In The Name of Blood

By Amy Lease (neesan)

Nozomi could hear the steady thumps of her mighty war horse thundering across the vast open fields. The war was on and she hated it. Ever since she was born she was forced into war. The one thing she hated most about wars was the death. Her husband, the king, was supposed to be here with her but; however, due to illness he was unable to battle.

She could smell it; the blood had a soft metallic scent that seemed to tear at her very soul. It made her sick. It didn't help much that she was seven and a half months pregnant with child. She knew that if her husband found out, he would have never let her go to battle. So she left when she wasn't even showing yet. She now used heavy coats and armor to hide the child from her people. Last thing she needed was to have them think they had to sacrifice themselves for her.

Her Hair was White as pure silk and her skin was just as white to fallow. Bare footed, she was as tall as the king. She had a body that would make any man drop to his knees and beg for one night alone with her. From a distance one would think she was an angel. But, however, when you got closer you would see a battle torn war Queen With many scars to show off all her victories. When she walked into a room every one immediately gave her the up most respect. So much so, in fact, the king would often become jealous of her.

Now she was headed into the biggest battle of her life. One that she knew neither side would win. Every man on that battleground was going to die and they knew it. The enemy was made up of the most evil creatures any living being could imagine. But they also had a great war general and he was Nozomi's target. For without his dark magic, his followers would simply quit fighting and find some other thing to do. Since they would no longer have there minds under his control

It was only a matter of time before Nozomi found him. He had been looking for her as well. When there eyes met it was like mixing Vinegar with baking soda in a tightly sealed jar. The air around them seamed to explode with the hatred they felt for each other.

It was the dark lord Kenpachi, who spoke first, "Nozomi, long have I waited for this pleasure." As he said this he halted his war horse far enough for them to hear each other as the war raged on behind them. Kenpachi didn't look evil. Rather, he was quite handsome in fact. He had long red hair that he kept pulled in a simple band behind his back. He was heavily built with muscles and had skin that was as bronze as Nozomi's shield. However when you looked into his eyes, all you saw were the black pools of the evil entity inside of him. He was her husband's brother, her first lover. And it grieved her to think of her dead lover's body being used by such a vile and evil entity.

Nozomi just smiled and gave Kenpachi a short glare, "Really, I was about to say the same about you."

Kenpachi smiled, "You mock me now, but wait until I have taken you captive, I will use your body for my personal pleasures, what do you say your highness?"

Nozomi gripped the handle of her sword tighter and replied, "I say; your sick and I hope you rot in a hell worse then the one you came from." Suddenly the smile on the Kenpachi's face faded and he lifted his hand to throw a ball of fire. He was a few seconds too slow, for Nozomi effortlessly hit the fire ball back with her sword. Aiming it back at Kenpachi hitting his horse strait on its chest, "AWWW is that all you got, poor baby."

With a scream of rage Kenpachi healed his horse and charged at Nozomi. Nozomi smiled and charged at him with equal force. Then in a shower of sparks Nozomi and Kenpachi jumped off their horses and landed on the ground. You could see the lightning flash off Nozomi's sword. There was a storm gathering on the edge of the battle field and soon the skies would unleash their war.

Nozomi looked in her opponent's eyes. They were ready too. Kenpachi, the more skilled of the two brought his sword down on Nozomi. Quick as lightning, Nozomi brought her sword up to block him. Then with a smile she twisted his sword around and tried strike at Kenpachi. Kenpachi saw what was coming even before Nozomi had a chance to withdraw. Kenpachi brought his sword down hard on Nozomi's shoulder only to hit the tough armor she wore. But Nozomi would have bruises there later if she survived this attack. Nozomi ducked and turned, she then tried to par another attack from Kenpachi but was too slow as Kenpachi cut her on her unguarded arm, and shoved her to the ground.

Kenpachi looked at her smugly, "So, Nozomi, are you willing to give up yet?"

Nozomi just glared at him. Ignoring the pain in her arm and shoulder Nozomi got up and charged at Kenpachi. Kenpachi suddenly formed a ball of fire in his hand and threw it at Nozomi. Nozomi was totally unprepared for this new attack and fell back. Kenpachi knew this would be his chance. Kenpachi charged at Nozomi and Nozomi only had a second to look up and see a blade right in front of her face. Then she only knew the searing pain that followed. She was mad now.

Nozomi got up, and felt the red hotness of her own blood down her face. She then unleashed a string of blows that were faster then anything anyone had seen. Kenpachi tried to match her blow for blow but was unable to guard off a few attacks. The blow's Kenpachi hit her with felt like sledgehammers hitting through her armor.

Nozomi knew he had the best of her but she was not about to go down easy with out causing a few major wounds of her own. If Nozomi was not pregnant she would have fought till her body collapsed. But she knew that if her child were to have any hope of living she would have to stay alive. Using the last of her energy, Nozomi tightened her grasp on her sword and threw it at Kenpachi. To her joy, it hit him right through his chest where his heart should be and he fell back.

Kenpachi and Nozomi were now deathly injured and neither of them was going to live through this fight. Kenpachi had by now seen her swollen belly and knew immediately just, how he was going to finish Nozomi off. Kenpachi raised his hands to the sky as lightning struck somewhere close by and begun to cast his last spell, " I call upon all the powers of darkness and ask of one last favor, let my spirit live on through this woman's unborn life she harbors in her!" However, what Nozomi heard Kenpachi say made no sense, to her it sounded like gibberish.

Suddenly the dark lord fell dead and for a few seconds every thing was still. Then Kenpachi's body begun to convulse as a ball of light erupted from his body and every thing the light touched either turned into a corps or withered and died, all except for Nozomi. Instead of dying she felt the dark lord's soul flow into her and into her baby. With a shiver of fear she now knew what Kenpachi had done. Slowly the rain begun to fall on the now silent battle field. The water that fell begun to pool around Nozomi and it looked as if she were standing in a lake of blood. Looking around at all the death and destruction Nozomi knew that if she lived, surly her baby would be the downfall of many lives. Therefore, she prayed to her god for a way of protecting her self and her baby's original soul.

Suddenly a light appeared in front of her and she saw an angel that looked just like her in the light. It was then she knew her child was to be a girl and the 'angel' was her dead child's soul. The child that now lives in her belly was dead. But would live only because the dark entity that once lived in Kenpachi's hollow body was now inside her baby and would bring harm and death to her people.

With tears in her eyes, Nozomi grabbed her daughters hand and she felt her soul being pulled from her body. When she looked back at her now life less body. Somehow the baby was now lying next to her in a puddle of her own blood and all the other people who have died in this pointless war.