Reign of the Great Empress
"InuYasha SIT!" Kagome snapped, her arms crossed. He yelled, realizing what was about to happen. At this point you have to know that InuYasha was dangling off the edge of a cliff, and just as Kagome was about to save him he made a mean snap at her. Shippo laughed, watching him fall into the water far below.
"That InuYasha is going to get himself killed doing that!" He glanced up, looking around. "Where'd Miroku and Sango go?"
"Miroku is in the village bothering women and Sango went to beat the crap out of him," a voice said, coming from the path in the forest. Koru came out, carrying her sword on her shoulder. "Nice sit. I can't wait to see InuYasha's face." Shippo smiled, waving at her.
"Hi Koru! Where'd you come from?" She smiled, setting her sword to the ground.
"I'm on my way north," she smiled, sitting down on a chair-sized boulder. "I'm gonna visit my father, and while I'm there I'll wait for KenoTaishei to come home."
"Who's KenoTaishei?" He asked curiously, sitting next to her. Kagome became interested.
"You know…Great Lord KenoTaishei?" he gasped, jumping back.
"The Lord of the continent from five thousand years ago? The one that can turn into a giant gold wolf? With the big giant powerful sword?" He seemed excited. "But he's dead!" Koru laughed, looking at the ridge. InuYasha crawled up over the edge, soaking wet and looking really exasperated and angry.
"Have a nice swim InuYasha?" she turned her attention back to Shippo. "He was revived. And he's at the continent, but he's coming home in the next week or two." InuYasha shook off, getting water on them. Kagome growled, sitting him again, and wiped water off her cheek.
"So…this Lord KenoTaishei is a pretty famous guy, huh?" InuYasha gaped.
"What about Lord KenoTaishei?" He asked, standing up, twitching his ears to dry them off.
"He's alive!" Shippo jumped up, running in circles in rejoice. InuYasha gasped, in disbelief. Koru nodded, looking up.
"Hey…I don't think I'm going to have to go north after all." They could all sense his aura, and Koru and InuYasha had his scent. After a few seconds, a toweringly giant, sandy-gold figure appeared over the mountains, almost twice the size of demon form InuTaisho. Kagome yelled in fear, running behind the exasperated InuYasha. Koru merely smiled, watching Miroku and Sango gape as they came running at the aura. The giant gold wolf came towards them, stepping over villages as he went, his mane flowing over his shoulders, neck and back, tail behind him almost like flame in that way, fangs gleaming and giant, head held high and ears forward in regality. He had demon mark-colored stripes on the sides of the bridge of his muzzle, and his eyes were bloody red. He was glowing, so majestic and royal and powerful just his aura made you want to bow. Koru smiled, watching the giant best stop at the ridge, seeing her, and transform, landing smoothly on the ridge in a whirlwind as a humanoid figure. The dust cleared, exposing a tall, handsome man, in black and gray armor and a sand-gold kimono. His eyes were dark, and he had demon marks on the sides of his face like Sesshomaru, but wider and longer, and a stripe down the center of his forehead like Houshiomi's (The demon ninja, you remember him? Naginata of Kenkon?). He wore a kimono like Sesshomaru's with sleeves like InuYasha's (excuse all the comparisons, I just can't think of anything else), and had long gold hair. A long, gold wolf fur pelt went over his shoulders and back, and he had at his side a long sword with a metallic-silver orb at the end, centered in a diamond of metal and wrapped in dark brown leather, with four black steel rings as the hilt. He looked at them sternly, his bangs like Sesshomaru's but longer, hanging over his eyes, and crossed his arms. InuYasha, Miroku, Sango, and Shippo all immediately bowed, and Kagome stood there dumbly. InuYasha elbowed her in the leg, watching him warily. The magnificent figure kept his eyes on them, taking in information, and Kagome dropped to her knees in a bow of fear. Koru laughed, walking over to him, and hugged him. The stern expression on his face immediately softened, and he hugged her back affectionately, his smile a knock-out.
"Hi KenoTaishei. You're home early. I was gonna go wait for you at my father's palace." She looked over at them. "You guys can get up. He's not going to eat you."
"I don't know why you would be bowing," his voice was deep and handsome. "I'm not a Lord here." Shippo ran up to him, bowing at his feet.
"Oh, Great Lord KenoTaishei! I'm so happy you're alive!" He looked up at him in marvel. Koru smiled, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Yeah, everyone's happy you're alive. I can't believe you guys didn't know, though. Everyone else does." His kind expression turned solemn.
