think will win, Sango?" Miroku asked.

"Well, we all know that InuYasha is strong, but..." Sango began.

"But?"

"We've seen what Haruki-kun can do when he transformed. If Kiyoshi-dono is an Oni like Haruki-kun, then this can probably go either way," she finished.

"Ready to get yer ass handed to ya, mutt?" Kiyoshi taunted.

"I should be asking you that!" InuYasha shot back. He then drew his Tetsusaiga.

"Nice sword," Kiyoshi whistled. "Sure you ain't over compensating?"

"Why you..." InuYasha growled. "RARGH!"

InuYasha charged forward, hacking and slashing at Kiyoshi and hoping to chop his head off. Kiyoshi dodged and blocked the giant sword with the bladed sides of his guitar, Ongekigen Retsurai. InuYasha made a downward swing and Kiyoshi dodge-rolled to the side.

"C'mon, give me yer best shot!" Kiyoshi taunted.

"You asked for it!" InuYasha raised his sword in the air. Wind began to gathe around the blade. Kiyoshi grinned, seeing how easily the mutt took the bait. "Wind Scar!" he bellowed. Several waves of yellow energy came flying at Kiyoshi ready to slice him to pieces.

Kiyoshi, however, stood his ground and plugged his guitar into his amplifier. His guitar pick in hand, Kiyoshi struck one string and sent out a massive shockwave at the Wind Scar, dispelling the attack without effort.

"What?!" Miroku and Sango gaped.

"He stopped the Wind Scar?!" Kagome gasped.

"Sugoi!" Haruki cried.

"That's Bullshit!" InuYasha roared.

"Thus is the power of Ongeki-dou!" Kiyoshi laughed. "That's what happens when you use your trump card too early."

All of a sudden an explosion erupted from the temple. A giant spider demon rose from the dust cloud, grinning like a mad man.

"Hand over the Sacred Jewel shards!" the demon roared.

"A demon?!" Shippo gasped.

"From inside the temple?!" Miroku exclaimed.

"How is that possible!?" Sango asked.

Kagome spotted a jewel shard glowing from the demon's forehead. "It has a jewel shard!" she called out.

"I hate spiders," InuYasha growled.

"Then let me handle it!" Kiyoshi proclaimed. He tugged at his wristband revealing a set of strings. He ren a finger over the strings and held it to his forehead, where an oni face appeared. "Henshin!" he called out. Kiyoshi raised his left arm to the sky and lightning descended upon him, covering him in green electrified energy. Kiyoshi waved his left arm out to dispell the lightning and reveal his Oni form. His "bodysuit" was a dark green and his hands were covered by green gloves. His Ongekishin Raigo rested on a belt around his waist. A strap, shaped like a guitar's neck hung across his torso from his left shoulder down to right side, coupled with a silver neck around his left rib cage. His helmet was dark green like the rest of his body and had a black visor lined with silver trim. An oni face rested on the forehead of his helmet. Finally, a blade-like horn rested on the top of his head, which rose from the back of his head. "Todoroki, Kenzan!" he announced.

"So, you are a demon," the spider sneered.

"Got that right, legs." Todoroki mocked. "Figured you were a demon too."

"He knew?!" Kagome gasped.

"It was easy, seeing how he was eyeing the girls I attracted for the past few days. He couldn't have been a real monk. The jewel shard's a surprise, though."

"The element of surprise is a spider's specialty," the spider sneered as he charged towards Todoroki.

Todoroki flipped over the demon and slashed at its back, causing it to cry out in pain. "Doesn't mean it'll be effective!" Todoroki grinned. He slid under the demon and began to concenrtate his power. Electricity began to surge through his body and into his fists. "Kitoujustu Raigekiken!"

Todoroki pummeled the demon's underside, sending thousands of volts of electricity into the demon's body. The demon stumbled and finally fell after the vicious assault. Todoroki then jumped on the spider's back and stabbed his Resturai into him. He took the Raigo from his belt and attached it to Resturai, activating its "guitar mode." "Ongeki Zan Raiden Gekishin!" he announced. Todoroki then began to play a solo from "Through the Fire and the Flames," sending wild vibrations into the spider demon's organs.

And I'm sure we all know how wild "Through the Fire and the Flames" is.

The demon's body began to expand, due to the vibrations of Todoroki's playing. It finally exploded after three minutes of face melting riffs, thanks to Todoroki. The spider's jewel shard the fell at Todoroki's feet and he picked it up.

"And that's how it's done!" Todoroki grinned.

"Let's hit the road!" Haruki declared.

"I don't see why HE gets to come with us," InuYasha grumbled while gesturing to Kiyoshi.

"I guess it's because I'm just that awesome," Kiyoshi boasted. He then took hold of Sango's hands and gazed into her eyes with stars in his. "Especially since I'll be getting to know Sango-san better. Let's get along, Sango-san."

"Right..." Sango sweatdropped.

To Be Continued...

Bushido: Well, looks like a certain Oni has a crush on our dark haired demon slayer. Could this be a romance in the making? What of Kiyoshi's brother? What about any other Oni that may be stuck in Feudal Japan? Stay tuned for answers and more! What arc, from InuYasha, do you think I should start from? Let me know in your reviews. Ja ne!

Next Episode: "The Majestic Oni!"