"And speaking of people being alive," he glanced back at the mountains. "The Master is being revived." Koru nearly did a flip.
"Who's 'The Master'?" Sango asked, carrying her boomerang lightly. Miroku gasped, knowing who it was.
"Empress RoTaishei," he spoke solemnly. "Great Empress of the continent, and defeater of Dark Emperor Akoshi." He spoke like a book. "Lord KenoTaishei may have conquered the continent, but that was after her death." KenoTaishei nodded.
"She did not die," he continued, still standing with Koru. "Her reign was over, so she left. Master is immortal."
"Why do you keep calling her master?" Kagome asked, still nervous about being there with him, since he was so strong and powerful and royal.
"Well, if you thought Lord KenoTaishei was big," InuYasha crossed his arms. "Empress RoTaishei is about five times his size." Kagome gasped, a shiver of fear running up her spine. "She is the Master of all wolves, so they usually call her master." He spoke with resent, really disliking wolves.
"Yeah, and that means that you can't make any mean comments about wolves anymore InuYasha," Koru snickered, a smug grin on her face. "Because the Master will either step on you, cut your head off, or suck out your soul if you do." She glanced back up at KenoTaishei. "So how the hell did she get revived?"
"Mimouru has revived my entire clan," he told her, and he seemed really happy.
"Your entire clan?" Shippo was suddenly frightened. "W-what is your clan?"
"The gold wolf clan of the continent," Sango said solemnly, also afraid. "A race of extremely powerful, giant gold wolves. They're all just as strong as Lord KenoTaishei."
"Actually, KenoTaishei is the weakest of the gold wolves," Koru added, watching the fear grow in them. InuYasha in particular seemed really unsettled by it.
"But they're not evil," Shippo grinned, being a suck-up to an idol. "The gold wolves are the ones that saved us from the Dark Emperor. And KenoTaishei made sure that the continent's army didn't hurt us. The gold wolf clan is the best!" He continued bowing at KenoTaishei's feet.
"That may be," Miroku said sternly. "But if they wish to conquer us, they will easily do so." KenoTaishei looked offended by that. Miroku glanced up, saw that, and instantly dropped to the ground, bowing at his feet. "Please…forgive me, Lord." Shippo nodded, still bowing.
"The Master will probably take reign here, but I doubt she will spend much time here," KenoTaishei added, looking up. A falcon screeched, soaring into a nearby tree. He seemed alarmed by it, and went to the edge of the ridge, looking at the mountains. Koru glanced up, curious, as was everyone else.
"What is it KenoTaishei?" Shippo tapped her foot.
"He's Lord KenoTaishei," Shippo scolded. Koru bent down, showing him a gold necklace around her neck.
"For me, he's just KenoTaishei. I married him." Shippo yelled in surprise, dropping to the ground to bow to her as well. She laughed, joining the others at the ridge. KenoTaishei seemed pretty concerned, but his senses were so much better than anyone else's that no one could tell what it was yet. He growled, clenching his fists, and put a hand on the long handle of his sword. "KenoTaishei? What is it?" She touched his shoulder, looking up at him worriedly.
"Ah. The army is following me." He let go of his sword handle, turning to Koru. "If you follow me-"
"I'm coming too," she interrupted him, crossing her arms. "You know it'd just be easier to let me come, so I don't have to spy on you." He nodded, turning over to the ridge.
"Very well. But I cannot carry you…I must stay out of sight." He leapt off the ridge, landing smoothly at the bottom, going quickly north over the landscape. Koru grinned, turning back to them.
"Oh, you guys have to see this. Come on. But you're gonna have to ride with me…none of you guys can run fast enough." Kirara mewed, cocking her head. "Sorry, Kirara." She smiled, looking over the ridge.
"Ride with you on what?" InuYasha asked moodily. Koru glanced back at him with a devious smile, her eyes red in that of a demon rage, jagged demon marks on the side of her face, and she transformed. After the rage of a whirlwind cleared, there stood Koru, a giant brown wolf, but with a streak of gold fur down her right side, obviously the highlight of gold in her hair. She was the size of Sesshomaru at least, maybe bigger, and her fangs hung down over her jaw. She growled, bending down to look at them.
"Are you coming…or not?" She talked with a demon voice, growling and mean. "You'll get to see the great lord destroy a 10-thousand-man army with one sweep." Everyone except InuYasha was in for it, but Koru picked him up by the back of his kimono and threw him on her back. Shippo sat on her head, feeling tiny compared to her, even though if there was a full pose of demon-form KenoTaishei you couldn't even see InuYasha. "Hold on!" She leapt off the ridge, running up the mountain, and they finally caught up to the swift-moving Lord KenoTaishei. He moved swiftly and smoothly, running much faster than them even in that form. Koru bound at his side, trying to keep up, while everyone on her back watched in excitement.
"InuYasha…" Kagome tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I just don't favor wolves, is all." He snarled, keeping his arms crossed and his ears down. She sighed, looking up.
"So, this great Lord KenoTaishei is some guy, huh?" Everyone nodded, a pang of fear in their respect for him.
"Yes. Other than Empress RoTaishei, he is the most powerful being ever to have lived." Miroku continued, calm as usual.
"So how come I've never heard of him?" Kagome asked, curious.
"Because I've collected every book and scroll about him," Koru told them, looking back. "And I am protecting them. But something must've happened between now and your time, because obviously only one record was left, and that talked mostly about his sword." Kagome thought about that.
"Oh yeah. It's Tsuendee, isn't it? The sword of true death. My Grandpa sells T-Shirts and souvenirs with that sword on it." Koru nodded, jumping over a lake, and looked over in surprise. A whip of green energy suddenly struck in front of them, and in their path stood Sesshomaru, Tokijin in his hand. Everyone started to get up to fight, but Koru stood still.
"Just relax, guys. Watch the show." Koru told them with a smile. KenoTaishei stopped, looking at Sesshomaru blatantly.
"Wolf Lord," Sesshomaru growled, tightening his grip on Tokijin. "You will die." But before he could even bring his sword up, KenoTaishei struck, yanking Tokijin out of his hand, lifting him into the air by the throat, his claws digging into Sesshomaru's neck.
"You, dog, will not bother me. Unless you would like to lose your other arm, I suggest that you leave. If you are ever an annoyance to me again, your head will be mine." He dropped Sesshomaru and tossed the sword at him, continuing on his way, shaking blood off his hand. Everyone gaped as Sesshomaru hurried away, frightened.
"Whoa! Did you see that?" Shippo jumped up and down, overjoyed at the victory.
"Wow. He really is powerful," Kagome said nervously.
"Yeah, whatever. I don't trust him, though." InuYasha put his nose in the air defiantly. He had his eyes closed, so didn't notice the figure that'd just appeared behind him. Everyone that was sitting in front of him freaked out, huddling together and backing up, stammering a warning to him. He opened his eyes dumbly, looking at them as if they were crazy. "What?" Kagome pointed behind him. He turned, seeing KenoTaishei standing over him with his arms crossed, and jumped back, stumbling onto his back, looking up at him with terror.
"You do not trust me, InuYasha?" He growled calmly and smoothly, raising an eyebrow. "Is it because you are a dog, or because you so desire power yourself?" He shook his head. "You'd best learn to accept things the way they are, InuYasha." He leapt off Koru's back, continuing along the ground. After a pause, everyone let out their held breaths of suspense, and Kagome banged InuYasha hard on the head.
"InuYasha, you idiot!" She snapped, still trembling. Koru stopped, seeing the army, and looked down at KenoTaishei. He'd paused as well, watching the army come through the mountain valley with yells and shouts.
"Okay, you guys," Koru grinned, bracing herself. "This is real power now." KenoTaishei drew his sword from the sheath, and as the long silver blade came out it threw off blue electric static, an angry and powerful weapon. He tightened his claws, holding ready the long blade in the other hand, and smiled wickedly at the army, his fangs making him seem more menacing than first thought. The army charged. He pulled up his claws, slashing them down across the wind, sending five giant, powerful black blades of energy at them, taking off the first thousand or so of the army. They continued at him, and he kept killing them off, not even using his sword. Koru laughed as they were all destroyed, catching and eating one of the bodies that came flying their way. InuYasha was a little too concentrated, and didn't dodge fast enough as he was dinged in the head with some demon's head. He yelled, tossing it away like a hot potato, but immediately continued to watch the massacre. KenoTaishei relaxed his claws, growing bored, and drew back his sword. He whirled it up, and it glowed dark purple-black, hissing angrily with aura and strength. He slammed it down, and an eruption of power burst up, exploding ragefully, the mean vengeance attacking. After the dust cleared, there was nothing left. Not even a remnant of the five thousand or so bodies there had been mere seconds ago. KenoTaishei picked up the great sword, returning it to the sheath, and turned back to them, continuing back in the direction they'd come. Koru kept walking, watching the group on her back with a grin. They were all frozen in fear and horror, shocked into suspended animation for the time being.
